Early October together with other members of Travel Bloggers Greece we were invited to experience autumn in Greece. Oreini Nafpaktia is the mountainous resort of Nafpaktos, a town which lies on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth approximately a three hour drive from Athens.
The best of Oreini Nafpaktia
A postcard perfect collection of charming villages, set amongst a lush green environment with a breathtaking view of the scenic mountains — welcome to Oreini Nafpaktia. A nature lover’s paradise!
Ta Petrina
On Saturday morning, just before noon we reached Ano-Chora, one of the villages in Oreini Nafpaktia. We were met by one of our hosts, Dimitris Papadimitriou who runs his family business — Ta Petrina guesthouse, member of the Guest Inn Network.
The stone houses are perched on a gentle hill across from a dense, green forest. After we soaked in the view over a cup of coffee, we headed towards the chestnut forest.
Chestnut forest, Jazz Festival and horseback riding
It had just rained the night before and the air was fresh and crisp. There was a pleasant earthy smell after the rain which filled the atmosphere. The leaves were glistening in the sunlight, the autumn palette looked warm and inviting.
As we walked further we could hear the sound of jazz, yes coming from inside the forest. We were invited to an outdoor Jazz festival in the forest of Oreini Nafpaktia.
The area was filled with couples and families with children of all ages, who were enjoying the lively atmosphere and fun activities. A live band was playing jazz music, a magical scene indeed.
One of the activities visitors could enjoy was horseback riding, perfect for children and adults alike. Some of us did try horseback riding and it was fun. My horse was called Zena.
There was a long table set up in the middle of the forest, which was separated into smaller food stalls selling burgers, salads, soup and desserts. We tried the delicious chestnut soup. The catering and the festival was organized by the Crystal Mountain Hotel. They run a series of events during the weekends of October.
Another reason we were here was to collect chestnuts. Upon arrival we were provided with paper bags where we could place all the chestnuts that we collected on the day.
Hiking in the forest
After spending a few hours in the chestnut forest we headed towards the hiking routes of the Oreini Nafpaktia. The hiking trail we took was short, approximately 30 minutes.
Going downhill we reached the beautiful waterfall. We then headed up collecting more chestnuts until we reached the Crystal Mountain Hotel.
I will be sharing more about our visit and the highlights of Nafpaktos in my next post. Have you been to Oreini Nafpaktia?