Hiking in Tzoumerka (Athamanika) – Pramanta Refuge – Kefalovriso Waterfall – Melissourgoi Refuge – Pramanta Refuge (family friendly)

On September 14, 2022September 10, 2022 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & Trekking1 Comment

Summer time in Greece, means sun and high temperatures and most of the people visit the seaside and the islands of the country. Though, for me, summer time means a visit to one of my favourite -amongst others- areas of mainland Greece, Tzoumerka (or Athamanika).

Like every time I visit the area, I use as a base the Pramanta Mountain Refuge which is located few kilometres far from the village of Pramanta and under the Strogoula peak. One of the nicest things of that location, is that you can use your tent surrounded by the beautiful forest, with stunning view of Strogoula and by having all the comforts of the mountain refuge.

Hiking_Tzoumerka_Athamanika_Pramanta_Refuge_Kefalobriso_Waterfall_Melisourgi_Refuge_114556_234 — Strogoula

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Winter Mountaineering Climb in Strogoula – Tzoumerka (Athamanika)

On February 28, 2022March 1, 2022 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Winter Mountaineering13 Comments

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.

Winter_Mountaineering_Tzoumerka_Strogoula_Bear_Couloir_215311 — Tzoumerka – Strogoula as see from Pramanta Mountain Refuge

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Mount Tymfi (Pindos) North Side Thru-Hike Summary

On July 22, 2021July 22, 2021 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & Trekking14 Comments

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:

Mount_Tymfi_Pindos_North_Side_Thru-Hike_Part3_Astraka_Refuge_Davalista_Konitsa_082545_516 — Reflections of Astraka peak right on Xeroloutsa (waterpond) Tsoumani

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Hiking in Tzoumerka (Athamanika) – Katarraktis Waterfalls – Katarraktis Refuge – Faneromeni

On July 1, 2021July 1, 2021 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & Trekking12 Comments

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.

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Hiking in Zagori – Villages and Stone Bridges – Greece (family friendly)

On June 15, 2021March 11, 2022 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & Trekking20 Comments

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.

Hiking_Zagori_Villages_Bridges_Zagorochoria_MAIN-copy — Kalogeriko Bridge

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Hiking at Methana Volcano – Greece (family friendly)

On May 6, 2021May 9, 2021 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & Trekking15 Comments

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.

Hiking_Methana_Volcano_145744_382 — Trail indication

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Hiking in Parnonas – Sitaina – Russa Petra – Megali Tourla – Profitis Elias – Sitaina

On December 3, 2019 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & TrekkingLeave a comment

It is again this time of the year that winter is about to kick in and one of the best ways to explore and enjoy the outdoors is to go for a nice day-hike. Greece, is a very mountainous country and there are plenty of peaks of about 2.000 meters of altitude.

Although we have already been in Mount Parnon previous times, we have decided to visit again this beautiful mountain, once again from a different route. We hiked a steep but beautiful trail which starts from Sitena (Sitaina) village, passes Russa Petra and via the South-to-North ridge we reached Megali Tourla (1.935 m.) which is the highest peak of mount Parnon.

Hiking_Parnonas_Greece_211553_604 — Megali Tourla (1.935 m.) as seen from Profitis Elias Plateau

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Climbing in Acharneis – Athens

On July 10, 2019April 28, 2021 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Climbing7 Comments

Athens is the capital of Greece. It was also at the heart of Ancient Greece, a powerful civilization 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 climber has 2.000 more reasons in order to visit this magnificent city.

Athens area offers more than 2000 single pitch bolted lines in more than 40 crags and new routes are constantly popping up. In addition there are 4 multi pitch walls with trad lines, plenty of bouldering and a lot of potential for deep water solo.

In the past, we have visited some other crags which are located near Athens, such as Etos Spata, Pano Alogopetra, Epos Fylis and Korakofolia.

This time though, we have visited one of the most famous crags of Athens, the Acharneis crag.

Climbing_Acharnis_Parnitha20190619_222205_330 — Rock in Acharneis

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Verliga alpine lake – Wild camping on Greece’s secret paradise

On June 11, 2018June 11, 2018 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & Trekking14 Comments

The word paradise develops in Western languages from the Greek word paradeisos. In the western culture the concept of paradise developed in two related levels. The first was scriptural and thus a part of religious belief: paradise is either a place for life after death—often serving as a more tangible and concrete substitute for the vaguer term heaven —or the setting for a primal, idealized epoch in human history: the Garden of Eden.

The second way in which the concept developed was through the actual physical depiction or recreation of the religious image of paradise on earth, either in the form of actual gardens or through the use of certain types of garden imagery, and this is exactly what the alpine lake of Verliga is about.

Lakmos_Peristeri_Verliga_9251 — Approaching Verliga lake

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Cumulus Minilite Down Vest Review

On April 9, 2018March 29, 2018 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Apparel Reviews, Gear Review4 Comments

It has been more than 2 years of time that I was looking to get a down vest. The possibilities within this field are many, or better, the market is overloaded with down vest products. As I usually do, prior of purchasing any new product, I search the market and the offerings of the various brands and based on previous experiences and knowledge I take a decision. This is the process I have followed also in order to select and buy a down vest, which is the Cumulus Minilite Down Vest.