SHORT DESCRIPTION
We left Thessaloniki at 7am on 5/1/2015 and started for Ano Kariofito Xanthi, a beautiful, very quiet small village at 553m altitude. It belongs to the municipality of Xanthi and it was the base for our hikes in the waterfall of Livaditis and the straits of Nestos.
| USEFUL INFORMATION
Distance from Thessaloniki: 204 km Toll: 4,80 Euro Dining: Village’s tavern-café 5,00 Euro per person Overnight staying: Kiveli Guesthouse 50,00 Euro 3 bed room with breakfast |
We stayed at Kiveli guesthouse. It is a small guesthouse with only six rooms, in the center of the village with excellent service, very good breakfast and very good price. With its owners, a young couple with names Makis and Lola, in the evening in his small room that smelled homemade warmth, we made an analysis of the next morning’s hiking and we designed the next one. Maki’s contribution was very helpful because he knew the area very well and helped us with information on the planning of our routes.
Following our favorite habit, we got the opinion of the locals about where to eat and we ate at the tavern-café of the village. It is an old building in the village’s square with wooden window frames, diy barrel stove, rattan chairs, large portions of local meat, and good wine. The following sections describe our hikes in the Livaditi’s waterfall, route from Ano Kariofito to Galani and the path of the Nestos narrows.
Livaditi’s waterfall path
Route Information
Description: Hiking
Livaditi’s waterfall
Route length: 4 km and 200 meters.
Water in route: No
Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes. (ascent)
1 hour and 30 minutes. (descent)
The route took place at 5 JAN. 2015
Team members: 4 adults and 3 children 12 and 8 years
It is a route with total length 4 km and 200 meters and more specifically 2 km and 200 m of forest road and 2 km of trail with an altitude of 315 m. Its duration is 40 minutes on the forest road and 50 minutes on the trail. Along the path there is, a not so good, red signs marking. Generally there is no mobile signal although in a few spots there is very weak mobile signal. It is a route of moderate difficulty and can also be performed by children over the age of 6.
| European Number of Emergency: 112
Fire Brigade Dept: 199 Medical Emergency: 166 Stavroupoli Medical Center : 2542350000 Greek Railways Xanthi : 2541022581 |
Starting from Ano Kariofito, you reach the village of Livaditis, at an altitude of 1.250 meters; at a distance of 48 km. Livaditis is the highest mountainous village in the prefecture of Xanthi with only 8 permanent residents. Continue by car, on the road leading to the forest village of Erymanthos. At 4 km and 800 meters, you meet in your left hand a junction with a forest road and a wooden house on its edge (altitude 1.180 meters). If the road is good (it does not have snow and mud), then continue with the car. Otherwise continue on foot (if you have 4X4 vehicle you can continue driving anyway). The forest road is 2 km and 200 meters long, up to the point where there is a small gazebo on the left (altitude 1.160 meters) from which starts the descent to the waterfall through the path that the Xanthi Forester Service has built.
The path is 2 km long. In a route filled with beeches, you enjoy at every step the gifts that nature gives you, and above all you feel human again. As you continue descending, you come across signs that inform for both the flora and fauna of the area. In certain points there are benches that are placed in places with a nice view of the forest. Approximately 30 minutes and 1 kilometer (after you have started the path) you find a small cabin (altitude 1.010 m) which indicates that you have walked half the path. From here, descending to the waterfall, you walk the last 970 meters of the E6 international path (which starts from the village of Livaditis). You can notice an E6 tag nailed to a tree. Walking another 100 meters (after the cabin), you meet a rock, next to which starts an ascending small path for a few meters and leads you to a nice viewing spot (altitude 990 m) . From here you can admire a smaller waterfall, whose water comes from the “streams” of Livaditi and a little further it meets the waters from the streams of “Stravorama”, forming an impressive picture, which is the great waterfall of Livaditi. Also behind you, you can see the summits of the mountains that belong to the prefecture of Drama.
You return to the path and continue your descent for another 15 minutes. You will begin to feel close to your destination when you see a wooden bridge (altitude 865 meters), plenty of running water and the small chapel of St. George. There is another 60 meters (5 minutes) ascending course for the “balcony”, from which you can admire the waterfall (altitude 885m). It is 40 meters high and is the largest of the Balkans in terms of quantity and volume of running water. The return is from the same path and the ascent can take 15 to 30 minutes more depending on the team’s composition.