Walking and Birdwatching Lesvos

Overview

Greece’s island of Lesvos is such a diverse island with fertile valleys, woodlands of pine, sweet chestnut and oak trees and a dramatic landscape of volcanic rock. Traditional mountain villages nestle alongside the remains of castles, bridges and minarets from Ottoman times and you’ll see donkeys still being used in the harvest of the vast olive groves. Lesvos is truly an unspoilt island where you can sample life at a slower pace and is a perfect destination for walking.

Lesvos has a vast array of marshes, saltpans and streams which makes it one of the best locations in Europe to see migrating birds. In spring, we’ll explore the island and its rich birdlife as we walk around the rivers, pools and saltpans of Kalloni Bay, which attract huge numbers of birds on passage with Purple, Squacco and Night Herons, Little Bittern, Greater Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, White and Black Stork, White-winged Black Tern and an array of waders of all types. Some species such as the Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Black-headed Bunting and Black-eared Wheatear can be encountered everywhere. There is also the chance to see migrant Golden Oriole, Roller and numbers of the impressive Red-footed Falcon.

West of the island, over the rocky barren terrain, we’ll look for Cinereous Bunting, Rock Nuthatch, Rock Sparrow, Isabelline Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush and Cretzschmar’s Bunting. Around the lofty Ipsolou Monastery and nearby Petrified Forest Park we’ll watch the skies for birds of prey such as Long-legged Buzzard, Short-toed Eagle, Lanner Falcon and Lesser Kestrel as well as the elegant Eleonora’s Falcon nearer the coast at Sigri.

In the pine woods of the southern upland forests, we’ll seek out Krüpers Nuthatch with Lesvos being its only European outpost. In the sweet chestnut and holm oaks we’ll look for Middle Spotted Wood­pecker and Sombre Tit, although both these birds also can be found in the island’s extensive olive groves, which other specialities such as Masked Shrike and Olive Tree Warbler frequent.

Holiday Information Sheet

Highlights

• Historic village of Agiassos and the forested slopes of Mount Olympus.
• Rocky outcrop of the Ipsolou Monastery.
• Picturesque Petra and Molyvos.
• The four million year old remains at the Petrified Forest.
• All transport included.
• Huge variety of migrating birdlife in the spring.

Meals

Half board with dinners taken at the hotel and local tavernas.

Accommodation

Family run three-star Hotel Malemi in Skala Kallonis.

Travel

• Flights operate to Mytilene.
• Travel in Lesvos is by road. Arrival transfer (c90mins).

Map

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Weather Information Click here .

There are no current departures for this holiday please contact us for more information