tours
Day tour 4

Mountain & Forest Spectacular

On leaving Vatera we will go to the nearest traditional village of Vrisa (4 km away) where we will visit the Natural History Museum of Vrisa with the exceptionally rare Palaeolithic fossils of extinct fauna and flora species (carbon dated to be 2 million years old) unique not only to Greece but possibly to the whole of Europe. Taking a little time to walk in the village and visit the grocery and bakery shops is always worthwhile.

We will continue our journey through Polichnitos, travelling through the leafy forest and olive groves on the inland public artery towards the centre of the island until we reach the beautiful mountain village of Agiasos, built amphitheatrically on the green slopes of Mt. Olympus. Agiasos is one of the oldest and highest villages on the island. It remains an old world of narrow jumbled streets; red roofed houses packed one on another and almost indistinguishable from each other. Wandering the narrow streets provides cameo after cameo of village life.

The heart of Agiasos is the Church of Panagia Vrefocratousa (the Virgin Mary, holding the Holy Infant), with the miraculous icon painted by Apostle Luke, which attracts hundreds of visitors, all year around.

In Agiasos you will be able to visit the shops that display and sell the locally produced ceramics, textiles, fretwork, woodcarvings, sugar preserved fruits, honey and many other products. Paying a visit to the village bakery is something unavoidable, since the delicious aromas assail your nose as you walk by.

Other places to visit are: the Byzantine-Ecclesiastical Museum, the Folklore Exhibition, the Cultural Centre “Anagnostirion”, the Chapel of the Life Giving Fountain and The Garden of Madonna.

We can have lunch either at the Douladeli Taverna in Agiasos or at the Taverna at the verdant valley of Agios Dimitrios, with the small chapel hidden amongst the lush allotments, on our way back to Polichnitos. Just before entering the forest we will stop at the very healthy water springs of Tsigkos. People drive from miles around to come to the springs and carry water for drinking, as it aids the digestion.

We will continue through the forest diverting to the mountain village of Ambeliko, clinging high up to the Olympos mountainside. It is worth the diversion, just to visit the very old stone church of Agios Nikolaos, with the petrified tree exhibited at the church yard and the unique Museum of resin-workers, which is asserted to be the only one of its kind in Greece.

We return to the thick pine forest, the Mikri and Megali Limni with the allotments and the roadside fruit and vegetable stalls, until we reach Polichnitos. A unique sight greeting you in Polichnitos is the stork’s nesting atop the chimney of the old olive press, converted to a Cultural Centre nowadays.

Having missed a cooling swim in the sea we can relax for ten minutes in the warm pool of the Polichnitos Thermal Mineral Springs (the hottest in Europe). All aches and pains will disappear, leaving you fresh and rejuvenated as we return to Vatera.

SPECIAL HOT RATES !

The advertised rates include: a whole day tour (9.30 a.m. – 5.30 p.m.), professional guide & driver, transportation A/C, entrance fees where relevant, light lunch (alcoholic drinks are not included in the price).

Ask  for large  group rates (min 30 pax)

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