The Vikos Gorge & the Zagoria villages Page 3

If you come at the busiest time of year, and there are no rooms here, try Vitsa, 2km from here, which is an appealing village, with tavernas, a nice platia, and an alternative access to the gorge, via Skala Vitsas (Vitsa Stairway), which takes about a half hour to descend, partly on a constructed stepped path, to the beautiful arched Mitsiou bridge, and then upstream to Kipi via one path or downstream along the gorge.

There's a trail leading south to Dhilofo, formerly called Sopetseli, which is one of the most attractive of the Zagoria villages. You can get to this village by road at all, but cars are barred from the town. There are some traditional events held at the Tzimoyiannis taverna here in summer, and there is accommodation here. From Dhilofo, it is possible to walk to Elati village, though the walk isn't so nice, what with asphalt and bulldozer track part of the way, though by now that may have changed. This village offers accommodation as well, and views of Mt. Gamila to the north. Yet another town to stay is Ano Pedhina, 4km west of Vitsa and Monodhendri. There's an old convent there which was reinhabited in 1997 by four nuns (who welcome visitors).

It's possible to walk from here via Elafotopos to most of the Vikos gorge, where you end up at Vikos village in around three hours.

From the church of Aghios Athanasios the path is paved most of the way down to the stony stream bed, with a path along it for a good hour. The entire gorge walk is well marked and easy to follow, with dots of red paint and also white on red metal diamonds with O3 marked on them (referring to a long distance path that begins south of Kipi and which goes across Mt. Gamila all the way to Mt. Smolikas). You reach the Megas Lakkos Ravine (Big Hole Ravine) about two and a half hours out of Monodhendri, where there is a spring; the shrine of Aghia Triadha (Holy Trinity) follows after another forty minutes or so, which has a well.

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