LOCATION
The village of Lalas is just 10 minutes from Ancient Olympia and can be used as a base for a variety of activities.
It is just a stone's throw from the archaeological site of Ancient Olympia with its Museum and Ancient Pissa. In addition to this, Ancient Ilida and the Temple of Apollo Epikourios are just slightly further away. For nature lovers there is no better place to relax than the Foloi plateau with its dozens of tracks running though the oak forest, gorges, rivers, waterfalls, and even the mountain peaks. There are also similar routes for cyclists, horseback riding, climbing, trail running, racing, rafting and kayaking, and many other sports and extreme sports.
The Foloi oak forest is the perfect tranquil place for simple exercises, yoga, etc.
A little farther afield, about 40 minutes from Lalas, you can visit two different ecosystems, Lake Kaiafa and the Kotychi lagoon which, like Foloi, are included in the Natura 2000 programme. The beautiful beaches of Samiko, Kouroutas, Palouki, Skafidia and others are also about 40 minutes away.
If you are interested in photography, this is the perfect place to capture pristine areas of rich vegetation, and also to observe and photograph breeding bird species. The morphology and light on the plateau also allow you to enjoy star-gazing and to spend some beautiful evenings in the clearings in the heart of the forest.
Some history about Lalas village
Albanians, who were known for their bravery and fighting skills, lived In Lalas and various other settlements in the area of Foloi. These villagers were the descendants of the Albanian invaders who came to Greece in 1770. The villagers of Lalas continually carried out raids against the Greek and Turkish landlords by setting fire to and destroying the villages in the plains of Gastouni and Pyrgos Ilias, and came to dominate in Elis and Olympia.
In one of the great conflicts of the 1921Greek War of Independence, the battle of Lalas (9-13 June 1821), the Greeks were victorious over the villagers of Lalas. This victory helped to pave the way for the success of the War of Independence in the Peloponnese.
