These accessible gorges provide stunning views and great walking adventures without requiring the visitor to climb high peaks People don’t often think of Greece as a wilderness, but bears still range through the wooded Vikos in the Pindus mountains of the north-east, and groups of wild boar run amuck through its forests. At 20km in length, 1,600 metres deep and with its straight sections topped with uniform limestone precipices, this is an unmistakable canyon. Monodendri makes an excellent starting point and Vikos village a good terminus for a hike that will probably take about six hours. The done thing on arrival in the picturesque stone village of Monodendri is to arrange a taxi to pick you up from Vikos at the end of the day. Driving above the gorge is rewarding, too, with several superb viewpoints, such as the Oxia and Ay Paraskevi monastery, a short walk from Monodendri. At Vikos a path leads down to the ice-cold river where it’s possible to swim. Like a lot of these gorges, after rainfall the danger level from slippery rocks and swollen rivers increases exponentially, and apart from in summer all visitors should pay attention to weather forecasts. Continue reading...
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