Water & Beach activities
What makes Municipality of Volvi a desirable destination for a summer vacation besides it’s marvelous beaches, are a variety of other activities one can enjoy. Whether you came for a peaceful vacation or to engage in sport activities, you can try yourself out in some of related activities that will make your vacation more entertaining.
The clear water of Volvi’s sea, is ideal for underwater exploration offering a far-reaching view that allows you to see the bottom of the sea even if you are a couple of dozen meters away from the coast!
If you happen to be a fan of sailing, you are going to love the marina in Asprovalta and the port of Stavros, from where you can set sail onto various sailing excursions and events.
When it comes to water sports, Volvi offers canoeing, pedal sea biking and speed boat renting. If you are up for some beach sports you will have no trouble in finding beach volley courts and paddle tennis in all of the beaches.
Fishing is one more popular activity and you can find people with their fishing equipment even during early hours. There is no need to burden yourself with fishing equipment; you can get equipped very well with nets, hooks, fishing rods and other fishing stuff on site.
The wind blowing at Rentina Straits creates the right kind of waves on Lake Volvi for aspiring wind-surfers who gather from all over Greece. You can hire a board or take wind-surfing lessons and – why not – participate in the international competition held every summer.
Mountain activities
Finding opportunities for an active vacation in the towns of Volvi, which are known for their family oriented vacations, isn’t difficult at all. All you have to do is turn your gaze toward nearby mountains and valleys, and a bunch of attractions you can tour on foot or bike will pop-up. Some of the best hiking and biking paths you can find in the vicinity of Volvi, are Makedonika Tempi, Mount Kerdyllia and Mount Stratoniko.
Makedonika Tempi is a natural resort, featuring a wide diversity of herbal and animal species. Presence of around 90 bird species, which can be seen during the hiking tour, has earned the Makedonika Tempi the distinguished “Important Area for Birds” status. Among other species, you can observe magpies, redbreasts, owls and hawks.
As you follow the hiking trails, you are sure to recognize diverse tree varieties, amongst which elms, limes and willow trees. Various bushes and interesting clambering plants (like ivy) are present, too.
Mount Kerdyllia assumes the dominating position over Asprovalta and Nea Vrasna, offering exceptional panoramic views over the resort areas and the Strymonikos Gulf. As your hiking instinct takes you to various spots of this natural gem, you’ll discover springs, brooks and other natural creations concealed with fir, beech and pine trees. The Saint Georgios (St. George) Monastery, featuring Byzantine style architecture, is another worthy site that awaits hikers and bikers to discover. The Stratonikos Mountain trail, starts from the mountain road af Ano Stavros and leads to Stagira, which is the birthplace of the great ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle.
The place is full of primitive forests full of ancient oaks, tall and old beech trees, chestnut trees and numerous other representatives of the thick flora. There are more than 600 species of plants, of which 38 are marked as protected species.
Sparkling fresh waters quench the thirst of local lumberjacks, and refresh thousands of mountaineers who enliven the mountain paths daily.
Besides hiking and biking, there are also paths for Enduro motorbikes in all the trails.
International competitions take place every Spring in Volvi, such as “Sougliani trail” and “Logger’s land”.
There are also places where you can ride a horse, by the Volvi lake, Rihios river or Mount Kerdyllia.
Birdwatching
Lake Volvi is 17 km away from Stavros. It is in a row with Lake Koronia which is 11,5km away. Together the two lakes make up a wetland of international importance under the name “Lake Koronia – Volvi“.
The starting point of your excursions in the Volvi Lake area may be the Wetland Koronia – Volvi Information Centre, in the town of Apollonia. In the Center there is an environmental exhibition about the lake and the species it hosts. Half hour tours can be taken and additional informational material can be provided.
If you follow the dirt road to the lake, you reach a site suitable for bird watching. From there you can clearly see the heron colony hosted in a towering poplar tree, in the rare hydrophilic forest of Apollonia. Herons come here from early spring, preparing their nests, they lay eggs in the late spring and raise their young during the summer. In autumn, the herons leave the forest and go to nearby or distant areas.