Vikos Gorge is one of the most popular attractions in Zagori and a natural wonder! This is one of the biggest, deepest and most impressive gorges of the world, with abrupt altitudinal changes, steep slopes and the most rare and beautiful flora and fauna. It varies in altitude between 550 and 1779m. It stretches for about 24km in length, with approximately 900m in depth. The Vikos Gorge is listed by the Guiness Book of Records as the deepest canyon in the world in proportion to its width: 1100m at its narrowest part, with a depth of over 900m. Voidomatis river rises in the gorge, near Vikos village.

The team will cross the gorge through a very well marked hiking trail, starting from Monodentri village towards Vikos village. The hike lasts for about 6 hours and the view is simply breathtaking!

Descending a river with an inflatable boat is what we call “rafting”. The crew of each boat is guided by a professional river guide. The numbers of rowers on each boat depends on the size of the boat, that is determined by the degree of difficulty of each river and its water level. Experienced and trained escorts will guide us and be responsible for everyone’s safety on the boat. The difficulty is grade 1-2 which means the waters are just right for someone who is trying the sport for the very first time but also challenging enough for someone who tried rafting in the past. Everyone can participate and have fun!
After rafting, rest time is due to spend as you like.

We will take a 3-hour hiking route. The route starts from the square outside Mikro Papingo village, then we will go through the village and hike up to the Astraka refuge passing gradually by the four springs: Avragonios which is just outside the village, Andalki whose waters, as local legend holds, rises from Provatina’s gulch, Trafos just before the crossing for Astraka and finally, Krouna just before the final uphill hike to the recently renovated Astraka refuge. The refuge is situated at an altitude of 1,930 meters at the shoulder formed by Astraka and Lapatos peaks. Another approximately 90 minutes of hiking and we will see the famous Drakolimni from a distance. From the refuge we hike down towards Xeroloutsa. Once we cross it and pass a spring, the route becomes uphill. After hiking northwest on a smooth ridge we finally reach Drakolimni, situated on the saddle between Ploskos and the Ploskos peak. From here the view of Gamila and Aoos valley is breathtaking!

The famous Drakolimni of Tymfis is a small alpine lake situated at an altitude of 2100 meters and was created 10,000 years ago by the last glaciers that formed the landscape as it is today. In the mountain area of North Pindos there are a number of “dragon lakes” named in Greek mythology as the home of dragons. Drakolimni is situated in an area of rare natural beauty with outstanding panoramic views of surrounding peaks, creating the illusion of a unique pool on a roof that touches the sky. Its waters are home to alpine newts, a rare species of amphibious lizards. Although its depth has been exaggerated, actual measuring has proved that it’s no more than 3 meters deep.

We will hike from Kapesovo towards Vradeto village, through an impressive stone stairway. Until 1973, this was the only route that connected Vradeto village to the outside world!
We will then continue towards Beloi, where we will rest at a natural viewing platform, the best viewpoint in Zagori.