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THE CAVE OF RIVER AGGITI
The Cave of the Aggitis River Cave, at Kokkinogeon, is located 25 km northwest of the city of Drama, the only well-developed river in the cave of Greece.
It is an elongated but not straight line created by the erosion of the limestone rocks of Falakro Mountain. On a 12 km journey that begins thousands of years from the sinks of the closed Nevrokopi basin, where the water is gathered from winter snow and rains, the liquid treasure is transported to the dramatic plain.
The cave is open to a length of 500 meters while its total length is over 21 km. Within the Cave with a constant temperature of 17 ° C, the space is impressive. As the visitor advances on a treadmill above the river, and contrary to the flow of water, the white and red-figured stalactites of various shapes dominate the cave decoration. The cave is also called Maara, a name whose etymology is either Arabic and means a small cave or Hebrew meaning water from the mountain.
Official Website of Argiti Sources Cave
Distance from the hotel: 36 km
CAVE OF ALISTRATI
The cave of Alistratis is one of the most beautiful caves in Greece, with fantastic beauty and rich decoration, located southeast of the historic homonymous town and 6 km away from it.
The wonderful cave of Alistratis, with the unique natural ventilation in all its parts, owes its birth to such phenomena that began their activity before 2.00 years. Its temperature is almost constant: in the winter around 18 ° C and in the summer around 20 ° C. Its area amounts to hundreds of acres but the tourist route is 1,100 meters long on perfectly flat ground.
At the entrance of the cave we find a very nice room of 8 meters high, which is its anteroom. From the vestibule there are various galleries of high height and rich decoration of stalactites and stalagmites. As the visitor advances, the decoration becomes richer in whitewashed stalactites in the form of curtains. There are other chambers (halls) of 8 or 10 meters high.
Official Website of Alistratis Cave
Distance from the hotel: 36 km
FOREST OF ELATIAS (KARANTERE)
Elatia or Karantere is a mountain of Macedonia with a maximum altitude of 1,826 meters (peak Chakalos). It is located in the prefecture of Drama and is part of the central Rodopi mountain range.
The forest of Elatia is the largest in Greece in area (700 square kilometers), and consists of spruce, pine, cedar, beech, birch, poplar, maple, oak, rosemary and others. In the western part of the mountain, at Magoula, there is the birch forest, the only species of its kind in Greece. In general, the flora of Elatia is rich in species (over 700), with many endemic (local) of the Balkan region, and many rare for our country. Also, there is a variety of mushrooms with many edible (bulbs, mangroves, amanite caesar etc.).
FOREST OF FRAKTOU
Frakto Oros is located in the prefecture of Drama and forms part of the mountain range. The North Part of Frakto has been for centuries as a natural “Parthenon”, the largest undisturbed nature monument in Europe, the Virgin Forest of the Paranesti, covering 5892 acres, divided into two spots (5020 and 872 acres respectively). It has been classified as a “Preserved Monument of Nature” and is the only Virgin Forest in the country. Moreover, it is considered one of the most important of its kind in Europe. Since 1980 the area has been declared, under a strict protection framework, and the Forestry Authority (24 hours) is required to visit the forest as a private individual.
The maximum tree age is 500 years, the diameter is 1.20 m and the height is 59 m for conifers and 45 m for Fagus sp. The steep slopes and small streams form small waterfalls. As for the wild plants that grow, the quality of the area is characterized by the appearance of 15 major taxa. Virgo Forest fauna is also rich in variety and high population density. Birds’ fauna includes more than 120 species of birds, including 25% of which need special protection, while mammalian biodiversity consists of at least 32 species.
The most important ecological value of the area is the undisturbed ecosystem. This ecosystem is natural, of great ecological and forest importance, and can be used as a model for studying the dynamics of other natural forest ecosystems. The total area is currently 1072 hectares of which 589 hectares are protected as SPAs, 269 ha are protected after the decision of the Greek Ministry of Agriculture and finally 214 ha are protected by the Forestry Office of the Drama region.
Distance from the hotel: 50 km
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