Itinerary: Axios Loudias National Park – Amvrakikos Bay, loc. Koronisia – Lefkada (Ionian Islands) – Meteora – Lake Kerkini
You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.
Greece has the longest coastline in the Mediterranean Basin and the 11th in length in the world, with 13,676 km long, holding a large number of islands (about 1,400, 227 of which are inhabited). Eighty percent of Greek territory consists of mountains, the highest of which is Mount Olympus with 2,917 m.
Axios Loudias National Park is a wet system stretched with an area of about 340 square kilometers and starts just 10 km south of Thessaloniki. The area is among the most important places of migration and halt in Europe; Thousands of birds stop here to feed and rest before they continue their journey.
Amvrakikos Bay is one of the most extensive and important wetlands in Greece. With a rich biodiversity, here live about 300 species of birds and represent the permanent residence for the Creţ Pelican (Pelecanus crisaid). It is also an important feeding area for Caretta Caretta sea turtles and is the permanent residence of over 120 dolphins with thick bot (Tursiops truncatus). The city of Koronisia leads to a superb road built on water.
Meteora is one of the largest and most important complexes of orthodox monasteries in Greece, the second after Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural stone pillars, on the northwest edge of the Thessaly plain near the Pinos River and the Pine Mountains, in the centre of Greece. The nearest town is Kalambaka. Meteora is registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List in the year 1988