River Neda's wild journey from its springs on Mount Lykaion to the vast Ionian Sea paints a nature's masterpiece; a narrow gorge, thick forests of plane trees, caves, small reservoirs, and waterfalls are all formed by Neda's 32-kilometer adventurous flow in western Peloponnese.
Neda was a nymph in Greek Mythology, a daughter of Titan Oceanus. The nymphs, or naiads, were fairies of divine origins - but not immortal. They lived near waters, fed with ambrosia, and were patrons of the youth and the virgin girls.
Together with two other nymphs, Agno and Thisoa, Neda was trusted by Rea, Zeus's mother, to hide newborn Zeus from his father Kronos - who killed, by eating them, the male descendants that he considered a threat to his dominion. The banks of Neda were also battlefields of the Messenian Wars, between Messenia and Sparta, in ancient times.
The river is the natural border of the Ilia and Messenia prefectures of the Peloponnese. The area of the Neda waterfalls is accessible via a 5 km narrow gravel road close to the village of Platania, in Messinia, following the signs on the main road.
After the car parking in a large plateau at the end of the gravel road, a small single-arched stone bridge opens a 600 m path to the first 7m-high small waterfall. Five minutes later, after another (steel) bridge, a bigger waterfall of Neda is revealed. The water flows from 20 meters to a majestic turquoise reservoir. Another small path, close to the big waterfall, leads to the small chapel of Mother Mary (Panagia).
Visiting Neda Falls
The 5 km gravel road is often accessible during the summer by conventional cars, but, since it goes downhill, it is tricky in places, especially if the weather is bad. The paths to the waterfalls are also slippery at places and require athletic shoes or boots since they have no railings. It's better to avoid the waterfalls during the high-season, especially in August, because they overcrowd.
You can also trek the whole Neda gorge (local businesses organize tours), but only during the summer months; the route requires a 7 to 8 hours walk, but some of its passages have a high degree of difficulty: you might need to even swim in the river's cold waters or inside cave lakes and pass through narrow spots. Thus, an experienced guide is necessary. In this case, a swimsuit, a second pair of shoes and a set of clothes, a waterproof bag, a hat, a bottle of water, and athletic shoes or boots are required.
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