Nestos “The river of life”

The “traveler” river Nestos tempts us to follow it by any means and to come into direct contact with lush forests, picturesque villages from other times, paths drowned in nature, forest villages and protected wetlands. How a river could take you to enchanting and dreamlike places, by simply following its course, is known only to those who were lucky enough to meet the mythical Nestos on his way from Xanthi to Drama and got to know him. follow its Straits until the moment it forms the famous Delta.
A water route of rare beauty and nature-loving nature that offers the unprepared hiker (or traveler) unique emotions and experiences. Unprepared, because he had not realized that by following the flow of the river either by car or by rail he would come into contact with the magic of nature in its purest form. In short, in the case of Nestos, the temptation is the journey and not the destination. The final destination of Nestos – and ours – where the river meets the sea forming a large Delta, is an area protected by every treaty you can imagine: Ramsar, Natura 2000 and a whole lot more. Human intervention has left its mark here as well, but for a mysterious reason the area never ceases to remain enchanting.
In a total area of approximately five hundred thousand hectares, the country’s most important wetland includes rich flora and fauna, sand dunes (hills of sand), reedbeds, small ponds, wet meadows and the – also disturbed by man – “Great Forest” (Kotza – Orman), to which birds and mammals now rarely take refuge. An important part of the fauna of the Delta and one of the main poles of attraction for nature lovers, are the Water Buffaloes, a rare species of buffalo, which struggles to survive in its natural environment. The wetland formed in the Delta of Nestos is inextricably linked to the mythical lagoon of Vistonida, whose wetland is also protected by the international Ramsar Convention and is the ideal location to complete your trek. Images of serenity, which gather every year bird watchers from every corner of the world, who come to observe the migratory birds passing through the lake. In fact, the green carpet created by the plants floating on the surface of the lake, such as water lilies and water chestnuts, is home to the nests of rare birds, such as the black heron.