Axios Delta National Park

The park protects the combined deltas of the Axios, Loudias, Aliakmonas and Gallikos rivers, some 33,800 hectares of wetland where the rivers meet the Thermaic Gulf: reedbeds, salt marsh, lagoons, mudflats and riverside woodland, all designated a Ramsar site. More than 300 bird species have been recorded, and it is one of the most reliable places in Greece to see greater flamingos in numbers, along with Dalmatian pelicans, spoonbills, avocets and vast winter flocks of ducks and waders. The Kalochori lagoon nearest the city is the easiest access, with a track along the dyke; further west the riverside forest of the Axios and the mussel farms of the gulf give different habitats. An information centre at Chalastra runs guided walks and boat trips.

What you actually see

• The flamingo flocks - large numbers on the lagoons in winter.
• The Kalochori lagoon - the closest and easiest viewing point to the city.
• The riverside forest - remnant woodland along the Axios channel.
• The mussel farms - working shellfish beds in the gulf shallows.

When to go

October to May for the biggest numbers and comfortable temperatures; midwinter brings the largest flocks. Summer is hot, hazy and mosquito-heavy, with far fewer birds.

Honest expectations

This is an industrial edge of Thessaloniki as much as a nature reserve, with refineries, roads and rubbish visible in places. Tracks are rough and can be impassable after rain. Binoculars and a car are essential; casual visitors without either will see little.

Nearby

Thessaloniki is twenty minutes east; Pella and the Macedonian sites lie west.