Things to do
15-
Dragon Lake of Tymfi
A small glacial tarn at 2,050 metres on the high plateau of Mount Tymfi, overlooked by the peaks of Ploskos and Astraka and home to alpine newts. The walk up from Papingo takes about five hours and passes the Astraka refuge, where an overnight stay splits the climb in two.
-
Papingo Rock Pools
A chain of smooth basins worn into the limestone by the Rogovos stream, just below the road between the two Papingo villages. Clear green water sits in each hollow, with low cliffs and plane trees around them. The water stays cold even in August and the rock is slippery, so sturdy sandals help on the short path down from the road.
-
Vikos Gorge
Nine hundred metres of limestone wall stand over you for most of a day on the floor of the Vikos Gorge, walked one way from Monodendri down to the riverbed and up to Vikos village.
View more → -
Aristi Mountain Resort
On the edge of Aristi village, across the Voidomatis valley from Papingo, a resort of stone suites and villas with an indoor and outdoor spa and a working farm. Rooms look toward the Vikos Gorge and the Astraka towers. It holds two Michelin Keys, and the rafting stretch of the river is a short drive below.
-
Astraka Towers
Grey limestone towers rise straight above both Papingo villages and form the backdrop to Mikro Papingo, the higher of the two. The walk from Papingo to the Astraka refuge, and on to Dragon Lake on the Tymfi plateau, climbs beneath them.
-
Beloi Viewpoint
Beloi is a lookout on the rim of the Vikos Gorge, a canyon ten kilometres long, more than 900 metres deep and only 1,100 metres across at its narrowest. Its view down into the gorge is truly spectacular, so leave enough time to sit and take it in.
-
Kokkoris Bridge
A single high arch of grey stone over the river below Koukouli, first built in 1750 and rebuilt several times since. It takes its second name from Grigoris Kokkoris, a miller from Koukouli who helped pay for its restoration. The bridge lies on the old cobbled mule path that drops from Koukouli to the river.
-
Mikro Papingo
The smaller of the two Papingo villages, higher up the slope and closer under the Astraka cliffs. Slate roofs, stone lanes and walled gardens make up the whole place, with a few guesthouses and tavernas among them. The marked path to the Astraka refuge and the Tymfi plateau starts at the top of the village and climbs steadily through beech and open pasture.
-
Monastery of Agia Paraskevi, Monodendri
Built right on the edge of the gorge cliff, the monastery stands at the end of a stone path beyond the last houses of Monodendri. Past it, a narrow ledge path carries on along the rock face. Monodendri is also where the main gorge trail starts, on its 12.5 km run along the floor to Vikos.
-
Monodendri
A stone village at the southern head of the Vikos Gorge and the starting point of the main gorge trail. A stone path leads beyond the houses to the monastery of Agia Paraskevi, built right on the edge of the cliff, with a narrow ledge path continuing along the rock face. The road above the village runs on to the Oxya viewpoint over the deepest part of the gorge.
-
Oxya Viewpoint
A lookout at the end of the road above Monodendri, a short drive on from the village. It looks straight down into the deepest part of the Vikos Gorge, where the walls drop more than 900 metres, and it is one of the classic views of the gorge.
-
Plakidas Bridge
A three-arched stone bridge of 1814 between the villages of Kipoi and Koukouli, among the packhorse bridges of central Zagori. It is also called Kalogeriko, the monk's bridge, after the abbot of the Vitsa monastery who paid for it. The name Plakidas comes from a family that restored it later.
-
Vikos
The village sits at the northern end of the main gorge trail, which runs 12.5 km along the gorge floor from Monodendri. Megalo Papingo is a little under two more hours of walking, and Mikro Papingo about two. Vikos is also the nearest village to the Voidomatis springs, which paths reach from here and from Papingo.
-
Voidomatis Springs
At the northern end of the Vikos Gorge the Voidomatis river rises from the stones, cold and unusually clear, between the villages of Vikos and Papingo. Paths reach the springs from both villages, and the long gorge trail from Monodendri ends here. Downstream, rafting and kayaking trips run from the bridge at Aristi to the old stone bridge at Klidonia.
-
Vradeto Steps
A stairway of old stone steps on the way up to the village of Vradeto, in the Vikos area of Zagori. Walkers rate it a favourite hike in the region, and it is a far shorter outing than the full gorge crossing.
