Lake Doxa

kordasspiros — Fri, 13 May 2022 12:19:48 +0000

Lake Doxa is an artificial lake at an altitude of 900 meters, which is located in the area of Feneos, Corinth, at the foot of mount Pentelia (Durduvanas) and Aroania (Helmos), the outflows of which form the lake. It is located near the settlements of Ancient Feneos and Panorama and is the result of the construction of the dam that was completed in the late 1990s. There are 3 routes to reach Lake Doxa and they are all very impressive. One is from the national road Corinth – Patras coming out at the exit of Kiato, the second from Derveni, and the third from Xylokastro.
Lake Doxa took its name from the small river of the same name that started in the area and ended near Mount Saita, south of the Feneos plateau. In ancient times it was called Aroanios and is also referred to as Anias.
In the center of the lake dominates the church of Agios Fanourios, also known as the old monastery, which was maintained thereafter the transfer of the Monastery of Agios Georgios, towards the end of the 17th century, to a higher point.
The perimeter of the lake reaches 3.8 km and the alternations in the landscape with the rocks, the wet meadows, and the reeds, make it unique. The area has been declared a NATURA area as it is rich in flora and fauna with rare species.
More specifically, a dense forest of Kefalonian spruce and black pines grows in the lake, which in many places is united with mixed forests of oaks, chestnuts, elms, logs, etc. In some parts of the coast, small meadows are created and large fluffy oaks, plane trees, willows, poplars, and maples rise, while small reeds grow around the lake.
Despite the high altitude, the avifauna of the area is rich and consists of many aquatic and coastal birds, such as gray egrets, white egrets, scuba divers, swans, green-headed ducks, etc. The predators that fly in the surrounding mountains and near the lake consist of golden eagles, hawks, peregrines, owls, etc. On the shores of the lake, we find Kingfishers, Cinderellas, and Yellowbirds. Small birds, such as hedgehogs, shrubs, partridges, nightingales, blackbirds, melodotsirovaks, forest rangers, tree trunks, woodpeckers, ash flycatchers, etc. find shelter in the trees of the area.
The amphibian fauna includes alpine newts, salamanders, toads, green toads, tree frogs, Balkan frogs, and gray frogs. The reptile fauna of the lake is also rich as it consists of Mediterranean turtles, curling turtles, Kefalonian coyotes, blinds, Greek lizards, tranosaurs, and wall lizards, Peloponnese lizards, crowned bears, laurel, sapwoods, nest, oak. The mammals that surround the area are foxes, weasels, ferrets, badgers, wild boars, hares, hedgehogs, moles, and many bats, while recently jackals and roe deer have returned to the surrounding area.
The limestone Pelasgus (Pelasgus stymphalicus) lives in the waters of the lake, while they have been enriched with carp (Cyprinus carpio). The bottom of the lake consists mainly of crayfish of the species Astacus fluviatilis and crabs of the Peloponnese (Potamon Pelops).

Lake Doxa is an ideal destination for day trips and holidays as there are many activities to do, such as horseback riding, cycling, swimming in the lake, etc. You can visit the local taverns to try the local recipes from fresh produce.

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Dragonlake of Tymfi

kordasspiros — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 14:19:28 +0000

Dragonlake of Tymfi and Dragonlake of Smolikas is one of the most famous lakes of Epirus and is connected by a beautiful legend. The term Dragonlake refers to the alpine lakes that are formed mainly in the mountains of Epirus. Created during the last glacial period.

Dragonlake of Tymfi is located in an alpine meadow of mountain Tymfi, at an altitude of 2,050m. , its shape is elliptical and its area is estimated at 8 acres. It is a popular destination for climbers and hikers, while it is known for its alpine newts, a protected amphibian that looks like a salamander and the locals call it Little dragons and which is hosted in the waters of the lake. It is a 1-hour walk from the shelter in the col of Astraka and 4 hours walk from Mikro Papigo.

There are various myths and legends about the Dragonlake of Tymfi, with the best known being the one who wants to live there, a dragon who tried to exterminate the dragon that lived in the Dragonlake of Smolikas. From the stones that flew at each other, the banks were formed. The bank of Tymfi is black with scattered white stones while Smolikas is white with scattered black stones. While there is an interpretation of the myth that says that, from the stones thrown by the Dragon of Tymfi were created the white rams and from the trunks thrown by the dragon of Smolikas were created the black sheep.

Another legend says that the Dragonlake of Tymfi had no bottom and that a great treasure was hidden there, but in reality, the depth is 3 to 5 meters depending on the prevailing conditions. There is a theory that during the Turkish occupation a Bey had put a diver from Preveza to dive to measure the depth of the lake and find the treasure. When he came out after an hour he was terrified and said not to try to do the same again.

Today Dragonlake of Tymfi is the ideal destination for those who love nature and have an appetite for walking while attracting photographers for impressive images.

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Lake Doxa

Dragonlake of Tymfi