NatureUpper Tyrrhenian Cosentino · Riviera dei Cedri
Valle del fiume Lao nature reserve
The 5,200-hectare reserve established in 1987 in the Pollino park: fifteen kilometres of the Lao gorge at Papasidero, abundant flow all year round, rafting and canoeing.
The Valle del fiume Lao nature reserve is a 5,200-hectare protected area established in 1987 within the Pollino National Park; it coincides with the territory of Papasidero, which ranges from 75 to 1,463 metres. Its backbone is the Lao: born in Basilicata as the Mercure, it takes its present name on entering Calabria near Laino Borgo and Laino Castello and from there, full of water all year round, enters a gorge where it flows deep between rock walls for several kilometres, crossing Papasidero for about 15 km. Near Orsomarso it receives the Argentino, widens and reaches the Tyrrhenian at Scalea. Its average flow exceeds 12 m³/s and in summer rarely falls below 5: together with the purity of its waters and the length of its gorge, this is what makes the Lao a destination for rafting and canoeing. Brown trout, rovella, bleak and eels live in the river. In antiquity it was called Laus and divided the Lucanians from the Bruttians; the name recalls the Greek colony of Laos.
Frequently asked questions
- In 1987, within the Pollino National Park; it covers 5,200 hectares.
- Because of its abundant flow even in summer, the purity of its waters and the length of its gorge, which measures about 15 km at Papasidero.
When was the Valle del fiume Lao reserve established?
Why is the Lao suited to rafting?
More places in Papasidero
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Culture Grotta del Romito
Papasidero’s Palaeolithic site: the engraving of the great aurochs (14,000–12,000 years ago), nine Homo sapiens burials and 13,000 years of use from the Gravettian to the Neolithic.
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Culture Sanctuary of the Madonna di Costantinopoli
The 17th–18th-century sanctuary dedicated to Papasidero’s patron saint, Our Lady of Constantinople, celebrated on the Tuesday after Pentecost.
Itineraries through here
- 3 daysWellness & spa
Nature and Pollino in three days
Three days among spa, Palaeolithic cave and mountains of the Pollino National Park.
6 stops4 townsMarch–NovemberSee the stops -
4 daysWellness & spaNature and Pollino in four days
Four days among spa, cave, mountains and river in the Pollino National Park.
8 stops5 townsMarch–NovemberSee the stops