Tourlida

The lagoon of Messolonghi is the largest in Greece. Inside the lagoon, there are eight islands and Tourlida or Tourlis as its official name is, is the largest of all. It is a long-narrow piece of land, about 5km south of Messolonghi. The island took its name from a type of sea bird that lived there, the “Curlews”. Until 1885, Tourlida was an island but it is now joined with the opposite land with a road that was constructed using materials from the excavations for the construction of the port. The road created an interior lagoon inside the lagoon of Messolonghi, known as the Klisova lagoon. The journey to Tourlida is fascinating, because the road goes into the lagoon. The best time of the day to visit the island is sunset because that time of the day the place offers many photo opportunities.

The landmark of Tourlida, is the wooden shacks (pelades) built by fishermen on stilts planted in the lagoon’s silty bottom. The small island is located in the so-called “Black Saline”. It is called "black" because the salt is lower in quality than the “While”, the other Salt Lake located on the road to Etoliko. The small island is inhabited and the population according to 2011 census is 15 inhabitants. Most of the people who live there, are engaged in fishing and collecting salt from the nearby salt pit.