Δήμος Μελιβοίας

Organized Beach Spitaki – Sea activities
Enjoy the sea and the sun in combination with sea activities at the beach of Kissavos and Velika, adorned by the magnificent view of Kissavos and the endless Aegean sea.
Activities: sea-kayak, sea-bike, catamaran, sailing (laser optimist), zodiac, beach volleyball, windsurfing, kite-surfing, floating platform, multi-activity adventure club for children (9-15 years old) are some of the activities in which you can participate at the beach of Velika.
Sailing School AIOLOS: Sailing school with OPTIMIST-LASER sailboats for children. The facilities at the Organized Beach Spitaki will accommodate you.
Diving
Experienced divers will guide you through the colourful underwater world of the east coasts of the prefecture. Combine your holidays with diving lessons and get your first star (award). If you are beginners, give it a try and if you are experienced, do something different during your holidays and enjoy your favourite sport on the coast of Kissavos. The programme operates all year round.

Ecotourism
POLIDENDRI FOREST – MAVROVOUNI: Foresty hills with rangelands that part the forest, gorges with steep cliffs and lush vegitation on the side of the sea. Main activities are silviculture, stock-breeding and hunting. There are also sparse villages. It is a very important area for the pray birds and the falco eleonorae, who spends its summer here. Birds that breed here are Pernis apivorous (more than five pairs), Neophron percnopterus, Circaetus gallicus, Accipiter brevipes, Buteo rufinus (2+ pairs), Aquila pomarina, Hieraaetus pennatus, Falco peregrinus (2 pairs), Coracias garrulus and Dendrocopos medius. The basic species of Fauna are: wildcat lynx, wolf, dear, hare, wildboar.

The public forest of Polidendri covers an area of 34.791 acres, spans across the north-east slopes of Mavrovouni down to the Aegean sea and climbs to a height of 1054 metres. To the north it borders with the ravine “Bourboulithra”and south with the ravine “Rakopotamos”.
The variety of its flora and fauna and its temperate slopes make it a place of interest for everyone to visit. Its exploitation as a productive forest, offers jobs to the inhabitants of the surrounding areas. It basically produces firewood from oak, beech and evergreen broadleaved trees and charcoal.

 

ORESTS OF KISSAVOS: Two Areas of Special Protection and two forests (Valley of Tembi: 1762 acres, Forest Cluster of Ossa: 16900 acres). Part of mount Ossa is a controlled hunting ground and the Delta of Pinios is a wildlife resort.

A large area is consisted of the foothills of Mount Kato Olimbpos, Mount Ossa (Kisssavos), the Valley of Tembi and the Delta of Pinios. The ecological areas include wild and cultivated orchards, large fir (Abies) and Beech (Fagus) forests, steep gorges with old chestnut forests (Castanea sativa) on the east slopes of mount Ossa and natural lakes.

Kissavos is a mountain with two sides: the barren, rocky north-west side, from where you climb to the peak (altitude 1978metres) by starting at the village Spilia (altitude 800 metres). On the contrary its south - east side is lush with forests. Mixed vegitation, bushy close to the sea level with sycamore and hydrophile trees near the water, and higher oak and fir trees. On the south side there are many chestnut trees.

 

(πηγή://www.musesnet.gr/paralsc/PARUSIA%20OLYMP.htm)

OLYMPOS: our highest mountain, the residence of the 12 ancient gods, is the first area which was protected by law 50 years ago, and announced a national park in 1938.
The main goal of this declaration was “… the maintenance of the natural environment of the area, that is the wild flora and fauna, and the cultural and other values…” . The declaration also intended on reinforcing the scientific research along with the environmental education of the people and the tourist development in the wider area.
A special law has forbidden the exploitation on the east side of the mountain, in an area of 40.000 acres, which represents the centre of the park. A wider area around the park has been characterized “regional area of the park”, so that its management and exploitation does not negatively affect the protection of the centre. Today, after a special research, the Park is going to be expanded over an area of 170.000 acres. But the centre is also going to be expanded, as to include some areas in need of serious protection.
Olympos is known to all the world due to its ecological features and its original beauty, but also to its relation to ancient greek mythology. The Park’s importance has been recognized not only in Greece but in all of Europe and the world. In 1981, UNESCO declared Olympos a “reserve of the biosphere”. The European Community has included Olympos in “the most important avifauna areas of the European Union”.

The plant research on Olympos began 150 years ago: in 1836 the french botanologist Aucher-Eloi studied the plants on Mount Olympos. In the years that followed many scientists studied the flora of Olympos. Over 1700 species have been recorded until today that is about 25% of the flora in Greece.
Most of these plants which are situated at a low altitude are the usual mediterranean and central european species. The jankaea heldreichou, plant fossil from the ice age, is of particular interest to scientists. In the alpine zone, with no trees, there are over 150 species of plants. Half of these are only found in the Balkans and 23 only on Mount Olympos.
The fauna of Olympos, which has not been systematically researched until today, includes an wide variety of species. 32 mammal species have been recorded. These include the wild goat, the deer, the wildboar, the wildcat, the skunk, the fox, the squirrel and more. 108 bird species have also been spotted, many of which are rare and protected by the law, especially the pray birds. We also find common reptiles (snakes, turtles, lizards), amphibians in the ravines and lakes and a wide variety of insects, mainly butterflies, for which Olympos is famed.
In the ancient times there were lions (Pafsanias) and up to the 16th century there were even bears (Life of St Dionisos).

THE ENDEMIC PLANTS OF OLYMPOS
1. Achillea ambrosiaca
2. Alyssum handelu
3. Asprerula muscosa 
4. Aubrieta thessala   
5. Campanula oreadum  
6. Carum adamovicu 
7. Centaurea incompleta
8. Centaurea litochorea  
9. Centaurea transiens 
10. Cerastrium theophrasti
11. Erysimum olympicum
12. Festuca olympica 
13. Genίsta sakellariadis 
14. Jankaea heldreichu  
15. Ligusticum olympicum 
16. Melampyrum ciliatum 
17. Ροα thessala
18. Potentilla deorum 
19. RyncJiosinapis nivalis
20. Silene dionysu
21. Silene oligantha
22. Veronica thessalica 23. Viola strus - notata

Mountain – Winter Tourism:
Kissavos-Louki Kissavos-Winter Hiking
Olympos-Ski Centre “Vrissopoules”

Cultural – Urban – Religious Tourism

POLIDENDRI FOREST – Polidendri Forest is about 30 km far from Agia and 60 km from Larisa.

The history of proprietary regime of the forest begins during the Turkish Domination, when the village of Polidendri was a manor of the turk Mechmet Tevfik Vei Efedin. In 1841 the manor was sold by the turk to the two greeks Manoli Aleksandri and Dimitrios Theocharous. After many buying and selling, the ownership of the forest came to the hands of the turk Chasan Leondaris and after the appending of Thessalia to the Greek state in 1881, the forest was considered non-public. In 1906 it came to the hands of the royal family of greece, who owned it up to 1994, when the Ministry of Agriculture took over.

Monuments of the area
There are two temples, Panagia and Kimisis Theotokou, situated in the forest. They are not very far the one from the other and chronologically they seem to be built in the same period of time. The temple of Panagia is built at the end of the 16th century and the temple Kimisis Theotokou was founded in 1568. The two temples are decorated with fine art murals, while the inscriptions on the floor of the first temple testify the possibility of there being an ancient sanctuary in the area.