VOURAIKOS GORGE

The Odontotos Train is one of the most famous attractions. It connects the port town of Diakofto with Kalavryta. The train passes through the Vouraikos valley, one of the most scenic train routes in Europe. The 22km/1 hour route was built in 1895 by Italian Engineers. The train features a unique cog (toothed) mechanism to aid its ascent to the mountain. Its 75cm/2 feet wide tracks are passing through caves and gorges following the Vouraikos river up to the town of Kalavryta.

CAVE LAKES

The Cave Lakes are a unique natural phenomenon. It is an underground cave system that contains 14 lakes in three different levels. Archeologists have discovered that the caves were inhabited by early humans and they also found the remains of animals, including a hippopotamus! The beauty of the Cave Lakes will surprise you.

KALAVRYTA

One of the most impressive areas of Peloponese is the one that surrounds the Mount Helmos. The beautiful town of Kalavryta is built 750meters above sea level at the foothills of Mt Helmos. During antiquity the town was named Kinetha and was occupied by Greeks, Romans and in the 13^th century by Frankish knights (crusaders!). On the 21^st of March 1821 the Greek revolution, against the Ottoman Empire, begun in the town of Kalavryta. During the 2^nd World War, it was occupied by the Germans who on the 13^th of December 1943 executed the entire male population (above 14 years old) at the Holocaust site of Kapi hill. Today the town of Kalavryta is a vibrant tourist center for summer activities as well as for skiing at the nearby ski center at Mt Helmos.