About twenty-five kilometers from Ancient Olympia, the Foloi (Folóï) oak forest, unique in the Balkans and one of the largest in Europe, spread out on a plateau at an altitude of 600m and extending over 10,378 acres, is enlivened by the water basins of the rivers Erymanthos and Pinios. Also known as the ‘balcony of Ilia’, the forest is included in the Natura network.
Its remarkable fauna and flora include some five million towering oak trees (predominantly the straight-trunked oak, which the locals call kapelis) composing a rarely beautiful scenery, and an incredibly rich ecosystem. Its hospitable embrace includes vultures and golden eagles, peregrines, owls and kingfishers, hares, wild boars, snipes woodpeckers and turtle doves.
This forest complex, named after the centaur Pholus, is suitable for any nature-loving activity. Almost flat as it is, it is suitable for hiking, thanks to its numerous wonderful paths for cycling and motorized excursions.
Among the most charming hiking routes is the so-called ‘tie trail’, 8-km-long, which owes its original name to the fact that it was marked by around 300 ties knotted to trees.
At several points, the density of the forest is such that no other trees or shrubs thrive, except for ferns and daffodils.
