Kerkini - live the magic

When we reached lake Kerkini the weather was rather cold. At first there was a moment’s hesitation but the friendly boatman changed our minds and we decided to jump onto the boat for a trip on the lake. We put on our life vests and set off to discover its secrets.

In the beginning there is not much to see, but when the boat approaches the bird sanctuary slowly as required, the spectacle is unbelievable!
The boatman keeps explaining everything we see around us and tells us about the story of this artificial lake. He has plenty of information to share on all kinds of birds we see. The lake is home to Herons, pelicans, cormorans, egrets and many many other species.

The birds watch us from a distance. Some are already flying above our heads when all of a sudden  a whole flock of them takes off. This is pure magic! Some other birds, the braver ones I suppose, keep floating round the boat in search of food.The boat travels on the shallower parts of the lake but when the water gets less than a metre deep,it stops. It can’t go any futher the boatman explains.

We stay there motionless watching the routines of the birds. The lake is winning us over ,minute after minute, hour after hour, making us oblivious of the chill that penetrates the warm clothes we are wearing. Although the trip lasts about one hour, time flies and when the boatman heads the boat back to the shore we feel a bit disappointed it is over.

This boat trip is definitely worthwhile in all its simplicity. There is nothing touristy about it. It doesn’t include stories of dragons and fairies like the ones other boatmen narrate in order to make their trips more interesting in other parts of Greece.

The astonishing landscape of lake Kerkini makes this trip unique!