This excursion has also a first part which you can read it here.
Our starting point is again our hotel and we take the road to Dipotama once more. We pass again the bridge of Arkoudorema. At the two intersections that we will meet, we are taking the right direction, to Dipotamata village. We have already driven for 18km from Paranesti, when we see the road sign for Varvara waterfall on our right, but we keep going straight ahead. In 5km more (23km from Paranesti) we reach Dipotama. That’s where the asphalt road ends. The road signs, lead us to a passable earth road with North-Nortwest direction.
At the time we did this excursion (and we do not know how it is today) the road signs in the woods are a little bit incomplete. So you must keep in mind that Lepida waterfall is located North – Northwest of Dipotama. On the other hand, East-Southeast, the road leads to Livaditis waterfall (a hike that we have described in an older post).
So, we follow the “central” earth road without any deviation. At about 7km from Dipotama, driving through the splendid forest, which offers from its openings, a panoramic view of Rodopi, on our left hand, we find a small gazebo made by the local Forestry Dept. This point is the beginning of Lepida waterfall path. Of course you can do these 7 km on foot and enjoy more the surrounding forest. We prefer to do them by car, due to the age of the children.
The trail descends for about 700m to 800m at the base of the waterfall. We walk, in the beginning of the trail, between beech and oak trees and as we are descending, between maples, elms and lime trees. The roar of the waters is coming closer and after about 20 minutes, the waterfall is revealed. With a height of 35m, it is the largest waterfall that is formed by Tsoukalli stream which is running through Lepida Forest. The waters fall down rudely and the water drops are forming small rainbows around the waterfall. The wooden bench, (another local Forestry Dept’s constaruction), at the end of the path, helps us to rest and relax. Everything is full of moisture. The leaves of the trees shine in the morning sun, while the smell of the water in the trees along with the aroma of the plants, fills our lungs. It is a wonderful vivifying feeling.
After admiring the greatness of nature, we tried to explore the area a little bit by getting to the top of the waterfall, but in vain. So we took the path again, uphill this time, going back to the earth road and to the point where we had our cars parked, in about 35 minutes. For those who want to continue, the road leads to an area called Megalo Livadi (in English it means big meadow and has1500m altitude) which is what its name says. A fantastic meadow, which is hidden in the woods and depending on the season, it will enchant you with its different forms. We are taking the way back to our base, full of images and feelings about the beauties of this place , asking ourselves when we can return to explore more this region.