With its mountain landscape, the Mount Chelmos offers a wealth of opportunities for sports and cultural visits.
Mountains: the ideal place for outdoor activities
Hiking: Of course, there are many hiking trails in these mountains. The trails are generally shaded by trees and are very pleasant in the middle of summer. Depending on your level of fitness, you can go for short walks or even long ones.
Swimming: With lovely streams running through the valleys, you can easily dip your feet in the icy waters. Alternatively, Lake Tsivoulos offers a fine alternative. Located in the heart of the forest, this reservoir with its turquoise-blue waters is suitable for swimming. The water is just the right temperature, and the little tavern beside it is an ideal place to spend a pleasant afternoon in the shade of the plane trees.
Mountain sports: Several centers offer sports activities.
- We recommend Ktima-Nymfes in Zarouchla, offering horse riding, archery, mountain biking and quad biking at affordable prices. A small café and a few games for children by the river: the place and the welcome are friendly.
- A Kalavrita, 4 seasons outdoor also offers a wide range of activities, including river walking, orienteering and simply accompanying you on your hikes.
Skiing: The Kalavrita ski resort is 15 km from Kalavrita and 21 km from Zarouchla. It’s a small ski resort with 18 runs in a superb setting at 1700m altitude, offering a splendid view of the Gulf of Corinth.
The villages around Mount Chelmos
The villages around Mount Chelmos are very pretty and typical of mountain architecture. Often a plane tree-covered square invites you to take a break. The taverns that line them are authentic. The food is good, mostly grilled meat and salads of locally-grown vegetables.
- We loved the village of Zarouchla with its quiet, cobbled central street, its riverside cafe-jazz-bar, its many fruit trees and its little Byzantine chapel on a hill.
- The larger village of Kalavrita is steeped in history. Its main square, lively pedestrian street and train station make it an ideal starting point for enjoying the region.
- We also recommend the village of Planitero where a river flows through rapids and small waterfalls. There are several trout farms along the river where you can enjoy a pleasant riverside meal.
Cultural activities around Mount Chelmos
Monasteries: remote from the rest of the world, in a generous natural setting, many monasteries have chosen this region as their home. We recommend a visit to two of them: Aghia Lavras and Moni Megalou Spileou.
- The first Aghia Lavras, means Saint Lavra. A laurel is a monastery where monks live like hermits during the week and gather together at weekends to pray, sing and dine. In pure Byzantine style, it is now open to the public and houses a museum of relics and manuscripts.
- The second Moni Megalou Spileou is a huge monastery, impressive not only for its size but above all for its cliff-top location. Inside, a grotto can be accessed directly from the monastery.
The Cave of the Lakes: Located near the village of Kastria, it takes its name from the 13 lakes that make it up. It was never inhabited, but Neolithic antiquities dating back to the Bronze Age have been found. This visit is interesting in many ways. First of all, in midsummer it’s a very pleasant plunge into the half-light of a 14-degree cave. The walls are adorned with numerous concretions: drapery, stalagmites and stalactites. Finally, the magic of water: a footbridge runs along three of the cave’s “lakes”, large natural pools with clear water.
- The guided tour (in Greek) lasts about 1/2 hour.
- Prices 2022: 9 euros for adults; 4.50 for children aged 6 and over, students and over-65s.
- Opening hours: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm (extended hours on weekends and in summer).
- Further information on the Cave of the Lakes website
Where to stay?
We recommend that you sleep in Kalavrita (it’s just over a 30-minute drive to Mount Chelmos). Alternatively, there’s also accommodation in Egira or Diakopto.
Another option that can prove very pleasant and convivial, especially if you’re with family or friends: rent a house! Several chalets and traditional houses are available.
Sophie B.
Updated February 15, 2024
