Explore the Bay of Pylos with its castle, lagon and spectacular views A long and narrow strip of sand separates the historic Bay of Pylos, in the southwestern Peloponnese, from the Divari (or Gialova) lagoon on the northern side, creating an area of salty marches and sand dunes covering some 2,000 hectares.
West of the lagoon is a rocky peninsula, on top of which lies a partly ruined castle (Paleokastro) built by the Franks around 1278. The ascent to the castle is highly recommended, as it offers wonderful panoramic views in all directions.
The combination of all these creates a spectacular landscape and the horseshoe-shaped beach to the north of the peninsula, Voidokilia, is popular with bathers in summer.
Below the castle, in the cliff just above the beach, is a cave referred to as Nestor’s Cave by ancient traveler Pausanias. The path to the castle begins at the southern end of the beach and goes past the cave. Long trousers and good shoes are required because of thick vegetation and thorny shrubs.
The area of the lagoon is mainland Europe’s southernmost wetland and, being an important station for thousands of birds migrating to and from Africa in the autumn and spring respectively, it is protected under the European Union’s Natura 2000 program. Recent studies counted 254 bird species in the last three years, including 79 endangered in Europe and four worldwide.
But the most interesting feature of this area is the presence of the chameleon – a species rare in Europe. The adult population mates here in the summer and lays its eggs in nests in the sand. The eggs take about a year to hatch. Other notable species in the area include two kinds of turtles and bats. There are well-signposted paths, info posts and an observatory for bird-watching, but visitors are discouraged from approaching the area in cars so as to keep human disturbance to a minimum. Costa Navarino, a major tourist resort a few kilometers from the area, has met with strong opposition from conservationists. |
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