Moving
on from
Spárti
there is
a tough
choice
of
routes:
west
over the
Taïyetos
ridge,
either
on foot
or by
road
through
the
dramatic
Langádha
pass
to
Kalamáta;
east to
the
Byzantine
towns of
Yeráki
and
Monemvasiá
; or
south,
skirting
the
mountain's
foothills,
to
Yíthio
and the
Máni.
For
anyone
wanting
to get
to grips
with the
Greek
mountains,
there is
Mount
Taïyetos
itself.
Although
the
range is
one of
the most
beautiful,
dramatic
and
hazardous
in
Greece,
with
vast
grey
boulders
and
scree
along
much of
its
length,
it has
one
reasonably
straightforward
path to
the
highest
peak,
Profítis
Ilías.
Three
areas,
covering
different
and
specialized
ecological
habitats,
in the
higher
mountains
and the
gorges
of
Langádha
and
Nédhondas,
were
included
for
conservation
under
the EU's
NATURA
2000
programme.
