Firstly, we meet the Lake Stymphalia where, according to Greek my-thology, the Stymphalian Birds used to live in and whose extermination constitutes the Hercules ‘s sixth labour.
Stymphalia is also the home to the first Environmental Museum in Greece which aims at promoting the love of humans for nature and their harmonious coexistence, while it is the first time that a mu-seum offers the opportunity to its visitors to observe closely the flora and fauna of the area. The Museum also informs the visitors about local traditions and customs trying to keep them untouched by the development of civilization.
We continue our trip to Doxa Lake (which means the lake of glory). In the middle 1990s, a dam, which was raised and constructed in the riverbed of Doxa Lake (in the northwest part of the basin), created a new water surface, the artificial Doxa Lake, which captures your interest and your admi-ration from the very first moment with its huge size and its clear blue waters. This beautiful lake is located in an altitude of 890 meters and is surrounded by green firs, pine and oak trees which reach the banks of the lake and create a picturesque “Swiss landscape” as it has been described by so many visitors. The highlight of this natural beauty is the small chapel of St. Fanourios, which is connected to the mainland by a thin stripe of land which literally floats on the water.
Finally, the villages of Ano, Mesea and Kato Trikala, in close distance one from another, constitute a favourite destination for a “weekend getaway” from the city offering very good infrastructure both in taverns and cafés, as well as accommodation. Planes, oak, walnut and chestnut trees compose a colourful natural scenery for all nature lovers travelling around the villages of Riza and Karia to the villages of Goura and Panorama of Feneos.
Tour highlights