Day one - the wild horses

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I've been to Kefalonia a couple of times before, so I know the things and places I want to do and see. I want to hike and snorkel. It was very easy to start the holiday in a place that I already know a little bit about, to find a suitable accomodation and to rent a car - no problem. In general I can say that I Kefalonia people are really nice, trustworthy and honest. I'm staying at Oskar's studios in Lassi/Argostoli and I rented the car at Pefanis and so far everything has gone well.

This morning I headed towards Mount Ainos to check if I could get a glimpse of the wild horses that live there. And I saw a lot more than just a glimplse. I was almost surrounded by the whole herd of the beautiful horses and for a moment I felt like I was in a fairy tale.

I will tell how to get to the spot where I met the horses, but I want everyone to respect the rough nature of the beautiful island of Kefallinia. So if you decide to go and see them, make as little noise as you can and always remember that you shouldn't try to approach wild animals. Also if you go hiking in the nature, take everything with you, don't throw any carbage in the nature or destroy the environment in any way. Mount Ainos is a beautiful place and I experienced a deep peace of mind there, with the horses and at the monastry.

As I told you I had rented a car and this morning I headed towards the village of Arginia. It's a tiny mountain village, no shops, bars or restaurants. So you should equip yourself with your food and beverage in beforehand. There are rare services available in that part of the island so you'd better go shopping near Argostoli before you start your trip.

Take the road to Poros. The road to Arginia turns left after about 45 minutes of driving. It's a very steep and partly very, very narrow road with steep edges. So it's nothing for people who are afraid of hights or not very experienced drivers.

I parked the car in Arginia. The last kilometres to the water tank where I met the horses, is mostly dirt road and you shouldn't try to drive there unless you have a four-wheel car. I wouldn't have driven there even if I had one, because I didn't want to make any noise and possibly scare the horses away. But the hiking is uphill and demands good condition. And make sure you have a hat and plenty of water.

I'm not sure what this sign says, but this is where you have to go from Arginia.

The road up to the water tank goes on a bare slope and is partly concrete but there are a lot of loose stones so make sure you wear good shoes. It's quite rough landscape but up there it's beautiful with more vegetation and there's a nice mountain breeze. Since the horses often stay there and of course there are also goats and sheep, there are a lot of insects, flies and gadflies, so if you are an insect hater, this is definitely not a trip for you... :)

There are very nice views from the mountain, on a clear weather you can see for example the neighbouring island Zakhyntos.

It took about 40 minutes for me to walk up to the water tank and it was well worth all the swetting. There was a huge herd of horses, many beautiful foals in different colours. I was stunned.

The horses weren't really afraid of me, but I didn't try to approach them. I just took photos and videos from good distance. Eventually they walked away peacefully and the moment was gone. 

I continued the road to the Zoodohos Pigi Monastery.

It was only about one kilometer to the monastery and you should definitely go there too if you have climbed all the way up to the water tank. 

You can even visit inside.

The road continues after the monastery and you can hike to the national park of mount Ainos. There's a beautiful view towards the coast behind the monastery:

Argilia is a very small village.

There's a curiosity about this small village you might like to read about:Holy snakes of Arginia