Hiking Tour in Lousios River

Hiking Tour in Lousios River, Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece

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West of Mount Mainalo, in the area called Gortynia, lies the impressive and beautiful ravine of Lousios River. Its name, Lousios (= from the ancient Greek λούω(loúō): to wash something/someone) derives from the myth which says that in that river the newborn Zeus was bathed by the nymphs. The many waters, the rich vegetation, the vertical walls of the rocks make up a scenery of high aesthetic and ecological value. Apart from all that, there are many old monasteries and hermitages, some of which are literally hung on the rocks, that fill you with awe and admiration. Over the river there are 2 of the most famous and well-kept traditional villages of Greece, Dimitsana and Stemnitsa. The people here have long exploited the abundance of water sources of the place and that is why everywhere you can find many watermills.

The mills that made gunpowder near Dimitsana are well known. Those mills had been very important during the Greek revolution against the Turks in 1821. There is, near Dimitsana, a water-power museum where the visitor can see how various craft industries operated with the help of water flow. Our hike starts at the museum and continues through the ravine until its end, where there are ruins of Asklipios of the ancient city of Gortyna, which is near. During our hike, we’ll come across 3 old monasteries, the new and old Moni Philosophou (monastery of the Philosopher) and the Prodromou monastery, old bridges and watermills and landscapes of exceptional beauty.