Mainalo

Mainalo with an altitude of 1981 m is a mountain located in the heart of the Peloponnese in the prefecture of Arcadia. The area of ​​Mainalos has been inhabited since ancient times. The ancient inhabitants of the area were the Arcadians. In addition to the other Olympian gods, they worshiped the god Pan whose worship spread to the rest of Greece. Panas was a deity and was a symbol of Arcadia, he had few architectural temples, as he was worshiped in caves and near springs.

Of course, it is not a simplistic cult, it is said that its priests lived alone and among other things were called charadrites, because they really lived in ravines. The information about this land is a mystery, since the minimal information that exists speaks of people particularly capable of adverse conditions and resistance to cold, hunger and natural phenomena, as well as with terrible physical condition. And its name (Mainalo) comes from ancient Greece and means the holy fury, i.e. the divine allegory that wild nature brings

It is surrounded, to the east by the mountains Oligirtos, Trachy, Lyrkeio and Artemisio, to the north by Aroania and Erymanthos, to the west by Minthi and Lykaio and to the south by Taygetos and Parnonas. With higher peaks Ostrakina 1,981 m, Sfentami 1,870 m, Tzelati 1,868 m, Mesovouni 1,860 m is characterized by a mountain 2 km high. From Mainalos originates the Lousios, which springs from the northwest of the mountain, near the village of Karkalou and creates a famous gorge by flowing, and the Elissonas. Both are tributaries of the Alpheus

In Mainalos there is a mountain refuge and the Ostrakina Ski Center. Mainalos is home to some of the most mountainous villages in Greece, such as Alonistaina (1,220 m), Elati (1,200 m) and Magouliana (1,365 m). Another characteristic of it is the beautiful states and villages, such as Stemnitsa, Vytina, Alonistaina, Lagadia

Mount Mainalo is a protected site of the Natura 2000 network Mainalo has a unique natural beauty, most of it is covered mainly by firs on the north-western side but let’s not forget the chestnuts, oaks and many other species, while in the south by pines and cypresses, and of course we must not forget that it is a unique spot for mushroom hunters .

Mainalo has some of the oldest paths in all of Europe, the famous armakades. Even today these paths connect the inaccessible villages with the cities, reaching as far as Tegea and Megalopolis. The charioteers have a very interesting history, as they come from the ancient hermes. And what were they? They were piles of stones marking the end of a particular family’s territory, usually placed on the grave of an important ancestor. These boundaries between the family areas were joined by roads, which were also called hermes, i.e. carts

More than 400 km of trails, whether local, national or European, such as the European Path E4, are gathered in Mainalos. Also, in addition to hiking, it also has the possibility of many different activities such as, horse riding, mountain biking, shooting, archery, climbing, and rafting,