Greece · Western Greece

Lake Lysimachia

Directions

Λίμνη Λυσιμαχία

Lake Lysimachia is an elongated freshwater lake with low banks in Aetolia-Acarnania, about 5 km from Agrinio, between the Panetolikos and Arakynthos mountains. It is fed by the Ermitsa and by a canal from Lake Trichonida, only about 2 km away across a strip of land, and the two form a single ecosystem. Its outflow, the Dimikos, runs to the Acheloos west of Angelokastro.

Nature

An almost continuous, very dense belt of reeds lines the shore, with underwater meadows in the shallows and scattered plane, willow and white poplar. The lake matters for wintering ducks, including pochards, tufted and ferruginous ducks, and for breeding and passing waterbirds such as purple and squacco herons, little egrets, little bitterns, night herons and whiskered terns. It is also home to endemic fish and otters.

It is a Natura 2000 site. Waste from Agrinio and nearby villages, from pig farms and oil mills, along with fertiliser from the fields, has put the water under heavy pressure, and the reed beds, a natural filter, are important for keeping it clean.

Visit

Swimming

No reliable information

Tips

From Agrinio, take the road towards Menidi and Venetikos; local roads lead to several points on the shore. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable and the liveliest seasons for birds, and winter brings the ducks. The reeds hide much of the water, so bring binoculars.