Mount Ainos (also written Enos or Aenos) rises in the heart of Kefalonia and is the island’s defining mountain landscape. It is the highest mountain in the Ionian Islands, with its top peak Megas Soros reaching 1,628 m above sea level.
What makes Ainos truly special is that it is not “just” a mountain—it is a protected natural monument. Most of the mountain range forms Mount Ainos National Park, established to safeguard its rare ecosystems and outstanding biodiversity. In fact, it is widely noted as the only National Park located on a Greek island, covering an area of roughly 3,000 hectares.
A forest found nowhere else
Ainos is famous for its fir forest—an iconic and almost mystical landscape that feels unexpected on an Ionian island. At the heart of it grows the Kefalonian fir, Abies cephalonica (often referred to locally as the “black fir” of Kefalonia because of its deep, dark tone from a distance). This fir is a Greek endemic species and on Mount Ainos it forms a major part of the park’s identity, covering a large proportion of the protected area and thriving mainly between 600–1,600 m.
Beyond the fir forest, the park hosts remarkable plant life overall—flora is estimated at around 400 plant species, including local endemics associated with the higher peaks (for example Viola cephalonica). This rich botanical character is part of what gives Ainos its strong contrasts: rugged limestone and rocky ridges, soft forest textures, alpine-style clearings, and sudden panoramic openings that reveal sea on both sides of the island. (!)
Wildlife and rare encounters
Ainos is also known for its wildlife, including the much-loved semi-wild horses that roam mainly on the south/south-eastern slopes, above the village of Arginia and around the area of the monastery of Zoodohou Pigis. Spotting them is never guaranteed—but that’s part of the magic.
A mountain of seasons: snow in winter, hiking in summer
One of the most striking things about Mount Ainos is how dramatically it changes through the year. While Kefalonia is world-famous for beaches and summer light, Ainos often becomes snow-covered in winter, creating a “different Kefalonia” — quiet, crisp, and almost alpine. Heavy snowfall on Mount Ainos is widely described as a typical winter phenomenon for the island’s high ground.
In the warmer months, Ainos turns into a hiking and nature-lover’s paradise. A network of trails and routes leads through fir forests and up toward the ridge and summit areas, rewarding visitors with wide views across Kefalonia and out to neighbouring islands on clear days. (!) Whether someone chooses a longer ridge hike or a shorter summit walk, the experience is defined by fresh air, shifting scenery, and that rare feeling of being “above the Ionian.”
Why Ainos belongs in the story of Kefalonia?
Mount Ainos captures the island’s most beautiful contradiction: in one day, you can swim in turquoise water and, a short drive later, stand among fir trees at high altitude with panoramic views that feel continental rather than island-like. It is a place of scale, silence, and raw nature—an essential counterbalance to Kefalonia’s coastline. As the Ionian Islands’ highest mountain and a nationally protected landscape, Ainos is not only a destination, but a living symbol of Kefalonia’s wild character and ecological wealth.
