Description of Mount Vrachionas
Zakynthos island is famous for its marvelous beaches and coasts, but its mountain lanscapes are also extremely beautiful and of a unique character. Around its fertile plains there are low mountains and the highest of them is Vrahionas mountain range, raising up to approximately 750 m. It is Zakynthos' s spine, accrossing along the island from its northern tip, Cape Korithi, to its southeastern edge.
Along the range, at its eastern foot, surrounded by vast olive groves and vineyards, there is a series of villages known as “root villages” with a road crossing them one by one.
Higher though, up at Vrahiona' s plateaus, poping up form thich pine forests and above hidden valleys, there are some of the most beautiful traditional mountain villages of the island, like Louha and Giri. Untouched by mainstream tourism, of rare medieval architecture and intact by the destructive earthquakes that stroke Zakynthos in the past, mountainous villages of Vrahionas are a rare sample of zakynthian character, with stone built houses, paved alleys, cool balconies and bloomed yards.
Crossing Vrahionas mountain range is a unique experience and a wonderful opportunity to meet the rich local flora with forests of conifers, wild flowers and wild herbs, and also the typical mediterranean fauna. Dirt roads and narrow paths, ideal for hiking and mountain biking, brunch out along the range in a demanding (in some places) route, but still passable in its largest part, and surely wonderful and unforgettable!