Photos

A small waterfall in the Vouraikos Ravine.

The Vouraikos Ravine is a natural cut with a north-south orientation going deep into the Chelmos Mountain. Chelmos is part of what is known as the northern Peloponnisos mountain wall (comprising the mountains Panahaiko, Chelmos, Kyllini), an imprssive feature of the scenery in northern Peloponnisos to the visitor as he/she travells with high hills and mountains on one hand and the sea on the other. Among these mountains is Chelmos, also known as Aroania mountains, a very impressive small ridge with its highest peak at 2.355m.

The Ravine of Vouraikos begins from the mountain and goes north with the river Vouraikos flowing in it and ending close to the town of Diakofto with an estuary in the Korinthiakos Gulf. The name of the ravine comes from Voura, a lover of Hercules, who according to the legend opened the ravine in order to reach him (why are lovers of this kind so rare nowadays folks?)...

If you are in the whereabouts of the ravine it is worth visiting, the "classic" way being a ticket with the little "Odontotos" train (meaning "toothed", because in places where the ride is steep, there is an extra toothed part on the rail). However, in my opinion trekking is the ideal way (but watch for encounters with the train, since it is dangerous to come across it in one of the numerous bridges or caves where there is hardly any space for both you AND the train. Thus before you enter the ravine get the train schedules from the station in Diakofto and schedule your breaks when the train is about to pass to be out of the way...

During your pass of the Ravine you will notice the change in scenery, from typical common pines (Pinus halepensis) you will enter forests of black pine (Pinus nigra) and of course around the river, plane trees (Platanus orientalis) and oaks (I am not sure but I think Quercus ilex and some other species).

According to legend, in the Vouraikos Ravine the monastery of Agia Laura is the location where the banner of the Hellenic Revolution was raised to claim independence from the Ottomans in 1821.