The 15th of August is considered the beginning of the end of the Greek summer and is celebrated, not only for that reason, almost all over the country. Particular celebrations take place in the villages of Pindos Mountains from each side, the Macedonian and the Epirus side. The festivities but also the musicians of the region are famous outside of the country.
The excursion that follows, although we did it in winter time, here we present it as a summer proposition. As a suggestion where you can combine local feasts with hiking in one of the most beautiful areas of the country. Zagori
Unfortunately there is no link, for the local festivities, translated in English. Please try this link and use google translate to find through the interactive map when and where are the festivities.
Thessaloniki – Zagori
SHORT DESCRIPTION
Zagori is a rugged mountainous region, with wild beauty in Pindos mountain range, in Epirus. With an area of about 1,000 square kilometers, it stands between Mavrovouni, Mitsikeli, Tymphi and the Aoos Valley. The word Zagori originates from the Slavic language preposition “Za” meaning “back” and the substantive “gora” which means “mountain”. The Slavic word “gora” comes from an alteration of the Greek word “oros”. In antiquity the area was called “Parorea”, and the inhabitants were called “Parorei”, which means, those who live behind the mountains. In the area there are 46 settlements called Zagorochoria, which are scattered over the tall mountains. Zagori is a region of great natural beauty, with impressive geology and in its heart there is the Vikos Aoos national park , which includes the Aoos Valley and the Vikos Gorge. It is also called “Park of the Great Peaks” due to the steep and high peaks of the area, with the highest of them all Gamila Peek (2.497m) in Tymphi Mountain. It is a place full of nature, wonderful magical nature, folk tradition and traditional architecture. So what is better than to know its secrets? We decided to stay in the heart of Zagori, in Megalo Papigo, under the imposing towers of Tympi and Astraka. There it was our base for the excursions that follow.
Vikos- Aoos National Park – Vikos Gorge
The Vikos Gorge is one of Europe’s deepest and most spectacular gorges. It is located 30 km away from the city of Ioannina and extends from the village of Monodendri, up to the bridge of Kleidonia next to Konitsa. It is the core of the Vikos-Aoos National Park. It is twelve kilometers long , has a depth of more than 900 meters and 1100 meters width. It is in the Guinness Book of records as the deepest gorge in the world in proportion to its width.
On its steep rocks there are many rare flowers and plants, over 1800 species, some of which cannot be found in any other part of the world. In addition, rare and endangered animal species are living in the gorge , such as deer, bear, golden eagle and wild goat.
There are three places where the visitor can enjoy the spectacular view of Vikos Gorge. The first is in the Monastery of Agia Paraskevi. It is built in the rock on the edge of the cliff and is located in the village of Monodendri. It is considered the oldest temple in the region (late 14th century). The second is Beloi, in the village of Vradeto. The name “Beloi” probably came from a Slavic word that means good view and not without reason, since from there, the view to the gorge is amazing. Finally, the third is the location Oxia, located 6 km from Monodendri and has the easiest access. It is a balcony with a spectacular view of the gorge. On the way to Oxia, you can see the “stone forest”, which is a natural monument with rocky formations.
The passage of the gorge is one of the most famous hiking trails. Its duration is about 5 hours and offers unique images of natural beauty. Voidomatis, is a tributary of Aoos and has a total length of 15 km. Its name derives from the Slavic word “voda” meaning water and “mati” meaning spring.
Vikos village (Alt.770m) – Voidomati’s springs(Alt.550m)
Day 1
Walking in Vikos is a unique experience. Depending on the time available and the physical condition, the hiker can follow two routes
- From the village of Vikos to the springs of Voidomatis and the chapel of Virgin Mary “Panagia” in Greek
- From Monodendri to the village of Vikos (or vice versa)
We, chose the first one, because of our tight schedule.
From Mikro Papigo we drove 16 Km to Vikos and left our cars at the entrance of the village, right in front of the traditional vaulted fountain. At this place there is a green sign with information about all the routes that start here. The path to the springs and the Monastery of Panagia is about 40 minutes and it is sculpted as stairs. From time to time there are rest and observation benches. After five minutes we find an iconostasis on the edge of the cliff. From here on, the path is carved on the cliffs and requires attention. Our course continues downwards following the turns of the well-formed path and it is accompanied by the wild beauty of the landscape and the hum of the waters. As someone hikes this path, he understands the greatness of nature. After 40 minutes, we reached a large plateau , where in the opposite side of it, starts the cleanest river of Europe, sprawling through the cliffs. We looked around and saw the vertical slopes forming the stone walls of the gorge and the hawks that were flying over our heads. The waters are transparent, luminous and crystal clear. The O3 path that begins next to the springs leads to Papigo-Astraka-Drakolimni-Gamila. The right path along the river bed, leads to Monodendri. The wild beauty of the landscape has given us so much, that the planned rest time was expanded more than we have calculated. Besides, what is the reason to be in the wild if we have the same time stress as the one we have in the city.
To visit the chapel of Panagia, we took the way back to Vicos, following the same path that brought us to the springs. After about 200 m climb, we turned right to the river. The point where the original path crosses with the path leading to the small church, is not particularly noticeable and requires little attention. The characteristic point of the branch is that it is at a point without trees, with an obvious descending direction. The path that continues to the chapel is initially narrow but is getting wider immediately afterwards. In less than ten minutes we reached a small meadow on the bank of the river and in the middle there is the small church which is decorated with unique frescoes and it was built in 1738. The only sounds we heard were the waters and the birds.
After admiring the vertical slopes that stood in front of us and the waters that sprang from the rocks at their base, we slowly got our way back. Now, walking uphill, we were more tired and it took us about 50 minutes to get back to our starting point in the village of Vikos. In the last steps of the ascent, we once again admired the glory of the gorge. We went out of the path excausted, we stood at the fountain, quenched our thirst with the chilled water and continued , for the next place with view of the gorge in “Beloi”.
The next part will be published in another post at a later time