Historically, Vardounia was a buffer zone between the Ottoman-Turkish controlled Evrotas plains and the Mani Peninsula.

These settlers formed a large segment of the local population until the Greek War of Independence when they fled to the Turkish stronghold at Tripoli.

The most prominent site in the municipal unit is the Monastery of Panagia Giatrissa which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists and worshipers every year.

Other sites of interest include the Vasilitsa forest (also on the path of the European walking route E4), and the network of canyons formed by river Smynos and its tributaries.

Formerly, the municipality rarely received tourists, except for visitors to the monastery; in more recent years ecotourism has been on the rise.