VOURAIKO CANYON 23 April 2023

Visit to the place of sacrifice at the martyred Kalavryta, Easy 4 hour's walk to the amazing Vouraikos

Vouraikos Gorge is located in Achaia, 13 km northeast of Kalavryta . Together with the mountainous mass of Helmos (Aroan Mountains) they form a single protected area that since 2009 has been designated as the National Park of Greece . The gorge is about 20 km long and flows through the Vouraikos river, to which it owes its name. The Vouraikos River is located in Achaia and has a length of 37.5 kilometers.

View from the Vouraikos river and the gorge of the same name.

The Vouraikos river.

The flora of the Vouraikos river gorge is judged to be outstandingly important, a fact confirmed by the recording of several endemic species of particular scientific value, rare and protected, such as the bell of the rocks (Campanula rupestris), the wild ear of corn (Stachys parolinii), the aurinia of Morea (Aurinia moreana) et al. The fauna of the area that finds refuge in the steep wooded mountains that surround the gorge is also noteworthy .

In 1889 , inside the gorge and next to the Vouraikos river, the only cog railway in Greece began to be built by the Government of Charilaos Trikoupis . The study was assigned to French scientists. Charilaos Trikoupis wanted the railway line to be extended to Tripoli, but delays in the construction of the Diakofto - Kalavryta line and cost overruns meant that the railway line was never extended. The construction of the cogwheel railway was completed during the Diligiannis Governorship in 1896 and was inaugurated on March 10, 1896. It connects Diakopto with theKalavrita and its total length is 22 kilometers . Every year, on the second Sunday of May , the "Mountain and Skiing Association of Kalavryta" organizes the so-called "Panhellenic Crossing" of the gorge with the participation of hundreds of climbers and hikers.

Leaders: T. Papadopoulos, E. Barla, N. Balas, E. Karavasia