Mount Helidona & Vasilis’ Bee Paradise

The Journey up Mount Helidona – a Place UNESCO Documented as One of Earth's Purest Ecosystems.

The journey to Mount Helidona, in the Evrytania region of Central Greece, began with a drive that soon led to winding roads into the heart of Greece’s most untouched landscapes. The further we travelled, the more dramatic the scenery became—steep forested slopes, deep gorges, and a sense of wilderness that made it feel like you were in a place before man had started to mess the planet up.

After three hours we arrived at Vasilis’ honey store in a valley near Karpenisi. We waited around, chatting with his dog, who was sitting outside. Then he arrived, and we jumped into his pickup truck.

Soon we began the ascent of Mount Helidona on narrow roads that became rougher and rougher. The area is known as the Greek Alps and Mount Helidona rises sharply to 1,800 metres.

Vasilis explained to me that this region is so pristine that in 1991, UNESCO noted it as one of the world’s purest ecosystems, highlighting its exceptional cleanliness and minimal pollution — an ideal place for bees to thrive naturally.

(I am sure things have changed since then, what with the increased pressure on nature, but it is still pretty damn amazing.)

Down in the lowlands, bees are at risk—exposed to pesticides, pollution, and whatever else gets sprayed on crops. But high up in these remote mountains, the air is cleaner, the flowers untouched, and the honey is pure and exactly as nature intended.

As we started to climb the mountain we passed through the dense forests covering its slopes. Lower down oak and chestnut, then higher fir, right to the tree line. The dirt roads became rougher with each turn, forcing us to weave around fallen rocks and navigate deep ruts.

The higher we went, the clearer the view of the vast landscape became—rolling mountains around deep valleys and skies that seemed to stretch endlessly.

Vasilis’ hives are at altitudes between 1,000 and 1,500 meters—depending on whether it is the oak and chestnut season or the fir season. This honey is exclusively from the purest, most uncontaminated sources.

“We don’t move our bees to lowlands except in winter,” Vasilis explained. “They stay here, high up, feeding only on wildflowers and the oak, the chestnut, and the fir.”

At this altitude, the bees are surrounded only by nature.

There are no farms, no pollution—just the forests and the sky.

In the distance, I could see Lake Kremasta, its surface gleaming under the afternoon sun.

We ended the day in a local taverna, looking out on the mountainside and eating delicious home-cooked Greek food. Later that evening I discussed terms with Vasilis, and we reached an agreement so that the entire stock of the Mountain Honey is reserved for Raw Honey Shop customers.

👉 Shop Vasilis’ Mountain Honey here