Right: Tom and Carol Dempsey on a knob above Dragon Lake on the Timfi Massif, in the Pindos Mountains. Gamila Peak (8190 feet) is far left, and on far right is Ploskos Peak (7872 feet)

Hiking in the Villages of Zagoria and the Northern Pindos Mountains:

Below is the Kalogeriko triple-arch stone bridge, at least 300 years old, near Kipi, Zagoria:

The small region of Zagoria lies in Northern Greece, north of Ioannina (near the border with the country of Albania), and is comprised of 44 villages which are collectively known as Zagorahoria. Historically the inaccessibility of this mountainous region has helped the local culture and economy flourish. Great varieties of wildflowers cover the spectacular mountains. Huge expanses of purple crocus flowers on the Timfi Massif exhilarated me in May 2001. People of every skill level can walk the wild trails, scramble or climb rocks in the rugged Northern Pindos Mountains. Limestone rock towers rise impressively thousands of feet above the traditional slate houses of Vikos and Micro Papingo. I loved the spectacular Vikos Gorge in Zagoria (the world's deepest canyon in proportion to its width), which was much more enjoyable than the over-crowded Samaria Gorge on Crete. (In May 2001, we only encountered two hiking parties in the Vikos Gorge, but hundreds in Crete's Samaria Gorge.)
     Tourism is fairly new and visitors few enough here that the towns feel special and less-commercial than the more well-known destinations in Greece. The Greek Orthodox Church orders society here, and crime is low. Few locals speak English here, and I recommend learning the Greek alphabet and some basic phrases. Public buses and tours easily reach the area from the local capital of Ioannina.
     Seasons & Climate: Best to visit in May-June and September-October. May was a great time to go, with beautiful flowers in the mountains. May-June are temperate, with sporadic thunderstorms. July-August are scorching hot. September is temperate. Lodging will be tighter August 5-20, the most popular-high season for Zagoria due to the many Greek visitors. October is damp.  November-April are snow-covered.
     See further below for our sample 10-day Zagoria itinerary (with 5-day extension to see Meteora & climb Mount Olympus).

Above: an old arched stone bridge near Kipi, Zagoria.

Vikos Gorge is the world's deepest canyon in proportion to its width (see further details in box below). In this photo we hiked the ancient cobbled track (or kalderimi) out of the Vikos Gorge beneath the orange and gray limestone tower of Timfi Massif near Vikos village, Vikos-Aoos National Park, Zagoria, Greece. Image published in Wilderness Travel 2005 Catalog of Adventures.

Tsepelovo: Slate houses are an important tradition in Zagoria.

Where is the World's Deepest Gorge, Canyon, or Valley? The answer depends upon your definition. According to the Guinness Book of Records 2005: "The World's Deepest Canyon" = Vikos Gorge in northern Greece is the world's deepest canyon in proportion to its width, and at one point measures 2950 feet (900 meters) deep and 3600 feet (1100 meters) wide from rim to rim. Its depth is an impressive 82% of its width at that cross-section (depth/width ratio=0.82). "Gorges in many countries have higher depth/width ratio, but none are as deep." My research agrees with Guinness, plus I would like to add some comments: A different area in Vikos Gorge is 5,927 feet (1,780 meters) deep, measured from the top of Papigo tower above Vikos village to the small chapel of "Panagia" at the springs, but that spot is wider and has a less impressive (lower) depth/width ratio than the location quoted above in Guinness Book of Records 2005. Many gorges are deeper than Vikos Gorge but are significantly wider, giving them a smaller depth/width ratio, such as the following canyons: Colca Canyon, Peru (10,500 feet deep); Kings Canyon, California, USA (8,200 feet deep); Hell's Canyon, dividing Oregon and Idaho, USA (7,900 feet deep from Devil Mountain down to the Snake River). "The World's Deepest Valley" = Yarlung Zangbo Valley, in Tibet, with an average depth of 16,400 feet (5000 meters) from rim to river, and 17,657 feet at its deepest point. Here, the Yarlung Zangbo river at 8000 feet elevation (2440 meters) separates the peaks of Namche Barwa (25,436 feet elevation) and Jola Peri (23,891 feet), which are 13 miles apart (depth/width ratio = 0.26). Although not mentioned in Guinness Book of Records 2005, note that the wider Kali Ghandaki Gorge in midwest Nepal is 21,000 feet deep and 18-miles wide, located between Annapurna (26,503 feet) and Dhaulagiri (26,811 feet). (depth/width = 0.22) "The World's Largest Land Gorge" = Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, Arizona, USA, is 277 miles long with an average width of 10 miles and depth of 1 mile.

