Menalo: Nature and history

When you’re exploring Menalo and discovering its rivers, gorges, woods and caves, you’ll find it easy to agree that this is where Pan, the god of the wild, once lived! The impressive mountain is also dotted with traditional settlements, archaeological sites, medieval castles, temples, monasteries, stone bridges and water mills.

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The Menalo range is one of the heartlands of the Greek war of Independence. It is dotted with traditional settlements, archaeological sites, medieval castles, temples, monasteries, stone bridges and water mills. When it comes to nature, the mountain range is home to about 110 species of birds, 6 species of amphibians and 60 plant species which are endemic to Greece, 10 of which are endemic to the Peloponnese. And finally, it is a great place for trekking, rafting and even skiing. So, it would be fair to say that the mountain has something for everyone.

When you’re exploring Menalo and discovering its rivers, gorges, woods and caves, you’ll find it easy to agree that this is where Pan, the god of the wild, once lived. And if you’re enchanted by the mountain, you’ll be in very good company as Virgil, Ovid, Boccaccio, Goethe and Nietzsche all mentioned it in their writing. Not surprisingly, Pausanias the Greek geographer, also had something to say about the mountain when he tells us that the Arcadian towns that played a major role in prehistoric and historic times were situated on the Menalo range. Moving forward over one and a half millennia, the first sparks of resistance against Ottoman Rule were born in the villages, the dense forests and in the ravines of Menalo, and the mountain-range is full of places and names which bear witness to “the struggle”. In particular, monasteries such as the Monastery of the Philosopher, the Prodromo Monastery and the Aimyalon Monastery played an important role during the  Greek War of Independence.

he river Lousios originates in the western Menalo range, and then runs through an impressive gorge which is now a favourite place for outdoor activities. There are plenty of hikes in the area, and you can see the caves in the cliff walls of the gorge where monks came to live as hermits during the 10th century. 

As well as being known for its past, the Menalos range is also famous for its beautiful, historic villages. Dimitsana, Vytina and Stemnitsa are the most popular, but there are many, many more to explore, including the highest villages Magouliana (1,365 m.) and Alonistaina (1,220 m.). The town of Tripolis is at the foot of the mountain.

Menalo is not a particularly high mountain by Greek standards, but the whole range includes 50 peaks over 1,500 m in height (for reference Ben Nevis is 1,344m). Part of the beauty of the range is that it includes so many different landscapes, from peaks to mountain meadows, and from gorges to plateaus. The range is predominantly made of limestone and there are a fair number of springs on the mountain, particularly on the west side.

Around 80% of the mountainous areas are covered by Abies cephalonica or Greek firs, interspersed with a few black pine forests. Lower down you will find clusters of oaks, Turkish pines, black pines, and cedars, etc while along the streams and rivers you can see sycamores and willows. Finally, the mountain plateaus are covered with meadow grasses and herbaceous plants which grow among the firs.  So, taking all this into account, it’s hardly surprising that the mountain has been included in the Natura 2000 network.

Activities
Perhaps the best way to really get to know the mountain, its history and its wildlife is on foot. There are many cobblestone paths in and around the villages, but if you are looking for something a bit more ambitious the Menalon trail is a 75 km network of signposted paths that connect 9 mountain villages. Of course, the route is split into sections, so you don’t have to walk the whole 75 kilometers and you can pick and choose whichever of the 8 trails you fancy. The Menalon trail was created by a tireless group of locals and volunteers and you can see the routes in detail on their website: https://menalontrail.eu/en/ 
The Menalo ski centre is at Ostrakina, but even if you’re not a skier, of if there isn’t any snow, the centre is worth a visit as it makes a good starting point for walking through the beautiful scenery. And of course, another favourite activity is rafting in Lousios and Alfeios rivers.

Location

Find the destination on the interactive map below.