If you are on holiday in Lesvos and want to meet up with friends on Vetera Beach, make sure that you do so at a specific point that you have agreed upon. Don't settle for "somewhere on the beach." The sandy coast at Vatera is 8 kilometres long!
Vetera Beach is the longest beach in Lesvos and one of the longest in Greece. Its enormous length ensures that you can enjoy one of the beach bars or spread your towel.
One great advantage of the beach is its crystal clear - and quite cold - waters.
Entering the water, which deepens quickly, is extremely easy and will undoubtedly be done several times during your stay there. The waters in Vatera are so attractive that they challenge even the most bored vacationers to cool off in them.
Those who love underwater exploration should bring a mask or goggles. The seabed in Vatera is really wonderful. You will swim among fish and shells in beautiful colours.
In 1997, the professor of Paleontology, Michael Dermitzakis, confirmed what the area's cultivators had suspected for a long time: that this side of Lesvos is a paleontological treasure full of fossils about 2 million years old from the Late Pleistocene Period.
Among the fossils found are prehistoric horses, mastodons (ancestors of the elephant) and a giant tortoise the size of a small car.
About two million years ago, Lesvos was not an island but united with the coasts of Asia Minor, and the Gulf of Vatera was a shallow subtropical sea. The environment at that time was partly forested, with winding rivers crossing the area and emptying into the sea.
The animals in question died somewhere near the river, and the current of the river carried their carcasses away. At some point, they got stuck, covered by earth deposits and finally petrified.
When Dermitzakis and his team found them, they were taken to the neighbouring village of Vrissa. There, the University of Athens established a branch of the Museum of Paleontology and Geology dedicated to the area's paleontological findings.
It is definitely worth taking some time to visit.
An excellent way to spend a day on this side of Lesvos is to visit Agiasos, a traditional village about 30 kilometres from Vatera (27 kilometres from the city of Mytilini), after swimming in Vatera.
It is a mountain village at an altitude of 460 metres on the slopes of Mount Olympus. Its architectural elements, traditional cafes, and inhabitants' hospitality stand out.
There are beautiful hiking trails in the wider area.
How to get to Vatera?
Vatera is 50 kilometres from Mytilini, 40 kilometres from Kalloni, and 8 kilometres from Polichnitos's Kefalochori.
Some tips and information for your trip to Lesvos:
The island is very large, and transportation is essential.
For the same reason, the place in Lesvos you choose for your stay will also affect your vacation planning. Choosing the places you want to visit based on geography would be good.
In the summer, Mytilini is connected by ferry to Kydonies (Κυδωνίες, Turkish: Ayvalık) in Turkey. Kydonies, with its great Greek past, is worth visiting.
Lesvos is an island where you can eat excellent food at very good prices.
It is worth visiting the petrified forest in Sigri, especially if you are travelling with children. It is a unique phenomenon in Europe and rare worldwide.
READ MORE: Kea: The Cycladic getaway that is only a breath away from Athens.