Vikos-Aoos National Park, Zagoria, Epiros, Greece: We hiked the spectacular Vikos Gorge (or Farangi Vikou in Greek), which is the world's deepest gorge in proportion to its width (see box above).

Left: Mount Astraka, seen through a grape arbor, rises impressively above Micro Papingo village. The influx of tourists can have a big impact on small villages. If you visit here, please respect the privacy of local residents and homes, and do not enter any private yards without permission.

Watercolor artist Cecile paints a plane tree in the town square of Micro Papingo.

 
Above: Slate slot canyon stream, Micro Papingo, Zagoria.

Frog in slot canyon / gorge near Micro Papingo village, Zagoria.

Astraka Mountain Refuge: A puppy plays with a bone, near a pack-horse saddle.

Above: Hiking alpine meadows towards Mount Astraka (7990 feet) a few kilometers from Astraka Refuge on the col to the right, on the Timfi Massif.

Our mountain guide Mike Vasileiou was born in Ioannina from a mother who was a Vlach, a shepherd ethnic group, traditionally semi-nomadic, grazing flocks in summer mountains and returning to valleys in autumn. Working with Robinson Expeditions, of Ioannina, Greece, Mike likes to shepherd hikers like us to the high mountains of Greece and Italy. When our group would pester him for details of the next day's hiking plan, Mike would knowingly say, "After dinner, all will be revealed!" (Years later I still quote this phrase from Mike!) We soon learned that if the next day was going to be long and hard, Mike would enthusiastically say, "We are going to have another glorious day!" Then, at every dinner his sincere toast would always be, "Here's to the next day!" After we had safely traversed the rigorous Tsouka Rossa Pass, and also Mount Smolikas (second highest mountain in Greece), he assured us that "Mount Smolikas is the cake, and Olympus is the cherry." We had successfully hiked our hardest.
Traversing Mount Smolikas is an adventurous scramble in one of the wildest remaining parts of Europe, but Mount Olympus (further below) is a more accessible and easier ascent done by thousands of rock scramblers every year. However, Mike warned that these mountains can seriously challenge anyone when the weather gets bad. He has personally saved the lives of several hikers on Mount Olympus and other peaks.

Left: Magenta wildflowers growing from cracked rock in the Vikos Gorge.

Below: Standing here near treeline on the flanks of Mt. Smolikas (2637 meters / 8649 feet), the second highest mountain in Greece, you see an expansive view of the Northern Pindos Mountains to the southwest, including the Timfi Massif and Mt. Gamila, in the Epiros Region. Although rarely seen, wild bears and wolves still roam Mount Smolikas, one of the wildest places left in Europe. Rental cars, public buses and tours can take you to this area of Zagoria from the local capital of Ioannina. People of every skill level can walk the wild trails, scramble or climb rocks in the rugged Northern Pindos Mountains. The non-technical ascent of Mt. Smolikas requires a full day round trip. Photographed May 23, 2001.[Published in the National Geographic Traveler Guidebook on Greece (2007).]

Left: Red poppies with bee and hopping insect, Vikos Gorge, Vikos-Aoos National Park, Zagoria, Epiros, Greece.

Timfi Massif, Northern Pindos Mountains:  In May, purple crocus flowers emerge from the snow.

Left: May crocus flowers on the Timfi Massif, Zagoria.
 

Below: Our little group of alpine hikers admire vast fields of crocus wildflowers on the Timfi Massif in May, the most wild crocus flowers I have ever seen at once!

Right: Wild tortoises are commonly seen in the Northern Pindos Mountains.
[possibly a Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni boettgeri); or a Greek/Spur-thighed Tortoise (Testudo graeca ibera)]

Itinerary for Zagoria, Meteora & Mount Olympus:

Our excellent guide Mike Vasileiou kept us on the right trail, and our luggage was conveniently shuttled between hotels by Robinson Expeditions, Ioannina, Greece (on days 3-4 we carried our own sleeping bags).
For travelling without a guide, ask a local expert or tourist office for advice:

•  If you are sufficiently experienced to hike rough trails on your own, be sure to use good maps and detailed trail descriptions, since most trails are not well marked. Find the best guidebook and map after you arrive in Europe or Greece, preferably 1:50000 scale with trails marked for hiking.
• Ask questions from a local Pindos Mountains expert & Forum (associated with Astraka Refuge) at:  www.pindostrek.net
• If you get the following guidebook, please let me know if it is useful: "Mountains of Greece, Trekking in the Pindhos Mountains" 2nd Edition, 2006, Publisher: Cicerone, Author: Tim Salmon with M. Cullen, ISBN: 185284440X, order from Amazon.com or www.mountains.gr/en/, or preview it in a bookstore in Greece.
• General tourist information and lodging contacts: Greek National Tourist Organization : Ellinikos Organismos Tourismou (EOT). Click for Epiros/Zagoria page.
  
