Selakano Valley & Forest

Full disclosure, this post will not be as fact filled and informative as our usual blog posts as we decided to head to Selakano on the spur of the moment and ran out of time and energy before even reaching the Selakano Forest.  Therefore, this is a brief recap of what we did see and how far we got, although I definitely feel even our abreviated exploration was worth it and definitely worth traveling farther if you have the time.

We found a random website during a Google search for hikes near Myrtos which described the back way into the Selakano Forest.  As the website notes, the hike starts from the "picturesque settlement of Metaxochori at 550 meters altitude.  I am not sure what the town used to be, but when we parked there there were two or three run down buildings and an abandoned (seemingly) church.  

At first we thought that the trail had been fenced off and therefore off limits and we nearly turned right around and went home.  However, at the last minute, it occured to us that the gate was merely to keep the goats from escaping - and we saw quite a few of them loitering about on the hill above us. 

So we unfastened the gate - that had been closed using thin, flimsy wire, and proceeded up the trail.  It was hot and a steady climb which tuckered our kids out pretty quickly, but not before taking in some gorgeous views of Bufanis Gorge and the valley beyond. 

Here is a link to the website we used to locate and follow the trail.  It was a bit challenging to find the trail head at the church (we we eventually did) and even more so to locate the path up the slope that is referenced (which we did not).  But maybe you'll have better luck than we did.  Just be sure to bring water.