| Cost From: | $3395 |
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| Length: | 11 days |
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| Activity: | Hiking / Trekking, Archaeology, Cultural Adventures |
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| Difficulty: |
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I loved the entire experience! The ‘Big Greek Kostas’ showed us the country he loves—with style!Diane Gaheen
Outside Magazine’s Trips of the Year Award for 2009
Outside Magazine picked our Larapinta trek, a bushwalk in central Australia with veteran Trip Leader James Fuss.
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The hidden world of traditional Greece lies in Zagoria, “the land beyond the mountains,” where exquisite walled villages are perched along the dramatic Vikos Gorge, part of the craggy Pindos range. On village-to-village hikes, we follow trails through silvery olive groves and across arched stone bridges, then head to the spectacular monasteries of Meteora for a hike in these airy sanctuaries, built atop towering rock pinnacles between the 13th and 15th centuries. Our odyssey’s grand finale is a hike up Mt. Olympus (9,577'), storied home of the gods, where we can gaze out over the ancient world from the domain of Zeus, ruler of the sky.
$3395 (10-15 members)
$3695 (4-9 members)
Single supplement: $250
Prices are for 2010 dates
May 10-20, 2010 Kostas Vasileiou
Nikos Koutsoupas
Jun 21-Jul 1, 2010 Kostas Vasileiou
Nikos Koutsoupas
Sep 20-30, 2010 Kostas Vasileiou
Nikos Koutsoupas
Oct 4-14, 2010 Kostas Vasileiou
Nikos Koutsoupas
Reading list, click here.
From Ioannina, we head north into the beautiful realm of Zagoria. Our first hike brings us to the hilltop village of Vradeto (4,700'), the highest in the region, and then to Beloi as we feast our eyes on the splendor of the sheer Vikos Gorge. We descend the famous Vradeto Stairs, a 17th century stone staircase, to the village of Kapesovo, a great place to taste the local herb-infused cuisine and regional wine.
Spectacular 10th century stone bridges of double and even triple arches span the upper reaches of the sheer Vikos Gorge. We cross them on our hike up to delightful Vitsa, with its cascade of stone houses and lovely village square shaded by a huge plane tree. The Paliogefiro bridge leads us to the handsome village of Kipi, with its folk museum of artifacts of life in Zagoria between the 16th and 18th centuries.
Hiking along the river in the Vikos Gorge, we enjoy a chance for a swim in a natural spring before we ascend to Papingo, a truly spectacular village nestled beneath limestone towers and overlooking the entire length of the Vikos Gorge. The trail to Astraka Refuge (6,400') takes us past gleaming Dragon Lake (6,800'), set on one of the high peaks of the Pindos Mountains.
After we explore the sanctuary of Dodona, the oldest of Greek oracles, we head for magnificent Meteora, one of the great sights of mainland Greece. Meteora means “suspended in the air” in Greek, and here atop towering rock pinnacles are seemingly inaccessible medieval monasteries. We hike in this surreal landscape of sheer rock pedestals and then continue on to Litochoro, gateway for Olympus climbs.
We climb soaring Mount Olympus, ascending trails through the forest then above the treeline to the Spilio Agapitos Refuge (7,200'). The next morning, we rise early to hike to the rocky summit of Skala (9,403'), one of Mount Olympus’ main peaks and a fitting abode for the gods. After enjoying a moment at this spot where Zeus once hurled his thunderbolts, we descend and depart on Day 11 via Thessaloniki.
This is the Itinerary-at-a-Glance. For the complete trip description, Download Full Trip Brochure
