Wild Mountains & Rivers Exploration

Upon arrival in Athens International Airport, you are met and welcomed by our team. You transfer to your hotel and, you have the day free to explore the city of Athens and its numerous cultural and historical places of interest, such as the Acropolis, the temple of Zeus, the unique Acropolis museum, the Ancient and Roman Agora. You can also walk around Filoppapou hill, visit the flea market in Monastiraki and enjoy a cup of coffee/tea in one of the beautiful cafés in Thisio. A welcome dinner awaits for you tonight, so you get to meet your tour leader and group fellows. Get a first taste of the Greek cuisine and learn more about the schedule of the coming days! *If you wish to enjoy a guided walking or bike tour of the city, let us know.

After breakfast, your tour leader will pick you up from your hotel, and you will depart with direction to the dreamy Lake Plastira, a destination that harmonically combines serenity with adventure (approx. 4 hours driving distance). Upon arrival at the lake, you will enjoy a picnic lunch by the lakeside, before you set off on exploring the lake on a hydro-bike or canoe/kayak. You can also try your hand at archery! Activity duration: approx. 1.5 - 2 hours, level of difficulty: easy. In the afternoon, you will head to Meteora, a UNESCO Worldwide Heritage Site and an absolute must-see for anyone visiting Greece (1:20hrs drive). Upon arrival in Meteora, we will take you on a tour around this unique landscape, so you can get a first glimpse of the “stone forest”, admire the rock pillars rising 400 m over the ground and the monasteries built on top of them! We will make a couple of stops in some of the best viewpoints, so you can admire the breathtaking views and take your postcard-like photos. Hotel check in and dinner (not included) in one of the local restaurants will end this long, yet rewarding day.

What a better way to wake up rather than admiring the spectacular sandstone rocks of Meteora, rising over 400 m above the ground! After breakfast, we will explore this unique landscape and the impressive clifftop monasteries beyond the ordinary way! We will follow the ancient paths that the monks used to follow, through the steep rocks, visit some of the monasteries and other hidden gems of Meteora and of course admire the breathtaking views. (Total Hike duration: 2.5 – 3 hours / Total activity duration, incl the visit to the monasteries: 4 – 5 hrs / Level of difficulty: easy / Total Distance: 6 km / Altitude difference: 280 m) After lunch in the great outdoors, you will board our car with destination the stunning area of Zagori (approx. 2.5 hrs driving). First destination will be the beautiful village of Monodendri, located at a height of 1.060 m. From the square of the village, you will take the short hiking path to Agia Paraskevi church and enjoy the impressive views over Vikos gorge! Visit to Oxya viewpoint and the stone forest come next. Early in the evening, you will check in at a traditional guesthouse in Vitsa village and enjoy homemade dinner. Hike duration: 1 hour, level of difficulty: easy.

After breakfast, we will drive towards Kapesovo village. From there, following the beautiful stone trail of Vradeto steps, we’ll reach the highest village of Zagori, Vradeto (1450 m) and 2 km later Beloi viewpoint (1650 m), where we can enjoy striking panoramic views over the gorge! 1) Kapesovo - Vradeto- Mpeloi (return trail) Hike duration: 3.5-4 hours / Hiking Distance: 10.6 km / Level of difficulty: easy to moderate. Waypoint altitude elapsed time total distance Kapesovo village 1.150 m 0’ 0 m Vradeto steps 1.060 m 20' 1,100 m Vradeto village 1.340 m 1:15' 3,300 m Mpeloi viewpoint 1.450 m 2:00' 5,300 m return reverse (r/f) 3:50' 10,600 m After snack lunch, we will explore hiking some of the most important and beautiful arch stone bridges of the area. *The tour of the arch stone bridges can be done in many different ways, we may hike to all of the bridges or do parts by car (it depends on the travelers’ fitness level, it is a quite flexible trail). 2) Arch stone Bridges tour (o/w or r/w) Waypoint altitude elapsed time total distance Kokori Bridge 700 m 0 m Plakida Bridge 730 m 20' 1,500 m Milou Bridge 740 m 50' 3,500 m Pitsioni Bridge 740 m 1:20' 5,000 m Kontodima Bridge 750 m 1:40' 6,000 m Koukouli village 870 m 2:30' 7,800 m (optional) Missiou Bridge 690 m 3:10' 10,000 m (optional) Hike duration: 2-3.5 hours / Level of difficulty: easy to moderate. Total Hike duration: 6-7.5 hours / Level of difficulty: easy to moderate.

This morning, we will take one of the best and most impressive hiking trails in all the Zagori area! Starting from the village of Monodendri, we’ll hike all the way down into Vikos ravine, one of the deepest canyons in the world. We hike parallel to the stream, and walk right into the heart of the National Park. The surrounding environment is a paradise for nature lovers that can observe the rich flora and fauna. The gorge is shelter for a lot of wild animals, such as prey birds, bears and wild boars. We will have a nice break for snacks at the river’s springs, before the small, steep ascend to Vikos village. From Vikos village, we transfer to Papigo village, for dinner and overnight. *If you are on a family holiday with young children (less than 12 years old) or you are not keen in long hikes, we can do shorter hikes in Vikos gorge. 1) Monodendri - Vikos Gorge - Vikos (o/w) Waypoint altitude elapsed time total distance Monodendri village 1.050 m 0 m Vikos Gorge 680 m 50' 2,000 m Klima fountain 610 m 2:45' 5,300 m Waypoint altitude elapsed time total distance Kokori Bridge 700 m 0 m Plakida Bridge 730 m 20' 1,500 m Milou Bridge 740 m 50' 3,500 m Pitsioni Bridge 740 m 1:20' 5,000 m Kontodima Bridge 750 m 1:40' 6,000 m Koukouli village 870 m 2:30' 7,800 m (optional) Missiou Bridge 690 m 3:10' 10,000 m (optional) Voidomatis river 480 m 5:15' 10,400 m springs Vikos village 750 m 6:00' 12,500 m Total Hike duration: 6 hours / Level of difficulty: moderate to challenging.

Prepare yourselves for rafting in one of the clearest rivers in Europe! Starting from the beautiful stone bridge of Aristi, we will cross the National Park of Vikos – Aoos, while rafting across Voidomatis river. This is an easy route, ideal for everyone, yet very impressive because of the river’s crystal clear waters and the surrounding natural landscape. Activity duration: approx. 1.5 hours in the water – 3.5 hrs total, level of difficulty: easy. In the afternoon, you will enjoy a nice horseback riding experience in the area around Papigo village. Among the village’s cobblestone paths or the large agricultural fields and small dirt footpaths, we will take you on a fun horse ride around this impressive landscape! Route and duration depend on your experience, but no previous experience is required.

Today you will unfortunately have to say goodbye to this wonderful, pristine part of Greece! But before you do so, we will take you to a nearby, well-kept gem. Just 10min walk from Papigo village lies a gorgeous small canyon, Rogovos. The stream running down the canyon forms some beautiful natural pools around the unique rock formations. In summertime, you may even dare to dive in the freezing waters! We will then depart for our trip back to Athens (approx. 5.5 hrs drive). Depending on your holiday schedule, we can either drop you off at a central location in Athens city center or take you to the airport to catch your flight.