A plane tree leaf in the middle of the ocean. The princess of the Aegean. The third largest Greek island. With an area of 1,633 square kilometers, distance from east to west of 100 kilometers, countless mountains, forests and beauties, it’s a place that you need… years to explore.
Lesvos has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The oldest archeological findings belong to the Paleolithic era. The entire island is full of geological monuments, as well as areas of natural beauty and ecological value. One of the richest and most unique ecosystems of the Mediterranean, an extraordinary network of preserved and active paths, with colorful traditional settlements, with distinctive building architecture, innumerable monasteries, imposing churches and picturesque chapels. And above all, a light that makes the place unforgettable. Lesvos is one of the two places on earth with the highest recorded annual sunshine. It is the island of olive oil, history, 3 castles, ouzo, and fun.
Its geological uniqueness is intense, with green covered areas in the east and dry, arid ones in the west. Olive and pine forests are everywhere, dense vegetation, greenery and rivers, a clear blue sky, a unique combination of colors, a warm sun and colors that you will not see anywhere else in the world. Lesvos was formed millions of years ago, from intense geological rearrangements that took place in the area. At the edge of the Eurasian plate, these rearrangements made Lesvos unique in the world. The volcanoes made the western part of the island treeless, but gave us the Petrified Forest. The whole island is mountainous with a difficult road network, many turns, ups and downs, but also countless geological formations with unique rocks, waterfalls, caves, archaeological sites, high mountains, hot springs, rivers, green valleys, plateaus, steep slopes and splendid bays. Impressive landscapes of extraordinary beauty, which have highlighted the entire island as an International Unesco Monument.
Mountains with a stunning view of the blue sea, that surrounds the island on an endless coastline of 460 kilometers. Dales of outstanding vegetation and burbling water. Hilly roads that may discourage motorists, but for sure to the cyclist (whether mountain, road long-distance or gravel), to the walker, to the ecotourist, to the nature lover… they look like paradise. If Lesvos didn’t have so many mountains, it would never be the same. The slopes of all its mountains were planted centuries ago with olive trees. There are more than 11 million olive trees in Lesvos. Olives that as they were collected all these years, allowed the creation of paths that today are so many, yet most of them remain unrecorded.
There are mountains with over 10 different single paths. Traces carved in soil that led our forefathers to their jobs over the last century to collect olives. Unique mountains, like Olympus in Agiasos, the highest mountain of the island with a rich variety of vegetation: plane trees, chestnuts, walnuts, apples, pears, cherries, etc. and Triethnes (the 3rd highest peak of the island in the western part) with the unique flora of the black pine, the rhododendron and the fern! In other mountains, animal transportation and the massive passage of herds to find pastures are responsible for the original marking of the paths. Every hill has a chapel, and every chapel has a path that leads to it.
Fortunately, Lesvos has preserved its traditional color. Paths made with 250-year-old planted stone can be found in all the mountains of eastern Lesvos. Paths that you can say they lead to nowhere, but at the same time they are the perfect terrain for mountain activities. The island of Lesvos is dotted with many mountains and even more mountain routes (which fortunately have been preserved till today) making it the perfect destination for every person, who, either by bike or on foot, will come to enjoy this unique combination of nature, fantastic landscapes and the exceptional hospitality of Lesvos.