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"The Aetolian lagoons, Messolonghi lagoon and Aetoliko lagoon, have a special lyrical meaning, that someone must conquer it up close, in order to understand why these places winged the modern Greek song and gave to Nation a multitude of novelists and poets. Here, the poet is born, without a doubt. In front of the lagoons, facing the cheerful low mountains, human meditates with his heart. He feels that his thoughts and cares are melting inside him. Everything becomes a passion - the joy of life and spirit, encampment and heroism, the great enthusiasms and the wounded humble desires. Whatever he desires, he desires with all his being, without retreat and without compromise". The great Aetolian novelist, continuing, writes: "Those who enjoyed the rugged beauty of Varasova, those who saw the sunset from the walk of Tourlida, those who crossed the stone bridges of Aetoliko between the admiration and the lagoon dream, those who rejoiced in the soothing shadow of Kleisoura plane trees, will justify, without a doubt, the deep sorrow that overwhelms me, when I think that such unknown and inaccessible to the crowd of locals and foreign travelers… ». With these words, I.M. Panagiotopoulos describes a large part of the diverse Aetolian Land. The wetland of Messolonghi - Aetoliko, together with the Delta of Achelous and Evinos (Fidari), is one of the largest in the Mediterranean area. It is located at the westernmost part of Central Greece, in the Prefecture of Aitoloakarnania. It has an area of 250,000 acres and has been created, over time, from the sediments of the two rivers. The two rivers, over the centuries, formed a very extensive system of shallow waters. The lagoons of the areas do not exceed two meters in depth but occupy a very large area. The landscape is of exceptional beauty. Proof that Messolonghi Lagoon, with its calm waters "shook" the souls of our great poets and writers. Poets like Palamas, Drosinis, Malakasis, Travlantonis wrote about Messolonghi Lagoon. Here lived and died the great English poet Lord Byron, who was in love with Messolonghi Lagoon and its sunsets. The lagoons alternate with the extensive mudflats, the salt marshes, the reeds, the straw lands, the islets, the Mediterranean maquis, and the deciduous forests of Willows, Poplars and Fraxos trees. Messolonghi is the most famous fish production place in Greece. There are several fish farms in the area, but most of the fishing is done in traditional ways. The fishermen are closely tied to the lagoon from "grandfather to grandfather" and their life is full of peculiarities and difficulties. Nevertheless, they love this place with passion and strength. The main species of fish in the Lagoon are Mullet (Mugil cephalus), Miksinari (Mugil aurata), Gastros (Mugil saliens), Lafkinos (Mugil labeo), Velanissa (Mugil chelo), sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), gilthead seabream<https://www.babla.gr/%CE%B1%CE%B3%CE%B3%CE%BB%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%B1-%CE%B5%CE%BB%CE%BB%CE%B7%CE%BD%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%B1/gilthead-seabream#translationsdetails-en1> (Sparus aurata), bream (Diplodus annularis), eels (Anguilla Anguilla), Govios (Gobius niger), etc. North to Messolonghi Lagoon is the mountain Arakynthos or Zygos which “cuts” Aetolia in two pieces, from East to West (984m.) The area is covered by Mediterranean maquis, phrygana, coniferous trees, oaks and centuries-old chestnut trees. In the area of Kleisoura, the vegetation but also the flora is rich and consists of old plane trees, cypress trees, “koutsoupia” trees, locust trees, “agriotsikoudies”, “schina”, “paliouria”, “asfakes”, heaths, wild olive trees, oak trees, yews and crops. In Arakynthos, species of animals have been recorded, such as wild boar, deer, fox, wolf, badger, ferret, hare, hedgehog.
