Pangaio

Hiking, skiing, mountain climbing, walking, caving, nocturnal stargazing and spending the night on the mountains. Pangaio is an invitation to all those who have an adventurous spirit and love nature! Discover it either in the company of the Greek Hiking Club of Kavala (EOS) or the Kavala Skiing and Hiking Club (SXO), or even by yourselves. There are routes that lead to refuges and bases for climbing up to the peaks. Some of these are the Mati, the Dikorfo or Trikorfo, the Voskos and the Avgo. At Pangaio there are five mountain refuges. Three are located near the peaks of the mountain and thus make it possible for the mountaineer to spend the night there and continue exploring the next day. For further information on the footpaths of Pangaio, consult the website of the EOS Kavala at www.eoskavalas.gr.

The wonderful beaches, such as Nea Irakleitsa, Nea Peramos, Ammolofi, Sarakina, Ophrynio, and any other accessible beach that interests you.

The villages of the Municipality’s mountain region, villages whose common features are dense vegetation and running waters. Moustheni, with its arched bridges and traditional stone houses; Mesoropi, with the splendid 19th-century mansions and watermill; Palaiohori with the Vranokastro and the chestnut tree forest, huge plane trees and running waters; as well as the historic traditional settlement of Eleftheroupoli, its special architecture reminiscent of the large Macedonian urban centres.

The footpaths made for walking: in Mesoropi, an exceptionally beautiful footpath that leads to small waterfalls and lakes, in Eikosifoinissa, at an altitude of 550 m and starting from the historic monastery and the footpath of Avli, the oldest one in the area, along which you will encounter the river, slopes covered in cedars and oaks and a beech forest.

The sights of religious interest: the historic Monastery of Panagia Eikosifoinissa, the monastery of Panagia Pangaiotissa, and the Monastery of Hypapanti. The church of Agios Nikolaos in Eleftheroupoli, and the pilgrimage to the church of the Panagia Faneromeni in Nea Irakleitsa.

The museums: The Waxworks Museum in Kipia, the Olive Museum in Elaiohori and the Folklore Museums of Folia, Nikisiani and Mesoropi.

The wineries in the region, which produce the well-known “Biblino wine” mentioned by Hesiod as a wine of exceptional quality.

Cultural events and festivals are held in both the summer and winter months in the capital of the Municipality as well as in its traditional villages.

The harvest custom in June of each year, the Pangaio meeting in the month of July, the “Christmas Dream” at Christmas time, the revival of the custom of the “Arabs” at Nikisiani on 6 January and the “Burning of the Fleas” on the hill of Ai Yiannis in the same village on Clean Monday. On Clean Monday, with rich Lenten dishes, traditional music and carnival customs, carnival is celebrated in a special way at Akrovouni, with “Dionysian echoes”, but also in many other local communities.

At Palaiohori the visitor can enjoy the procession towards the “Vranokastro” or “Castle of Alexander the Great” on the feast day of the Saints Theodore, the Tsania of the cavalry a week before the festival of the Prophet Elias, Easter with its great egg-cracking competition, the festival of the sarma and, of course, Chestnut Day on the last weekend of October in the wonderful chestnut forest of Palaiohori.

A tsipouro festival is held on the first weekend of November at Nea Peramos, where the PERAMEIA is also held – ten days of summer events.

The ten-day festival of the Pieria Valley is held each summer in the beautiful traditional village of Moustheni. The Vine Leaf festival takes place in July at Karyani, the “August jump” on 31 August at Myrtofitos beach, and much more.

The excellent local products, such as olive oil, tsipouro, pasta, halva and tahini, fresh fish, and the traditional almond sweets.

How to get to Pangaio: There are four exits along the Via Egnatia that you can use (Galipsos-Orfanio, Moustheni, Eleftheroupoli, Agios Andreas).