Designated as a protected site for fauna and flora under the EU’s Natura 2000 programme, Lake Stymphalia is more of a wetlands area surrounded by lovely mountains.
The lake area is teeming with amphibians, birds and plants, considered a breeding place for 133 species of rare birds and fowl. It is also home to a unique species of fish called Taxom Pseudophoxinums which sinks itself into the muddy waterbed of the lake during dry periods and creates a kind of slippery envelop around it for protection. There are also visible parts of an ancient Roman aqueduct from Hadrian’s time, which used to carry water to Ancient Corinth. In mythology, the lake is where Hercules slew the man-eating Stymphalian birds. Today, the modern town of Stymphalia (or Stymfalia) is taking efforts to preserve the wetlands and lake.