Its diverse beauty, due to both natural environment and cultural heritage, makes West Achaia ideal place for vacations especially for children and families. The semi-mountainous villages with small churches and squares and the lowlands with vineyards, olive groves and vegetable crops, excite the visitor’s eye. In a rare ecosystem of unique beauty and ecological importance, the “Strofylia” forest with the lagoons (protected by the Ramsar convention) one can enjoy hiking, cycling, swimming, watching or observing some of the 261 different species of birds found in the area.

During the whole year, the villages of West Achaia host many cultural and religious events and festivals which are associated with local traditions. Of course, one of the biggest attractions for young and older visitors are the long sandy beaches with warm clear waters. Some of the largest and most popular sandy beaches in Greece are located in West Achaia, two of which are awarded with Blue Flag.

Through its participation in WONDER project, the Municipality of West Achaia aims to further develop and promote the child-friendly character of the area.

BEACHES

The Municipality of West Achaia has many beaches with clear blue waters, some with pebbles and others with sand. Kalogria beach is the most popular sandy beach of the Municipality, 9 km long, with Blue Flag award. It is located within the protected area of Prokopos Lagoon and Strofylia Forest. The visitor can enjoy its shallow waters or do water sports.

Lakkopetra beach is also particularly popular, also awarded with a Blue Flag. In the area there are hotels that offer comfortable accommodation in an idyllic location.

The beaches of Niforeika and Kato Achaia are sandy, organized beaches, full of beach cafes and bars with umbrellas and sunbeds, while the visitor can find courts for beach volleyball and other beach sports.

The beaches of Alissos and Alykes are also beautiful and welcoming, with their wide coasts, clean and warm sea, seaside hotels, fish taverns, grills and restaurants. In Alykes there is also an enchanting fishing harbor.

PROTECTED AREAS

A unique ecosystem spreads around the forest of Strofylia, which is one of the largest seaside forests in the Mediterranean. With an area of 22 km², it is the most extensive pine forest in Greece and one of the largest in Europe. Land turtles, foxes, weasels, wood mouses and many birds find refuge in the forest of Strofylia.

Apart from Strofylia forest, the ecosystem consists of three lagoons. Kotychi lagoon is the largest in the Peloponnese, with an area of about 7,500 km². Papa lagoon attracts seagulls and herons almost permanently and has long been a very important natural fish farm. The name Papa (Pope’s) did not appear by chance. It is said that during Venetian rule, the Vatican was supplied with delicious bream from here.  A little further south of Prokopos lagoon there is the marsh of Lamia. Around the lagoons and marshes are open areas of meadows that flood in the winter but remain dry in the warmer months, providing nesting sites for rare species of birds.

The landscape of special natural beauty is completed by Mavra Vouna (Black Mountains) that stretch in the northern part of the protected area, below the Papa lagoon. Kotychi – Strofylia Wetlands National Park is one of the most important sites of ecological interest in the entire Mediterranean and is a destination for many nature-loving visitors from Greece and abroad. Of the 442 bird species that exist in Greece, 261 have been observed here (approximately 59%). Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) also lay their eggs on the sandy beach of Kalogria.

The visitor of the National Park can enjoy the stunning natural beauty of the landscape by hiking or cycling throughout its area, on its smooth paths under the shade of the trees, next to the lagoons and the sandy beach of Kalogria. Visitors can observe the birds, but also photograph the animals and plants that live in the forest. At the Information Center of the park, in Lapa Achaia, visitors can be informed about the protected area and the activities offered in it.

The Opening Ceremony is held on the first Saturday after the 17 January, when Christians celebrate St Antonio’s day. A variety of events take place then, including music concerts, dances, acrobatics, activities for both children and adults and funny games. The events start in the morning and reach their peak in the evening at the central Square of Kato Achaia. There, the Mayor declares the beginning of the carnival period. The Treasure Hunt Game officially starts, and everybody gets ready for action. An open-air party follows and the square turns into a huge dance floor where everybody has fun till the crack of dawn. Karnavaloupoli (means small carnival city) is set up in the central square of Kato Achaia during the Carnival of Children and awaits the little ones full of surprises. In the framework of the carnival events, the Municipality has also included the Treasure Hunt Game addressed to the Primary Schools of the region. The Treasure Hunt Game is not simply a game. For the whole carnival period, about 10 Primary Schools are invited, upon a draw, to participate in this amazing competition to find the treasure and be the winners of the year.

Finding the treasure is not a simple procedure. Solving riddles, doing quizzes, mapping the whole city in order to find the correct points to collect clues, playing brainy or skill games to get more points or even bringing requested items rare or not, are some of the activities included in the Game. The Final part of the Game takes place after the Children’s Parade. The School that gets the most points and finds the Treasure by solving the last riddle is the winner of the trophy. The awards for the Treasure Hunt Game as well as for the artistic acts and the costumes of the groups are given to the winners during a special ceremony with many surprises and the warm smiles of volunteers and visitors, delicious traditional dishes and beverages that are prepared from the parents and the local restaurants, DJ sets, music bands, carnival dances, a farewell to the carnival that ended, announcements about next year’s carnival and countless fireworks. The festive atmosphere of all this Carnival Period comes to its end on Ash Monday (also known as Clean Monday, Pure Monday, Monday of Lent or Green Monday), which is the first day of Great Lent throughout Eastern Christianity and is a moveable feast, on the 7th Monday before Easter. Ash Monday is a public holiday in Greece, and is celebrated with outdoor excursions, consumption of shellfish and other fasting food, a special kindof azyme bread, baked only on that day, named “lagana” and the widespread custom of flying kites.