Nestos River

The river rises on Mount Rila in Bulgaria and flows into the sea area off Thasos, where the Nestos Delta is formed. The river runs from north to south and from west to east. It crosses the mountain masses of the Western Rhodope and Mount Falakro and flows into the Thracian Sea, opposite Thasos. Its course marks the boundary between Macedonia and Thrace and between the prefectures of Kavala and Xanthi, having first passed through the prefecture of Drama. It is one of the five largest rivers in Greece, with a total length of 243 km, of which approximately 130 km lie on Greek territory. The largest tributaries of the Nestos are the Despatis, the Leimonos stream, the Diavolorema and the Arkoudorema.

Along its course there are two hydroelectric dams, the Thisavros dam and the Platanovrysi dam, which have created two elongated reservoirs on the river. Between the mountain masses of the Rhodope, the well-known "Nestos Gorge" is formed.

The Nestos Gorge and the E6 European long-distance trail

The Straits (or Tempi) of the Nestos. This is an area of 23,800 stremmata in total, roughly 20 km long and smothered in vegetation. The great river runs through it, creating an otherworldly scene of calm and awe. Along its route it collects the waters of dozens of rivers and streams, forming a complex hydrographic network with important aquatic ecosystems. The fish fauna is notable (mountain trout, mullet, etc.), as is the riparian vegetation (oaks, alders, willows, plane trees, poplars, ash trees). The Nestos Delta is famous for its rare riparian forest, also known as the Great Forest (Kotza Orman). The Nestos Gorge is included among the Natura 2000 wetland sites.

From the village of Galani starts a branch of the E6 European long-distance trail (it begins in Sweden, crosses Europe to the Adriatic coast, then enters Greece at Igoumenitsa and ends on Samothrace). The trail follows the eastern bank of the Nestos, passes through Livera and ends in Stavroupoli. The E6 coincides with the old railway workers' path, built in 1893 for the use of the staff, because the gorge on the eastern bank of the Nestos is very steep and rocky, and moving workers and materials for the construction of the railway line was otherwise impossible. To this day, that is for more than a century, visitors to the gorge have been using the same railway workers' path.

The route is suitable for hiking.

The Nestos Delta

It belongs to the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace National Park, the largest wetland park in the country, with 22 lagoons.

The Nestos Delta, with a total area of approximately 550,000 stremmata, forms the natural boundary between the prefectures of Xanthi and Kavala.

It begins where the river exits the Rhodope mountain mass (Nestos Gorge), at the level of Toxotes, and extends to the Thracian Sea.

The lagoons, reed beds, sand dunes, riparian forest and areas flooded by seawater make up a unique mosaic.

Wildlife

The wealth of wildlife is great. In the famous Kotza Orman (the Great or legendary Forest) that remains, the only riparian (water-loving) forest of its kind in Europe, there are large mammals such as wild boar, wolves, jackals, otters, badgers, foxes, weasels and martens. The area remains particularly rich in birdlife as well. In the Nestos Delta 254 bird species have been recorded, among them rare and threatened species. It is the most important area in Greece for the breeding of the spur-winged lapwing (Vanellus spinosus) and the only place in Europe where the Colchian pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) occurs in the wild.
The number of golden jackals (Canis aureus) that live and breed in the Nestos Delta is also significant. Some local residents have reported seeing a lynx (Lynx lynx), one of the rarest mammals, but its last official record dates back many decades.

The route is suitable for cycling.