Hiking in Skiritida Forest

Skiritida Forest constitutes a monument of man-nature collaboration. It is located in south Arcadia and had remained intact with centenarian oaks until the years of the Greek revolution (1821) when big forest fires destroyed it. In the beginning of the 20th century the residents of the nearby villages started gradually reforesting the area with black pine and chestnut trees bringing back the old forest prestige. So, with the locals’ interest, a model forest was created, which today stretches up to 5,000 hectares (50,000 stremmas) and preserves a rich ecosystem. The path begins from Vlachokerasia, and this is not an old route connecting villages or being used by residents of the whole area. This is a new path, which was made with the view that the visitor will enjoy this marvelous landscape. The visitor will go through thick vegetation, see old watermills and walk over rivers and tributaries which constitute the streams of the Evrota river, which after a route of 80km flows in Laconic Gulf. The route has frequent landscape variations as after the black pine forest there is thick vegetation of plane, oak, willow and hornbeam trees with a constant presence of the water ripple, giving a unique sense of touring. Small waterfalls and ponds create an idyllic place. In short passages, where the visitors can have difficulty discerning the sky, some climbing is needed, which makes the path a bit more athletic. Reaching Melissi (Bee’s) Spring, the visitors can have a rest and enjoy the fresh water. An ascending rural road ends up to the picturesque chapel of Prophet Ilias, which can be a balcony of the area with the view to the mountain parts of Peloponnese. In less than 20 minutes from that point, Vlachokerasia village can be found with guest houses and taverns, as well as the stone church with the tall bell tower.

General Information:

• Total activity time: 7-8 hrs
• Αltitude diference:+/-450
• Route length 14 km – circular 4 km dense forest – 6 km river/tributaries – 4km rural road