Photo: Agapi2010 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lake Voulkaria is a shallow freshwater lake of about 10 km² in the middle of the Sterna peninsula, about 5 km south-west of Vonitsa in the north-west of Aetolia-Acarnania. Strabo knew it as Myrtountion. It is counted among the most important wetlands of the Amvrakikos Gulf area and is a Natura 2000 site.
How it formed
Tectonic trenches in the Pliocene, later hollowed by karst, formed the basin; the sea once covered it, and debris then cut it off from the Bay of Palairos. A ditch of 1,400 m links it with Agios Nikolaos bay. Water runs out in winter, and since 1964 the ditch has been closed in summer to keep out the sea, which had been salting the farmland. The level rises and falls with the rain.
Nature
White water lilies and the endangered great fen-sedge grow here, and a reed belt up to 500 m wide surrounds the water. It is an Important Bird Area for migrating birds, including threatened species. Farm run-off, overgrazing, sewage and illegal hunting, which has nearly eliminated the otter, are the main threats.
Visit
Swimming
No reliable information
Tips
The lake lies on the road from Vonitsa to Lefkada, about 5 km from Vonitsa. Bring binoculars, as a wide reed belt surrounds the water.
Nearby lakes
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Sources & data
- Greece's 2022 Water Framework Directive reporting to the EEA: lake (LW) and transitional (TW) water bodies, field cArea, European Environment Agency (WISE WFD), reported by Greece, 2022
- OpenStreetMap: Λίμνη Βουλκαριά (relation 14735025), OpenStreetMap contributors
- Wikidata: Voulkaria (Q15057313), Wikimedia Foundation
- Greek Wikipedia: Βουλκαριά, Wikimedia Foundation
- Limnes Voulkaria kai Saltini (GR2310006), Filotis, National Technical University of Athens
- Lake Voulkaria, Lakes Network