FOLOI – CENTAUR CANYON 2 April 2023

Excellent course in the oak forests and rivers of Foloi

Marches of 3.20 and 6 hours

The forest of Foloi. It took its name from the Centaur Folos . According to legend, Folos hosted Heracles when he was trying to track down the Erymanthian Boar. The wine which Pholos treated Heracles became the cause of a battle with the rest of the Centaurs in the course of which Pholos was killed by Heracles' arrow, which accidentally hit him.

The myth may be a myth but anyone who has been there understands why the ancients gave this place such glory. The Foloi oak forest extends within the catchment basins of the Erymanthos rivers to the east, which is also the natural boundary between Ilia and Arcadia and the Homeric river Selleenta. southwest. It is the only oak forest in the Balkans, one of the largest in Europe with an area of ​​42,000 hectares and included in the Natura 2000 network.

According to the locals, there are 5 million trees in the forest, the vast majority of them are "hats", as they call the oak. There is no point in starting to count, accept this number and enjoy their magnificence.

The forest is located on a plateau, at an altitude of 660 meters. It is flat which makes it an ideal destination for hiking and can be visited throughout the year. It is one of the oldest forests in Europe, perhaps because the oak does not burn as easily as the pine. Thus, last summer while there were fires in the wider area. this wonderful ecosystem was saved.

Leaders: I. Birbilis, P. Dumos, G. Koskina