The Northwest Mt. Grammos

Mt. Grammos

This is one of the best places in Greece to see birds of prey, and also some unusual orchids and other rare plants, as well as some fine forest, both deciduous and conifer. It is one of the least known and least visited parts of Greece.

The Mt. Grammos massif is on the border between Greece and Albania, and also on the border between the Kastoria and Ioannina nomi (prefectures), with peaks on the Greek side rising to 2520 meters (more than 8265 feet), with snow on them until well into the summer. Interestingly (and sadly) Mt. Grammos was the scene of the last brutal fighting of the Greek Civil War (1946-49) and the last stand of the Communists, with the world's first use of napalm used by the democratic forces which left scars in the area still quite visible some 57 years later.

As of a few years ago, this area was still unprotected, with grazing and forestry activity.

Part of the reason it is so little visited is that access is difficult. The E 90 road, however, is not far from it on the southern end, with side roads leading into it that pass through the villages of Plikati or Aetomilitsa. A more difficult route passes through the village of Grammos.