Tzoumerka (or Athamanika), characterised by the mountains, the rugged landscape and the dense greenery, have the water element omnipresent in order to offer its freshness and balance through its everlasting movement! Thus, on the one hand there is the Acheloos river with its unique beaches, and on the other the Theodoriana village and its unique, twin waterfalls of Souda.
Continue reading “Souda Twin Waterfalls – Theodoriana – Hiking in Tzoumerka (family friendly)”
It’s been almost 6 months since my last visit to the area of Mt. Tzoumerka (Athamanika) and this time I wanted to explore an area of the mountains that I have never been before. The overall plan was to visit and explore the Central and Eastern Tzoumerka and specifically the hiking opportunities around Theodoriana village.
The trail to Marks area leads us to the heart of Elatia, the largest and pristine forest of Theodoriana, and a wonderful stream with lakes and waterfalls.
The past few days, I have had the chance to enjoy one of the most famous mountains of Greece, Mount Parnitha. Mount Parnitha, is one of the most visited mountains due to its proximity to the capital of Greece, Athens.
Athens is the capital of Greece. It was also at the heart of Ancient Greece, a powerful civilisation and empire. The city is still dominated by 5th-century BC landmarks, including the Acropolis, a hilltop citadel topped with ancient buildings like the colonnaded Parthenon temple. Although there is plenty cultural and historical sights in and around Athens, a visitor has many more reasons in order to visit this magnificent city.
Just before we jump into 2022, I was looking to visit and discover a new mountain of Greece, that I had never visited before. In the meantime, it was also important to check the weather forecast and where there would be enough snow for a winter mountaineering ascent. Greece, is a very mountainous country and therefore there is plenty of choice, but for this time, I have decided to visit mount Panaitoliko (or Panetoliko).
Continue reading “Winter hike mount Panaitoliko (Panetoliko)”
Throughout the years, I have been involved and exploring various outdoor activities. Like most of us, I started my outdoor adventures with simple day hikes, then I moved on with multi-day hikes and trekking, then some scrambling, mountaineering, winter mountaineering, climbing and of course the combination of all the above.
Having this diverse background with the various activities, I have developed a good sense of appreciation of the various natural habitats. One of the most interesting area to visit in Greece, is Mount Parnitha which is located just few kilometres far from the city centre of Athens.
This time, I wanted to go for a solo hike and I decided to visit West Parnitha and the trail that starts from the Kliston Monastery and leads you to Arma via the famous Pan’s cave.
Wherever you are in Epirus, somewhere near you, there will be a “hidden” place that will surprise you with its beauty. One of them is the waterfall of Kouiassa in Tzoumerka and more specifically, five minutes before you reach the village of Kalarrites, after the metal bridge that crosses Kalarritikos river, you can park your car where there is and the sign that starts the path. The path from the main road to the waterfall is only 15 minutes. On your way you will find a watermill that works as a cafe next to the river. As soon as you reach the waterfall, the landscape will enchant you with its beauty, so it is a very good idea, if you are there in the summer, to take a dip in the crystal clear waters of the Kalarritikos river.
We are in the middle of the summer season in Greece, and this summer the temperatures are very high even for Greece. Having daily temperatures above 40 C, there are not many outdoor activities that we can enjoy, but we can certainly enjoy a lovely and easy hike to the breathtaking waterfall of Balta di Stringa.
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.
Olympus Mountaineering 