Winter time in Greece can be very exciting! Despite popular belief, in Greece we do have some mid-range peaks but we also have snow. This is great for whoever is interested exploring winter mountaineering routes.
Our initial plan was to visit Tzoumerka for a three day “expedition”, but due to bad weather we decided to enjoy the mountain at least for one day.
Continue reading “Winter Mountaineering Climb in Strogoula – Tzoumerka (Athamanika)”
While I have been searching for some new climbing crags, I came across a newsletter by Petroupolis Mountaineering Club and I have noticed that on October 4 2020, the inauguration of a new climbing crag took place. In this inauguration was also present Mr. Nikos Latsoudis, who had spotted and indicated the location of this crag about 4 years ago. The climbing crag after much effort and work done by many members of the Petroupolis Mountaineering Club took shape.
Continue reading “Climbing in Koutsomaraki Crag – Mount Poikilo, Attica-Greece”
Greece has risen from obscurity to become one of Europe’s most beloved sport climbing destinations. When it comes to rock climbing, Greece is unique. Thanks to the temperate climate, you can be actively involved year-round in the sport. More importantly, the rugged landscape of the land offers a variety of options (examples are limestone, caves, and marble), and so many curious geological formations to explore on all fours.
This time we have visited the newly developed crag just 40 minutes far from Leonidio. The name of this crag Arcadia (or Repodina).
Continue reading “Climbing in Arcadia/Repodina Crag – Arcadia, Greece”
Tymfi is a mountain in the northern Pindus mountain range, northwestern Greece. It is part of the regional unit of Ioannina and lies in the region of Zagori, just a few metres south of the 40° parallel. Tymfi forms a massif with its highest peak, Gamila, at 2,497 m (8,192 ft), being the sixth highest in Greece.
This is a short summary post with the highlights of the Thru-Hike of the northern side of mountain Tymfi. If you wish to see the individual posts which contain detailed information and more photos, you can click to the following links:
Continue reading “Mount Tymfi (Pindos) North Side Thru-Hike Summary”
There are a lot of mapped hiking routes at Tzoumerka, with special markings, both for advanced and beginners in hiking. A very easy hike is the one that starts from the Pramanta Mountain Refuge till Kefalovriso Waterfall. The waterfall of Kefalovriso, the highest of Greece (350 m.)
The official summer season is right in front of us, and in order to celebrate it, I decided to visit one of my favourite mountains of Greece, the Athamanika (or Tzoumerka).
The cycle of seasons at Tzoumerka (Athamanika) follows its own calm rhythms. Words such as awe and admiration are not enough to describe the splendor of the nature.
Here, time seems to hang still over the gorges, the vertical cliffs of the ravines and the snow-covered firs that climb the rocks up to the naked alpine zone. The abundant running water and impressive waterfalls justify the omnipresent dense flora and satisfy both the physical thirst as well as that of the sense of sight.
There are a lot of mapped hiking routes at Tzoumerka (Athamanika), with special markings, both for advanced and beginners in hiking.
Having completed one of the most exciting trekking trips in Tymfi, we decided to explore a bit further the area and specifically the Zagori villages.
Zagori, is a region and a municipality in the Pindus mountains in Epirus, in northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Asprangeloi. It has an area of some 1,000 square kilometers and contains 46 villages known as Zagori villages (or Zagorochoria or Zagorohoria), and is in the shape of an upturned equilateral triangle. Ioannina, the provincial capital, is at the southern point of the triangle, while the south-western side is formed by Mount Mitsikeli (1,810m). The Aoos river running north of Mt Tymfi forms the northern boundary, while the south-eastern side runs along the Varda river to Mount Mavrovouni (2,100m) near Metsovo.
Continue reading “Hiking in Zagori – Villages and Stone Bridges – Greece (family friendly)”
Last few months, I was mainly focused on sport climbing and mountaineering routes, though, finally once again I hit the trail for a great hike to the Methana Volcano.
Geologically speaking, Methana is a very interesting region: a long time ago, it was very volcanic and nowadays, it counts no less than 32 ancient craters. One can also see some ancient lava flows, but it is the volcano located in the north-west, not far from the village of Kameni Chora (= burned village), that is the most spectacular witness of this volcanic past – over here, one can really imagine oneself in a true landscape of volcanoes.
Continue reading “Hiking at Methana Volcano – Greece (family friendly)”
It has been quite some time ago since I have last visited the area of Ermionida and this time, besides climbing in the wonderful location of Caves of Franchthi, I also had the chance to visit a great trail that was created by the municipality of Kilada.
Kilada is a picturesque traditional fishing village located in Ermionida, not far from Kranidi and Ermioni. The small village is famous for its traditional shipbuilding and boat construction yards. The boatyards still continue to make and repair traditional wooden fishing boats, as well as maintaining modern luxury yachts for the residing yachting community.
Continue reading “Hiking in Kilada – Patima Park – Ermionida (family friendly)”
Is just the second Christmas day and this time we decided to visit for a second time a crag that is located in the region on Argolis, and specifically in the municipality of Ermionida. This crag is rather infamous and is rarely visited due to the difficult approach. This crag is the Rock of Ages.
Rock of Ages, is a nice little cliff in an idyllic setting and highly recommended for those more interested in their surroundings than pushing up their grades. A small ravine with lush vegetation, good rock and varied climbing give a very pleasant day out.
Continue reading “Climbing in Rock of Ages – Ermionida – Argolis – Greece”
Olympus Mountaineering 