Alonissos Marine National Park
The Alonissos Marine National Park and the Northern Sporades is the first to have been established in Greece and the largest in all of Europe.
Founded in 2003 and with an extension of about 2200 square kilometers, it aims to preserve the environment and safeguard some species such as the Mediterranean monk seal and other endangered species. In reality, the commitment towards the protection of the sea and the territory began as early as 1970 but managed to have the first resolution for the protection of the Mediterranean monk seal and its biotypes in 1986. Various ministerial resolutions followed until finally in 1992 all the area is proclaimed "Marine National Park". In addition to the defense of the terrestrial and marine grouping, special attention is also paid to the historical and archaeological monuments of the classical and Byzantine pre-historic period present in Alonissos and in the Sporades archipelago.
There are some areas where access to the public is allowed and it is allowed to swim, free diving, take pictures and shoot exclusively amateur, trekking and visit the monuments. Others, on the other hand, are forbidden as they are dedicated to restocking which must take place in a totally natural way. Amateur fishing has certain limitations and hunting is absolutely forbidden except on the Giuria island where, however, it is necessary to have a special permit to practice it.
In Steni Vela a small natural harbor just after Patitiri is the only Seal Assistance center and specializes in the care of orphaned puppies, a real open-air nursery.
The MOM Mediterranean Monk Sea in Patitiri contributes in a massive and important way to information to the public through films of the marine ecosystem, a rich photographic material and with specialized and trained personnel on how to raise awareness and do something to protect the sea and its inhabitants .
Alonissos has a fantastic morphology and the maquis dominates the island. flat and the southern part is rich in pine forests, thus giving the opportunity to different species to reproduce and live in an industrial environment.
On the Peristera islet in the eastern part of Alonissos, as a result of underwater research, remains of an ancient shipwreck were found, thus demonstrating the Sporades Archipelago was a crossroads for navigation, giving rise to various crossings of different civilizations. Kira 'Pagania, on the other hand, to the north is a mountainous island covered with dense vegetation where industrious people grow species of thorny oaks and mastic. To the north east we meet the Jura island. Completely uninhabited, it has a rocky and steep formation with a great variety of native plants and animals. Here lives a rare species of goat which, according to research, is considered to be native to the area. The Jury also deserves credit for the Cyclops cave with its splendid stalagmites and stalactites which serve as a refuge for the Monk seal.The Giuria isalnd is a protected nature reserve.
The northernmost is the Psathoura island of volcanic origin and full of heather. Here you will find the rare sea lilies that grow on the white sand of Mandraki beach to the south which creates an incredible contrast to the black rocks that surround it. North of Psathoura the great lighthouse of French opera which at night signals the route to the Aegean. Here are the monk seals of the Mediterranean and some birds of prey there are as many as 33 different species that come here to reproduce on the high cliffs where they they find rare pine trees, frigana and rock plants, which are also protected and are considered to be the heart of the National Marine Park.
The Skantzoura islet, Strongilo' and Polemika, on the other hand, are the home of the red seagull and the Queen's Falcon.
The climate is typically Mediterranean with hot and dry summers and rainy winters with an average temperature of 17 degrees. Given its quite isolated position with the consequence of little human traffic, the Marine National Park has the ideal conditions for the refuge of many types of animals.
From Patitiri every day there are excursions to the Marine Park as well as to some beautiful beaches.
An opportunity not to be missed if during your holidays in Greece you will be on the Alonissos island, a beautiful experience in contact with a still intact and wild nature but above all to be safeguarded and learned to love.