Frakto Virgin Forest

Frakto covers about 550 hectares of the Rhodope range that were never logged, a mixture of Norway spruce, silver fir, beech and Scots pine with trees over four hundred years old and forty metres tall, standing dead wood, and fallen trunks left to decay, which is what distinguishes primeval forest from an old plantation. It is protected as a strict nature reserve within the Rhodope Mountain Range National Park, so the core is closed to unaccompanied visitors and access needs a permit from the forestry service; a viewing platform and marked routes on the perimeter allow a sense of the place without entering. The wider forest holds brown bears, wolves, wild cats and the capercaillie, and the roads in cross some of the emptiest country in Greece.

What you actually see

• The old-growth stand - centuries-old spruce, fir and beech left untouched.
• The viewing platform - a perimeter overlook into the protected core.
• The dead wood - standing snags and fallen trunks, rare in Greek forests.
• The Rhodope wilderness - remote forest roads and near-empty valleys.

When to go

June to October, when the forest roads are passable; snow closes access in winter and spring melt leaves tracks impassable. Autumn colour in the beech is exceptional.

Honest expectations

Entering the core reserve requires permission arranged in advance, and casual visitors see the forest from the edge. Access roads are long, rough and poorly signed, and a high-clearance vehicle helps. There are no facilities, and phone coverage is minimal.

Nearby

Livaditis waterfall lies west; Drama and the Nestos gorge are south.