Porto Lagos and Lake Vistonida

Porto Lagos

Porto Lagos lies on the border between the prefectures of Xanthi and Rhodope, at the exact point where Lake Vistonida meets the Thracian Sea, in a location that combines the green of the forest with the blue of the Greek sea. The grove and Lake Vistonida, which is designated a wetland of special importance, give the place a distinctive character and capture the visitor's interest. Next to Porto Lagos one can visit the metochi of Agios Nikolaos, a unique jewel of the area and a place of calm and contemplation.

Lake Vistonida

Together with the delta of the Nestos River, which extends to the west, lakes Vistonida and Ismarida make up the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace National Park.

Lake Vistonida is the 4th largest lake in Greece, with a total area of approximately 45,000 stremmata, a maximum length of 12.5 km, a maximum width of 7 km and an average depth of 4 metres.

What makes the lake special is that its water varies in salinity. The northern part of the lake has fresh water from the inflow of three rivers: the Kosynthos (or river of Xanthi), the Kompsatos and the Aspropotamos. The southern part of the lake has salt water that comes from the sea through three channels connected to the lake. As a result, the lake's water gradually turns brackish. This variation in salinity creates a diversity of environmental conditions preferred by various species of fauna and flora.

Vistonida also stands out for the biodiversity of its birdlife. A total of 260 bird species have been recorded, 9 of which are globally rare or threatened.

It is one of the largest wetlands in the world protected under the Ramsar Convention, with dozens of rare bird species that attract large numbers of tourists whose hobby is birdwatching. This is also why the Nestos Delta and Lake Vistonida are included among the EU Special Protection Areas for birds and in the Natura 2000 network.

Salt pans

Within the wetland area there are two salt-pan sites used for salt extraction: one lies north of Porto Lagos, in the community of Nea Kessani, and the other north of the Alyki (or Mesi) lagoon, in the community of Mesi.

Around basins where the salt content of the water is not high, plants specially adapted to this harsh, salt-tolerant environment grow. In the very salty basins, the only thing that survives is a tiny crustacean, the brine shrimp (Artemia salina).
Although salt pans are, to a great extent, peculiar man-made wetlands, they have very high ecological value, mainly because they provide food and shelter to various important bird species.