Aroania ( el, Αροάνια), also known as Helmos or Chelmos (Χελμός, from South Slavic , "summit"), is a mountain range in

Achaea Achaea () or Achaia (), sometimes transliterated from Greek as Akhaia (, ''Akhaïa'' ), is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Western Greece and is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. The ...

, Peloponnese, Greece. At 2,355 m elevation, Aroania is the third highest mountain of the Peloponnese, after Taygetus and Kyllini, and the highest in Achaea. The largest town near the mountain is Kalavryta. The municipal unit

Aroania Aroania ( el, Αροάνια) is a village and a former municipality in Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kalavryta, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area ...

took its name from the mountain.

Geography

Aroania is situated in southeastern Achaea, near the border with

Corinthia Corinthia ( el, Κορινθία ''Korinthía'') is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese. It is situated around the city of Corinth, in the north-eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Geography Cor ...

. The slightly higher Kyllini mountain is about 15 km to its east, separated from Aroania by the valley of the river

Olvios The Olvios () is a river that flows in western Corinthia in the northern Peloponnese in Greece. The river empties into the Feneos plain, once an area of swamps, now containing farmlands. It is approximately 30 km long. The river begins on th ...

. The mountain Erymanthos is about 30 km to the west, across the valley of the river

Vouraikos The Vouraikos ( el, Βουραϊκός, la, Buraïcus, ''Erasinus'' ( grc, Ἐρασῖνος, Erasinos) according to Strabo) is a river in Achaea, Greece. In ancient times it was called Erasinos. Its source is in the Aroania mountains, near th ...

. The rivers Krios,

Krathis Krathis ( el, Κράθις, la, Crathis) is a river in the eastern part of Achaea, southern Greece. The river flows through the municipal unit of Akrata. It is long. Geography The river's course is from the south to the north. It begins in th ...

and Vouraikos drain the mountain towards the Gulf of Corinth in the north. The river

Aroanios Aroanios ( el, Αροάνιος; grc, Ἀροάνιος; la, Aroanius) is a river in the southern part of Achaea, Greece and a tributary of Ladon river. The water comes from the carbonate mountain range Aroania (1500-2300m). After 12 ...

drains the mountain towards the southwest, to the Ionian Sea. The mountain is the site of the Aristarchos telescope and of a ski resort. Points of interest on the mountain include the Cave of the Lakes (

Spilaio ton Limnon The Cave of the Lakes ( el, Σπήλαιο των Λιμνών, Spilaio ton Limnon), formerly called Troupisio, is located near the village Kastria in the Achaea regional unit. It is from Kalavryta and from Kleitoria. The cave is an old subterr ...

), the monastery of

Mega Spilaio Mega Spilaio (), formally the Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos (Ιερά Μονή Κοιμήσεως της Θεοτόκου), is a Greek Orthodox monastery near Kalavryta, in the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. History The m ...

and the mountain town Kalavryta. Mountain villages on the mountain are

Planitero Planitero (Greek: Πλανητέρο) is a mountain village in the municipal unit of Kleitoria, Achaea, Greece. It is situated in the southwestern part of the Chelmos (Aroania) mountains. Its population is 197 people (2011 census). Its elevatio ...

and

Peristera Peristera ( el, Περιστέρα, feminine form of pigeon), also Aspro, locally Xero (meaning dry), Eudemia in antiquity, is a Greece, Greek island in the Sporades. It is administratively part of the municipality of Alonnisos and is also direct ...

. There are several protected areas on Aroania. A list of the highest peaks of Mount Aroania: *Psili Koryfi, 2355 m *Neraidorachi, 2341 m *Aetorachi, 2335 m *Kokkinovrachos, 2315 m *Gardii, 2182 m *Avgo, 2138 m *Nisi, 2080 m

Flora and fauna

The parts of Aroania between 800 m and 1,800 m elevation are covered with pine forests. The higher areas consist of grasslands and barren rock. Aroania is rich in butterfly species, including the Chelmos blue (''

Agrodiaetus ''Polyommatus'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae. Its species are found in the Palearctic realm. Taxonomy Recent molecular studies have demonstrated that '' Cyaniris'', ''Lysandra'', and '' Neolysandra'' are different genera f ...

iphigenia'') which is found between 1,100 m and 1,800 m.

References

External links

Greek Mountain FloraKalavryta Ski Resort Ski Resort Guide
*in Greek:
Photos from the Kalavryta Ski Centre

Χελμός - Βουραϊκός

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aroania Landforms of Achaea Mountain ranges of Greece Ski areas and resorts in Greece Landforms of Western Greece