Pangaion Hills

Pangaio (Greek: Παγγαίο) is a municipality in the Kavala regional unit, Macedonian Greece, named after the Pangaion hills. The seat of the municipality is in Eleftheroupoli.



Understand
The Pangaion Hills or Pangeo, Pangeon (Greek, Παγγαίο) is a mountain range in Norther-Greece, approximately 40 km from Kavala. The highest elevation is Mount Koutra (1,956 m). The Pangaio is located in the second row behind the Symbolo chain of hills by the Aegean Sea to the south sea surrounded by fertile plains of Philippi-Kavala-Serres in front of the Rhodope Mountains range to the north.

The Pangaio is with almost 2000 m the highest mountain in the Kavala area, with picturesque mountain villages, a multitude of monasteries and impressive vegetation. At the foot of the mountains the vegetation begins with the typical Mediterranean maquis (low, crippled sclerophyllous plants) and then changes slowly, with increasing altitude, in a dense deciduous forest and further above finally in coniferous forest and then reaches the tree line. From there on only grasses and herbaceous plants (including the Greek mountain tea) grow.

Get in
The Pangaio area is easily accessible via the motorway, with departures at Orfani, Mousteni and Exochi / Elefteropolis. By bus you can reach the city of Elefteropolis from the bus station Thessaloniki or Kavala. The nearest airport is in Kavala. By train go from Thessaloniki to Drama and from there by bus to Elefteropolis.

Get around
You can reach almost all villages by bus from the bus station of Elefteropolis. You only need a lot of time. By far the best way to explore the area is by car. Rental cars are available in Kavala. Because of the often winding road, the area also has very nice motorcycle routes.

See
Coming from Kavala, the road at Eleferopolis divides into a northern and a southern bypass of Pangeon. Following the northern road, after 10 km you come to a crossroads to the mountain village

On the north side



 * After another 8km you come to the most famous mountain village of Pangeon




 * The best-known attraction on the north side of the Pangeon is the




 * Above the monastery, a high-altitude road leads 6 km back to  Nikissiani , past other, also worth seeing, monasteries.




 * Another attraction in this area is the little-known




 * If you follow the road in a south-westerly direction to the village of Proti after about 14 km you will reach the junction towards the



On the south side
If you want to reach the summit, follow the  southern road  around the Pangeon from Elefteropolis. From Elefteropolis towards Thessaloniki turn right in front of the petrol station in the next village (Akrovouni / Panagia) and follow the road that leads to the top of Pangeon.




 * After about 20 minutes on curvy, narrow road you can visit the worthwhile




 * Directly behind the monastery is a dilapidated spirit village (Akrovouni), which has a strange charm with its dilapidated houses. Because of the altitude, it is already much cooler here and you should also take a light jacket in the summer. 3 km after the monastery is the




 * The drive from here to the summit of Pangeon takes about 1 hour, on a heavily damaged asphalt road. It leads through dense deciduous and coniferous forests until you finally reach the ski center above the tree line. In summer it is not managed. The view is breathtaking and well worth the strenuous trip if you've chosen a clear day. The way up to the mountain top with its antenna systems is closed for cars, with a motorcycle but on a dirt road reachable.

Also worth seeing is on the way from Eleftheropolis towards Thessaloniki is the monastery Agiou Panteleimonos and the traditional mountain villages Mousteni and Mesoropi with their stone houses and narrow streets located in a particularly beautiful landscape. There are several good restaurants in the villages as it is popular as a tourist destination in Kavala.



Archaeological sites
At the western end of the Pangeon, visit the archaeological site of Amphipolis and the statue of the Lion of Amphipolis



Highlights
Day tour (without hikes):
 * Paleohori (castle, village)
 * Monastery of Ikosifinissa
 * Monastery of the Holy Ascension of the Lord
 * Monastery of Agia Paraskevi
 * Amphipolis (museum and archaeological site)
 * Mesoropi (mountain village)
 * Mousteni (mountain village)
 * Monastery of Agiou Panteleimonos
 * Dasiko Horio (forrest village – cafe with a beautiful view)
 * Summit of Pangeon

Drink
You should not expect a lot of nightlife in the villages, except restaurants and kafeneios. Elefteropolis offers some nightlife, but better you go to Kavala or in the high season to the beach of Orfrinio.

Sleep
Most visitors prefer accommodation by the sea in Nea Peramos, Nea Irakliza, Palio or Kavala. Something special, however, are the mountain huts:

Stay safe

 * Crime is virtually non-existent. It is possible to move without fear during the day or at night in the villages. Only wild dogs can sometimes become uncomfortable or shepherd dogs guarding their herds. When encountering herds of sheep / goats, always be careful, especially if the shepherd is not present.
 * When hiking in the mostly lonely mountain landscape, you should bring normal hiking equipment to clothing, footwear, etc., because it can be quite cool in the mountains, even if you sweat at the same time on the beach.
 * Snakes: there is a poisonous snake (horned viper) that lives mainly in the mountains, often on stony terrain or in holes in walls, between rocks and similar habitates. It is very poisonous! Therefore, one should pay attention to good footwear and clothing, if you want to go off the roads into the grounds and generally be careful with walls in abandoned houses and land.

Go next

 * Kavala
 * Philippi
 * Thasos-Island
 * Drama
 * Rhodope Mountains
 * Chalkidiki
 * Samothrace-Island
 * Thessaloniki