Description

A new spring visit to the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece for a wonderful array of flowers and wildlife!

The Peloponnese, Pelops island, father of Atreus. king of Mycenae, founder of the  Atreidae. dynasty, whose battles to conquer Troy inspired Homers Illiad, is Greece’s southernmost mainland peninsula.  From high mountains in the north and  extensive phrygana in the south it is a land of varied landscape and habitats. The phrygana are habitat for a rich variety of orchids and bulbs, and indeed one of the best places to see autumn flowering Crocuses and Cyclamen.  In spring the same places are a riot of colour covered in yellow-flowered Crown daisies, red Poppies and white sheets of Anthemis chiawith a great variety of orchids and bulbous plants.

We shall explore Mycenae, centre of the Greek Bronze age civilization, with its massive Cyclopean  masonry and the famous Lion Gate, and also the magical tomb of Atreus. On the itinerary is also Mystras, the last outpost of the Byzantine empire and the church where the last Paleologos was crowned emperor before his fatal journey to Constantinople in 1453.

Of the three southern peninsulas of the Peloponnese Mani is perhaps the most iconic with its fortified towers set in a dramatic landscape.

We expect to see Ophrys argolica, the argolid ophrys, Ophrys ferrum-equinum, Ophrysbombyliflora, Ophrys mammosa, Ophrys spruneri, Orchis lactea, Ophrys aesculapi, Serapiassp, Anacamptis papilionacea and many more.