An ancient kingdom, a mythical place, a remote peacful area: Arkadia, in the center of the Peloponnese. A contiguous mountainous zone over 1000m, with 50 peaks over 1500m, dense forests, beautiful meadows and spectacular ravines, many traditional stone inhabited villages, ruins of ancient, medieval and most recent settlements, temples, monasteries, watermills, stone bridges, old paved paths and forest trails. This is Mount Mainalo, residense of Pan and the Nymphs.
This is a unified natural, cultural and historical space. It is a unique geomorphological formation where the succession of dozens of peaks and ravines, hundreds mountainous meadows and high plateaus form an impressively varied relief.

The area of Mainalo Mountain Range presents a great variability of habitats offering shelter to many endemic plant species. However, the most important formations are, the forest ecosystems with Abies cephalonica (Greek fir) and Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana (Palla’s pine), which are the thickest and best represented in the Peloponnese. Several remarkable amphibians, reptiles and mammals have been recorded in this site. (NATURA 2000, GR2520001)

In this serene and lush land, human presence is established since the very ancient times and to our days beautiful traditional villages, all in perfect harmony with this beautiful scenery, stand on the place of the ancient Arcadian cities.
 

Stemnitsa; the town of silversmith. A picturesque historical village with stone mansions and typical stone paved allays, overlooking the high cliffs of the spectacular gorge of Lousios. It is built on the site of the ancient Arcadian city of Hypsous, at an altitude of 1080 m. Between Stemnitsa and Dimitsana, is located the spectacular gorge of Lousios River. On its vertical rocky cliffs, the monasteries of Prodromos and Philosopher’s (Philosophou) are nested.
 

Dimitsana; another picturesque historical town at the opposite side of Lousios Gorge. This is the liveliest village of the mountainous area of Gortynia, at an altitude of 950 m, built on the site of the ancient Arcadian city of Teuthis that had participated in the Trojan War. Since the 18th century it has been a major commercial center and it has known almost 2 prosperous centuries due to the hydro-power (watermills, washeries, tunning and gunpowder mills)! Its open-air hydro-power museum is very interested.
 

Zygovisti; a very quiet village built on a plateau, at an altitude of 1200 m, near the main passage of West Mainalon. Inhabited since the 16th century it has some very interesting buildings. During the war of independence against the Ottoman occupation, the inhabitants of this village where part of the personal guard of Theodoros Kolokotronis.
 

Elati; a small village hidden in a crease of West Mainalo, between the dense forest and the riverbed of Mylaon Sream. In vicinity the beautiful chapel of Zoodochos Pigi and the small settlements of Pyrgaki and Methydrion, with the ruines the ancient town of Methydrion, founded, according the myth, by by the son of Lycaon of Orchomenus.
 

Vytina; a large lively picturesque village built at an altitude of 1030 m, in a flat plateau at the foothills of Mt. Mainalon; at an area that used to be an important agricultural resource. It is believed to have been established after the decline of the ancient city of Methydrion.
 

Nymfasia; a small village, at an altitude of 840m, tightly bonded to Vytina. It is situated next to Mylaon Stream, which also forms an impressive gorge. At its vicinity the Kernitsa monastic complex and the spectacular Sfyrida hermitage, nested on a vertical cliff. According Greek Mythology, the goat-leg god Pan and the Nymphs were frequented the Nymphasia springs.
 

Magouliana; a quiet picturesque stone village at the altitude of 1240m, it is today the highest inhabited village of the Peloponnese!
 

Valtesiniko; another traditional stone village built on the north slopes of Mt. Mainalon at an altitude of 1100 m. It has impressive churches and a monumental old school building; witnesses of the prosperity in the past centuries. At about 1 km from the village, remains of an ancient city, Mycenaean walls and the ruins of a sanctuary of Artemis of the 7th B.C century where excavated and can be visited.
 

Langadia; an impressive stone village built in a panoramic position, on the brink of a precipice, at an altitude of 1000 m. It is located at the exit of Mountainous Arcadia and from there, the main road towards Olympia used to pass during the antiquity. People from the entire eastern Peloponnese used to follow this road, on their way to the sacred land of Elis, in order to participate or watch the Olympic Games.

These villages were reconnected through a Certified European path, the ''Mainalon Trail'' (also ''Menalo Trail''), of about 80km, which permits us a walking thematic exploration through the Arcadian land. Other than that, trails of a length of over 200 km cross the area and await for us to discover.

We invite you to explore a different aspect of the Peloponnese, following the steps of ancient mountainous tribes who had created a unique civilization close to mother nature that had inspire European art and literature throughout the centuries. “Et in Arcadia ego!”

An ancient kingdom, a mythical place, a mainly mountainous remote serene place, a little advertised destination; the area of Mountainous Arcadia is ideal for multi-day adventure holidays but also for active weekends throughout the year.

From challenging hikes to leisure walks, from e-bike rides to demanding MTB touring, from cultural siteseeing to nature tours, from hidden archaeological treasures to winetours, from mountain trekking to winter sports, 

It is the paradise of adventure tours, perfect for travelers who seek an out of the ordinary travel experience in Greece. Also a beautiful destination for families that look for unique activity holidays and ecotours.
 

Arcadia is a must-see whilst traveling through the Peloponnese, in order to have the whole picture of a region that has practically everything one wish to do and visit during his/hers vacations throughout the year in Greece.