Mani is the name given to the middle finger or peninsula of the southern Peloponnese, a part of Greece that is rarely visited by tourists. Known as a dry and treeless region, its sparse beauty surprises many when the wildflowers that spring from the rocky terrain in the spring are remarkable.
Working east from Loutraki all the way down the coast to the area known as Lakonian Mani, the coastline can be rugged but holds some excellent beaches and quaint towns such as Limeni and Itilo.
Areopoli is the capital of the Mani, its narrow cobbled streets and towering houses are imposing and best explored in the siesta when the silence makes the streets resonate with defiance as stark as the landscape. The Diros Caves are eleven kilometres South of Areopoli, a network of caves that allegedly run all the way to Sparta. The cave tour includes a boat trip on the lake within the caves.
Messinian Mani, to the North of the peninsula, is home to picturesque mountains, known for its excellent trekking. Stoupa, once a large market town, is home to many modern resorts, its beaches as good as any in the country. It is also know for being the home of Nikos Kazantzakis, the author of Zorba the Greek.