On the third day in Zagorohoria, we decided to walk somewhere near Papigo, which was our place of staying. We started heading for Mikro Papigo from the public road, walking leisurely and enjoying the view of Astraka, which was imposing in front of us.
In 20 minutes with normal walking, on our left, we see the stream of Rogovo and a wooden sign that informs us about the “fonts”. We leave the road and follow the path, carved on the rocks by the mother nature, of indescribable beauty. In less than 5 minutes (about 150 m) we see in front of us the first “font”. These are small pits in the limestone rocks created by the movement of the stream’s waters. The stream, from this point, is getting narrow and turns into a small gorge, forming all these natural pits. The locals took advantage of this phenomenon by blocking the two larger cavities, creating swimming pools with running and clear water. If you visit this place in the summer, you will see some swimmers diving into the cold waters. The spectacle is gorgeous, with the flowing water and the vertical rocks that accompany its path. Small waterfalls fill small ponds, which they empty the water in other ponds and so on, creating odd shapes and colors.
We continued walking deeper in the gorge for another 15 minutes (there is no trail beyond first “font”), admiring the greatness and the power of nature until the rocks became slippery. So having reached a dead end, we took the road to the village, to get our cars and head to the small bridge crossing Voidomatis river, near the village of Aristi.
Papigo (960m) – Aristis Bridge (518m)
From Papigo, we get in our cars and start descending the road to the village of Aristi. In 15 minutes time (15 km) we meet the river Voidomatis and the narrow bridge of Aristi. The place is beautiful and one of the most photographed places in Zagorohoria. Here is our destination. We walk along the river and admire the crystal clear waters with the green and blue color, which at this point, roll quietly down to join Aoos River.
We walk, further and deeper into the river’s vegetation exploring the banks. Centenial plane trees, alders and other trees are the fascinating scenery. The trout are swimming in the cold waters and small salamanders are strolling on the rocks. After finishing our small exploration, we sit on the bank and enjoy our coffee, having the water murmuring as our companion, watching a group of kayakers preparing their equipment to descend the river.
There is also a path for those who want to enjoy the river for a little more time and far from the crowd. We did not try it, since we didn’t have much time, because it was the last day of our stay.
It is the path that leads to the stone bridge of Kleidonia near Konitsa. The route starts right after Aristi’s cement bridge, on the first right turn on the road to Papigo . On the left you will see an iron bar that prevents vehicle entrance, an information sign and the stone carved path that starts behind the bar. The path, wide and distinct, enters a beautiful plane tree forest and follows the flow of the river, easily and without great altitude differences. Halfway down there is the abandoned monastery of Agioi Anargyroi. It was built in the 16th century and is worth for someone to make a short visit (there is only the main church of the monastery and some hagiographies). The route continues either by the rocky slopes of the ravine, or, the river’s banks, full of plane trees and after about one and a half hours, it reaches its end. The best time to do so is in the summer. Attention, in winter and in spring time, due to large amount of waters, some parts of the path next to the river may be flooded and impassable.
Small tip. The place is on the provincial road leading from Kalpaki to Papigo, it has easy access by car and all the tourists are making a visit by stopping there. That means, especially on public holidays, great traffic problems. So, plan carefully your visit.