Lesvos Revisited: May 2003    iBirdz

I visited the beautiful island of Lesbos for the second time from 1 May to 15 May 2003. We stayed at the Madonna Apartments, courtesy of Dimitra Balkizas, the owner, in the resort of Vatera which is situated on the southern coast of the island. The flight was separately booked via Ilkeston Co-op Travel with Airtours (Mytravel) at a cost of around £190. From our previous visit to Lesbos we knew that car hire would be essential and thus we booked a small car (Opel Corsa) with Alpha Car through Dimitra. The rate was reasonable at 235 euros per week. Most birders seem to prefer to stay at Skala Kalloni which we found was extremely busy at this time of year. The small resort of Vatera was much more peaceful and for those non birders that may venture out with you, the beach at Vatera is considered to be one of the best in Europe. I will rely on the information passed on by others, including my better half Sarah who spent some time on the beach, as I am not a beach person. Vatera itself sprawls along the beach with several Tavernas, a couple of bars and a few hotels along with some well appointed self catering apartments that overlook the sea. We found Vatera to be an excellent base for our second visit to the island as close by are some excellent birding habitats and brilliant flower walks for those interested in botany or just walking. The other interesting birding sites to be found on the island are all within easy reach of Vatera including the Kalloni area which is approximately 45 minutes drive from Vatera. I have marked out some of the places we visited in the south of the island on the interactive map below. Just click the numbered areas to view more details on each. On the map main roads are shown as red, minor roads are marked in green and drivable tracks are shown in blue. For other sites visited further north on the island please refer to my report on Lesvos in September 2000 accessed from my home page. To sum up my second visit to Lesvos I would have to say that if it is peace, tranqulity and uninterupted walking and birding you are after then Vatera and its local area is the place to stay. For car hire information see www.alfarentacar.gr or for a direct booking contact info@alfarentacar.gr For a full trip list of birds seen in Lesvos spring 2003 by myself and other birders click here Top of the Page Southern Lesvos Map Home Page