The presence of rare birds and especially birds of prey in the area, indicates an ecosystem still rich in life and balanced. According to Simpson, in the middle of the 19th century, rare birds of prey such as Vulture and “King” Eagle nested in the area. Today there is an important colony of Vultures (Gyps fulvus) in the area. Some of the birds of prey that nest here and in the wider area of Arakynthos are “Pontikovarvakina”, “Vrachokirkinezo”, “Xefteri”, “Dendrogerako”, “Golden” eagle, Kravgaetos, mpoufos, Tyto, Gionis, Owl, etc. On the steep slopes of the gorge, in addition to birds of prey, other "cliff friends" species also nest, such as crow, “vrachochelidono” rock swallow, “vounostachtara”, “vrachotsopanakos”, “stone” partridge, etc. For their great ecological importance, Arakynthos and the Straits of Kleisoura, belong to the Natura 2000 areas. Also, the gorge area for its great aesthetic, natural and cultural value has been declared a natural and cultural monument. In Messolonghi Lagoon, in Achelous Delta, in Evinos Delta and in the surrounding mountains (Koutsilaris Taxiarchis, Skoupos, Kardos, Arakynthos and Varasova), more than 280 species of birds have been observed at different times of the year. Despite the major interventions that took place in the area (salting, drying, etc.), Messolonghi remains one of the most important wetlands in the country and its ornithological value is very high, because the area is an important station for rest and nutrition, during the emigration. It is also an important breeding ground for many waterfowl birds. Above all, Messolonghi Lagoon and Achelous Delta are the most important areas for the overwintering of Europe's waterfowl birds in Greece. In Mesolongi, overwinters one of the largest populations of “Falarida” (Fulica atra), which often exceeds 30,000 birds. More than 20,000 ducks, belonging to the species Kirkiri (Anas creca), Sfirixtari (Anas Penelope), Kinigopapia (Aythia ferina), Prsinokefali (Anas platyrynchos), Varvara (Tadorna tadorna) etc. also overwinter. Messolonghi is also one of the main Greek sites for the wintering of Silver Pelicans (Pelecanus crispus). In winter, many waterfowl birds gather in the area, such as Skalidres, Trigges, Tourlia and others, which we see in the muddy areas around the Lagoon and in the abandoned salt pans. In addition, Messolonghi Lagoon is the southernmost spreading point of the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) in Europe, with its nests giving beauty to the villages and cities. In the wetland area, you can see storks, looking for food in Kleisova Lagoon, near the Environmental Station and in the wet meadows of the Delta. The storks have their nests in Messolonghi, Aetoliko, Neochori, Katochi, Lesini and in other places.
VARASOVA Varasova is located east of the Evinos River and west of Antirrio and Paliovouna. It is a huge volume of limestone rocks and its height is 917 meters. It is called the "Holy Mountain" of Aetolia because many monks practiced there during the Byzantine era. There is also a large number of churches, ruined monasteries and hermitages that are located there (around 72) with perhaps the most characteristic Monastery of Sant Nikolaos. It is a famous destination and attraction for climbing enthusiasts, due to the quality of the rock and the variety of routes. The climbing slopes of the mountain range of Varasova, that descend to the area of the settlement Kryoneri, together with the rocks of Meteora and Kalymnos, are the most important climbing fields of Greece. Historically, Varasova is the most important of these three fields. So far in Varasova have been opened over 120 routes of all difficulties (from the third to the tenth grade). On the rocks of Varasova, from 1950s onwards, history has been written by big names of Greek climbing (Vassilopoulos, Botinis, Korres, Geka, Agnoglou, Torrellis and others). Since the beginning of the 70's, it regularly hosts climbing schools from all over Greece and is a point of Greek and international climbing meetings.
BEACHES KRYONERI: Kryoneri is located near the mouth of the river Evinos and is one of the most important summer destinations in Aitoloakarnania. It is 17.5 km west of Messolonghi. It is a tourist resort with many rooms for rent and an organized beach with several shops. The area has an impressive landscape due to the fact that just above the sea and next to the beach rises the mountain range of Varasova which is one of the most famous climbing places in Greece. The Agrinio-Messolonghi-Kryoneri line of the historic Railway of Northwestern Greece (RNG) ended at the beach and at the pier the wagons were loaded into a boat for their transport to Patras, which is located directly opposite the Peloponnese. KAVOUROTRYPA: Essentially it is a continuation of the beach of Kryoneri and is known for the purity of the sea but also for the quality and organized services offered by local shops such as sunbeds, umbrellas, food, drink and coffee. TOURLIDA: It is 5 km south of the city of Messolonghi. Both the coastal zone and the seabed are sandy. The coast is the whole of the closed bay, 500 m long. The width ranges from 20 - 60 m and the orientation is south. The bathing waters in the first meters are shallow, the bottom has a gentle slope and the isobath of 5 m is observed at a distance of about 900 m from the shore. The beach is accessible via the main road of Tourlida. Part of the beach is organized and has service facilities for bathers such as umbrellas, sunbeds, locker rooms, showers, facilities for water sports (canoe - kayak) and trash cans. Characteristic landmarks of the route from Messolonghi to Tourlida are the "pelades", stake-based huts that are located in the lagoon, as well as the hundreds of palm trees where we can see them closely to the road. LOUROS: The largest beach of Aitoloakarnania and one of the largest and best in Greece, is 35 km and about forty-five minutes from Messolonghi. It is a vast sandy beach, while the route followed to reach the beach of Louros is extremely interesting. There, we will meet cows and pigs grazing freely and wild horses proudly enjoying their walk in nature. A landscape of wild natural beauty, a unique natural zoo. SKROFES: In the southwestern part of the prefecture of Aitoloakarnania, are a series of small beaches known as Skrofes (or Paliopotamos). They are a set of small beaches and coves, the vast majority of them with sand and all with beautiful blue waters. Access is via dirt road and are an ideal choice for anyone who wants to enjoy their swim away from the "cosmopolitan" beaches, in nature. Just before you reach Louros there is a dirt road on the right, which leads to the beaches. Sources: Website of the Prefecture of Aitoloakarnania - Grigoris Tsounis |
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