• KTEL buses depart 6:00am and 2:30pm from the city of Ioannina, Monday/Wednesday/Friday, on the route Ioannina > Kalpaki > Aristi > Papingo villages (2 hours) > Ioannina.

The following demanding 10-day hiking trip (booked through Robinson Expeditions) includes transportation starting at Ioannina and ending at Meteora, plus we added a 5-day extension to see Meteora & climb Mount Olympus:

Day 1. On May 15, 2001, we flew from Athens to Ioannina, in the Epiros region. We took a bus to Vitsa, where we stayed in a new hotel in this attractive slate-built town. See the view into Vikos Gorge at Moni Agias Paraskevis, a slate monastery at Monodhendhri village (pictured above).

Day 2: We hiked Vikos Gorge, 6-7 hours from Vitsa or Monodhendhri to Vikos. Watch the trail markers carefully so you don't get lost, especially in the first descent through boulders.

Day 3. We hiked 3 hours from Vikos to Micro (or Mikro) Papingo (descend 250m/800 feet, and ascend 370m/1200 feet) through beautiful fields of flowers: red poppies, white & yellow elyssum; and purple, white, & yellow stars. We stayed at the pleasant Xenonas Dias Hotel in Micro Papingo, a village with a wonderful old world atmosphere of slate buildings, narrow streets, grape arbors, and massive peaks soaring above.

Day 4. From Micro Papingo village, we ascended a demanding 3 hours and 1000 meters to overnight lodging at Astraka Refuge, located on windy Astraka Col. We left most of our gear at Astraka Refuge while we day hiked 3 hours round trip to scenic Dragon Lake (Dhrakolimni) of Gamila, which was tiring by the end of the long day. At Dragon Lake, many blue crocus flowers popped through snow patches on May 18, 2001. The cliffs of Mount Astraka loomed impressively above us (pictured above). Hope for a day with no wind to get pretty reflections of peaks in Dragon Lake. After our trip, the popular Astraka Refuge was upgraded to 43 bunks by EOS, the Greek Alpine Club. (The former Astraka Refuge was crowded; meals were not very good; and sounds of wind, barking dog, & people snoring kept us awake in the rustic downstairs dormitory room.) Near this hike through the limestone landscape is the Provatina Cave, 2nd longest straight drop sinkholes in the world (405 meters), after a Yucatan cenote hole.

Right image: Vast fields of crocus wildflowers on the Timfi Massif in May.

Day 5: Night 1 of 2 in Tsepelovo:  We hiked 6 hours from Astraka Refuge to Tsepelovo, through the largest fields of crocus flowers that I have ever seen. The impressive variety of wildflowers included grape hyacinth (muscari), wild narcissus, purple phlox, yellow daisy, wild garlic, powder blue forget-me-nots, violets, creeping thyme, and others. We admired broad views of pancake-shaped rocks, limestone holes & high plateaus. The hike was very long & tiring, but well worthwhile. The trail may not be marked very well, so get a good trail description, map and/or guide. In Tsepelovo we stayed at the pleasant Gouris Hotel in private double rooms, where we caught up on sleep. Gouris Hotel was the first pension in Zagorahoria, starting in the 1960's. Tsepelovo (pictured above; 1100 meters altitude / 3500 feet) is the second biggest tourist center in Zagoria, after the Papingo villages.
      Optional day hike from Astraka Refuge: Loop walk to the summits of Mount Gamila (2480m) and Mount Astraka (2436m), 7 hours round trip. (We haven't done this, but I bet it is rewarding.)
      Option: A more common exit from Astraka Refuge to the road (probably easier) is through forest to Aoos River, Stomiou Monastery, and the town of Konitsa.

Day 6: Night 2 of 2 in Tsepelovo:  We were driven several kilometers to our last overlook of Vikos Gorge, near Vradheto, which can also be reached by trail from Tsepelovo to complete the trek cicumnavigating Mount Astrakas. We drove onwards to see the impressive triple-arched stone Kalogeriko Bridge (pictured above) alongside the highway near Kipi.

