Taka Lake

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Taka Lake

Lake Taka is situated in between sparsely vegetated hills close to Tripoli, Peloponnese. The size and depth of the lake changes remarkably from season to season. During winter, the lake collects rainwater from the mountains around its base and reaches its maximum level. When summer comes, water leaves the basin through several ponors and the lake usually dries totally up, leaving only some irrigation water in the artificial reservoir. The rest of the lake, turns temporally into cultivated and grass land. This natural phenomenon causes the village next to it, called Vouno, to spend half of its time as a lakeside and the other half as land village. The construction of the artificial reservoir was funded by EU in order to retain water for irrigation purposes during the dry season.

When floods outside the artificial reservoir occur, the rain favors a quick development of an important wetland biotope. The area hosts several species of flora and fauna and the lake itself is home to many migrant birds. Flora includes willows and lilies while fauna include white egrets, glossy ibises, snake eagles, terns and kingfishers. Due to its great ecological importance, Lake Taka is protected as a Natura 2000 habitat. It sits at an altitude of 657 meters east of Tegea and 10 km south of Tripoli, the capital of Arcadia. Apart from ecological interest, the area has archaeological interest since exploratory excavations at the lake found traces of the ancient city of Manthirea. The mountainous location Kandalos offers the most breathtaking view of the area. When looking from above, the lake looks like a blue hole in the dark brown fields of Tegea. Lake Taka is worthwhile a visit if you are keen on birdwatching or you are a nature lover.

Photo: Apostolos Papageorgiou