AVITHOS LAKE
Kefalonia is full of wonderful landscapes and stunning views. Avithos Lake deserves to be near the top of those lists. Situated opposite the “Olive Garden” restaurant in Agia Nikolaos, on the road from Tzanata to Sami, this is a beautiful spot. The road down is signposted clearly and is an easy, short drive. There is space for a few cars at the bottom to park safely. There is a gate marked with arrows and “lake”, which you go through into an olive grove. There is a short path to the lake which is nestled into the surrounding hills. The lake itself is surrounded by a fence, but there is a pumping station with a flat concrete roof for viewing the lake. Cypress trees clad the hills around the lake which has a small island and lots of reeds.
This is a great place for insect lovers. The olive grove is full of wildflowers and so there are countless butterflies and bees flitting about. As you approach the lake, you start to see lots of damselflies and dragonflies. Emperor, red-veined, blue and green-eyed dragonflies swarm over and around the lake. Feather-legged, blue-tailed and emerald damselflies are everywhere, as are the azure bluets and the beautiful demoiselle damsels. The lake has night herons, little grebes and bitterns as well as marsh frogs and the occasional grass snake. The surrounding trees host lots of birds as well, making this one of my favourite places to watch wildlife.