Left image: A tortoise in the Northern Pindos Mountains. [possibly a Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni boettgeri); or a Greek/Spur-thighed Tortoise (Testudo graeca ibera)]


Day 7. Our most difficult day, 10 hours hiking:  We ascended 854 meters/2800 feet over Tsouka Rossa Pass, and descended 1037 meters/3400 feet, and were picked up in a four-wheel-drive vehicle which drove us to Vrissohori. Descending Tsouka Rossa Pass (pictured above) required a two-rope rappel down a steep 30 degree snow slope, which is the scariest thing Carol has ever done. Watch out for ice! We walked steep slopes on a lightly-used slippery trail for the rest of the descent. The trail is often not marked, so get a good trail description, map and/or guide. Rope & ice ax may be required. Hiking through one of the remotest parts of Europe, our efforts were rewarded by seeing 4 wild goats (chamois) and an eagle. Apparently 100 bears still live in these remote Pindos Mountains, though we didn't see any. We enjoyed spectacular views from the friendly Ioannis Tsoimanis Pension in Vrissohori.

Day 8. From Vrissohori, we walked 3.5 hours on roads, crossed the Aoos River on a partially-constructed highway bridge, and drove 4WD car to our private tent camp at 2000 meters/6600 feet elevation on Mount Smolikas. On a hot humid day (24 C or 75 degrees F), we saw a tortoise, a rare orchid, and bright green metallic beetles on purple thistles beneath a spectacular backdrop of the Northern Pindos Range and Mount Gamila (2497 m) (all pictured above).

Day 9. Our longest day, 10.5 hours hiking:  We climbed 870m/2850 feet to the summit of Mount Smolikas (second highest mountain in Greece, 2637m/8650 feet elevation) and traversed down to Samarina. We enjoyed spectacular views of the sharp-toothed Northern Pindos Range and Mount Gamila (2497 m) to the south. On the descent, we admired more blue crocus, plus some isolated white barked pine trees with trunks 1-meter in diameter, natives to the Pindos and Bosnia. Local geology includes shiny dark green serpentine rock (former ocean crust subducted then lifted into the mountains), and a lunar alpine landscape of red rock near the summit plateau. In the snow bowl far below, we saw Albanian refugees sneaking into Greece, probably for gainful employment (such as for construction work). We descended to Samarina, a ski resort and home of the Vlach people, an ethnic group of shepherds. The descent was harrowing and tiring on loose rocky scree, crossing several dangerous snow chutes, with the security of ropes which we brought. We have now left Epiros and Zagoria, and crossed into the Macedonia region of Greece.

Day 10. From Samarina, we drove to Meteora for a 24-hour visit. Alternatively, you could return to Ioannina by bus, where you could fly somewhere else.

Optional 5+day extension:
Day 11. See Meteora for at least one day. Then drive to Litohoro to prepare to climb Mount Olympus.
Day 12. Begin 3-day ascent of Mount Olympus (images below): Drive 1 hour from Litohoro to Prionia. Hike 3 hours to Olympus Refuge A on a steady trail graded for horses.
Day 13. Mount Olympus summit attempt: One route is easier than the other. However, we only made it to 2800 meters/9200 feet elevation, before fresh slippery snow turned us back. The trip was still adventurous and worthwhile, despite bad weather.
Day 14: Descend from Olympus Refuge A back to trailhead, and return to Litohoro. Visit the ancient Roman ruins of Dion, sacred city of Macedonians and Alexander the Great (images below).
Day 15: Drive to the big city of Thessaloniki, where you can fly to Athens, Amsterdam, or other points in Europe.

Mt. Olympus:

Mt. Olympus (9,568 feet, or 2918 meters elevation), the highest and most awe-inspiring mountain in Greece (since ancient times), viewed from the town of Litohoro. The ancient Greeks considered Mount Olympus to be the home of the god Zeus.

Mount Olympus was declared Greece's first national park in 1937 and consists of eight peaks including the "Throne of Zeus" at 2909 metres and Mytikas which has the highest summit at 2919 metres. The park is located 100 kilometres south west of Thessaloniki.
Hiking season is June through October. The hut will be most crowded in July and August, when advance reservations are most necessary. May through mid-June have the best climate. Visit the EOS (Greek Alpine Club) office in Lithoro for details of trails, mountain refuge reservations and advice about weather conditions.

Left: Roman Bath mosaic built 200 AD at Ancient Dion, located at the foot of Mount Olympus.

Left: Red peppers at weekly farmers market in Litohoro, at the base of Mount Olympus.

 References: Greece, by Lonely Planet Publications, February 2000.