As we turned toward Chalastra, the gateway to Axios Delta National Park, the silence was so sudden it was as if someone had flipped a switch. I was on a narrow tree-lined road, far from the buzzing, honking traffic on the Thessaloniki highway, and the only sounds were the buzz of cicadas and the clamor of storks nests overhead.
Located just a half-hour’s drive from Greece’s second city, the 150-square-mile park is one of Greece’s most important wetlands. A paradise for birdwatchers, this vast delta fed by rivers stretching as far as Kosovo is home to some 330 bird species and the world’s largest population of Mediterranean turtles. Add dozens of wild horses and flamboyant flamingos, salt flats and rice paddies; You’ll understand why it’s called the “hidden Camargue” of Greece.
But unlike its Gallic counterpart, the Axios Delta attracts only a small number of tourists each year, and its taverns serving fresh fish and mussels are much cheaper.
As I headed towards the Nea Agathoupoli birdwatching tower, I saw the region’s horses for the first time. Unlike the famous white horses of the Camargue, these colorful animals are truly wild. “They were released in the 1960s, when farmers switched to tractors,” Lia Papadragka, a guide who helps oversee the park, told me as we climbed to the top of the watchtower. “There are about 80 horses today, which means it’s an endangered species,” he added, handing me a pair of binoculars.
From our high vantage point we spotted glossy ibis, ferruginous ducks, avocets, spoonbills, and other fauna fluttering, wading, and flapping in the dark marshes below. Then a white flash appeared. “A white-tailed sea eagle! “There are only a few pairs in Greece, and one of them is nesting here,” Lia said, waving her binoculars excitedly.
Leaving the tower, we slowly walked towards the sea on a rutted road. In mid-April the air was buzzing with the sweet scent of spring flowers; Bright lemon-like mustard flowers, giant fennels that look like small trees, and the pale pink braids of tamarisk flowers dazzle against the muddy background.
Near Almyraulakas, in one of the kalyvi wooden huts housing the delta’s mussel farmers, we met Stelios, who took us out over the shallow lagoon to visit his farm. Standing near a wooden structure where cormorants were drying their black wings by hitting the poles, Stelios explained that the mussels grow on strings that hang down into the shallow waters below. With one hand on the helm and his eyes fixed on the greenish-grey horizon framed by the blue stain of Mount Olympus, he told us about his life. Annus horribilis In 2021, summer heat was so intense that water temperatures rose to 31C. “The mussels were literally cooked in water,” he said.
Thessaloniki was my base as there aren’t many hotels in the Axios Delta. Returning to this lovely, vibrant city every night after days spent observing the delta’s abundant wildlife was the perfect combination. It was named Unesco City of Gastronomy in 2021 and I spent happy evenings eating spicy meatballs. soutzoukakaiasizzling cheese Bougiourdi and other local delicacies at stylish taverns such as Olympos Naoussa, Orizontes Roof Garden and Poster.
To get away from the birds, I followed the coastal road from Chalastra to ancient Pydna. There are not many ruins left of this once-mighty city, which was conquered by Alexander the Great’s father in the 4th century BC and where Alexander’s mother was killed during the siege some 30 years later; but the remote area, surrounded by a sea of olive trees, was magnificent. atmospheric.
Returning to the seaside village of Methoni, I had lunch at Nikos, a rustic seaside tavern beloved by locals. Sitting at a warped wooden table, watching the shiny kaiki fishing boats bob on the pea-green rolling tide, I ate grilled red mullet with a caper-dotted Greek salad and a jug of crisp Asyrtiko white from the nearby Epanomi vineyards. The bill for this banquet (also included a complimentary thimble of white spirit Tsipouro and a slice portokalopita orange cake)? Twenty-four euros – about the same as a single main course at a similar restaurant in the south of France.
On my last day, I headed to the Alyki Kitrous lagoon. Located on the northern flank of the delta, this giant salt flat is home to a large population of wading birds, including hundreds of flamingos that strut and snort loudly as they search for microscopic algae. After a swim at Alyki’s dune-lined beach, head to meet Alexandros Tillas and Maria Derdevani, a locally-born entrepreneurial couple who bought the ruins of a train station (complete with vintage train carriages) to create Alyki Glamping, a unique boutique hotel. I stopped. It will open this summer.
It took the couple, victims of Greece’s notorious bureaucracy, five years to meticulously renovate the old station. “We are pioneers and it is always difficult,” Alexandros said. As I stirred a steaming pot of mussels in the couple’s kitchen, I brought up the Camargue comparison. “We are better; we have wolves and wild cats here too,” said Alexandros, laughing. “We basically have everything the Camargue has, but without the crazy crowds.”
get there
Fly from London Heathrow to Thessaloniki from £140 (aegeanair.com). Cars can be hired from Hertz for £23 per day (hertz.gr). Book Axios Delta tours with Ecoroutes (ecoroutes.gr) and Thessaloniki gourmet tours with Discover Greece (discovergreece.com).
where to eat
In Thessaloniki, Poster (mains from £8; posterrestaurant.gr), Olympos Naoussa (mains from £12; olymposnaoussa.gr) and Orizontes Roof Garden (mains from £16; electrahotels.gr ). Nikos in Methoni (networks from £6; +30 27230 31282).
Where to stay
Double rooms at the Antigon Urban Chic hotel (antigonhotel.com) cost £87 per night, including breakfast. Double stays at Alyki Camping Kitros (facebook.com/alykihotel) cost £37 per night, including breakfast.