GREECE · EPIRUS · 39.90°N 20.75°E · SHOULDER · MAY–JUN & SEP–OCT
Pindus & the Zagori
Greece's stone-village mountains: the Vikos Gorge (deepest in the world, by the pedants' measure), Ottoman packhorse bridges, the Dragon Lake at 2,000m, and guesthouse dinners that redefine the word 'course'.
THE ROUTE, CHARTED
The elevation profile
GPS-logged. Camps and key points marked; the shape of the route is the honest version of the brochure.
THE SHAPE OF THE TRIP · 7 DAYS
The itinerary
Bridges and the gorge rim
From Kipi's cluster of packhorse bridges up old cobbles to the Beloi viewpoint — the gorge arriving underfoot all at once — then rim walking to Vradeto's stone staircase, hand-built into a cliff and still the best road the village ever had.
Through the Vikos
Down into the gorge and along its dry-then-rushing riverbed beneath kilometre walls to the Voidomatis springs, rising sudden and turquoise from the rock. Night in Vikos village, then the famous climb out to Papingo: 900m of zigzags with vulture supervision.
The high Pindus
Up past the Astraka towers to the col refuge, sunset at the Dragon Lake among the newts, and a summit morning on Gamila, 2,497m, with Albania rolling away north. Descent by the shepherds' line to Tsepelovo for a last, excessive, correct dinner.
WHY THIS ROUTE
The expedition
The Zagori is what happens when mountains keep the modern world at arm's length for five centuries: forty-six stone villages linked by cobbled packhorse paths and humpbacked bridges, wrapped around the Vikos Gorge — a kilometre deep and, at its narrowest, barely a stone's throw wide. Our week crosses it twice and climbs out of it once (the day you will talk about), then goes high: the alpine meadows of Astraka, the Dragon Lake's alpine pool at 2,050m where alpine newts cruise like tiny submarines, and the shoulder of Gamila at 2,497m. Nights in family guesthouses where dinner is a regional manifesto. Honest note: Greek mountain paths are older than switchbacks — ascents go straight up in the Ottoman style, and the gorge exit gains 900m without apology.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The full length of the Vikos Gorge
- Drakolimni — the Dragon Lake at 2,050m
- Ottoman bridges: Plakidas, Kokkori, three-arched Kalogeriko
- Stone guesthouses and legendary pites
- Astraka's limestone towers
- Vultures, wallcreepers, and autumn crocus lawns
STRAIGHT ANSWER
Is this for you?
You should be able to say yes — honestly — to all of these:
- You can walk six-to-seven-hour days on rough ground, back to back, and enjoy most of them.
- You would rather be told the truth about a hard day than sold an easy one.
Grade 3 means grade 3. If you're not sure, ring us — we'd rather lose a booking than carry a struggle.
THE LEDGER
What £980 covers
INCLUDED
- Wildtrace guide (Marta Serrano) at a max ratio of 1:8
- All hut, refuge or lodge nights as described, with evening meals
- Group safety kit: inReach satellite comms and expedition first aid
- Pre-trip video call, training plan and the real kit list
NOT INCLUDED
- International travel to the start point
- Personal travel insurance covering trekking to 2,497m — required, checked before departure
- Visas and permits payable on entry, where applicable
- Tips for local crew (we publish a guideline per trip)
- Sleeping bag — bring your own or hire ours (£30/trip)
- Lunches and drinks on travel days
PACK THIS, NOT EVERYTHING
Kit, previewed
The items that matter most on this route. The full list — with honest notes on what not to buy — lives in the kit room and is sent on booking.
Broken-in boots matched to the terrain. Broken-in is the load-bearing phrase.
Waterproof jacket and trousers you actually trust.
A day pack that fits — 30–35L covers almost every trip.
Headtorch plus spare batteries. Early starts are a feature.
Sheet sleeping-bag liner and earplugs. Dormitory diplomacy in two items.
2L capacity plus purification where the trip notes say so.
A proper insulated jacket. Evenings are where trips are enjoyed or endured.
WHO'S TAKING YOU
Your guide
Marta Serrano
IML · SOUTHERN EUROPE & AMERICASAragonese, Pyrenees-raised, and the reason our Spanish and Andean logistics run on time. Carries a tin of saffron on every expedition and has used it at 4,600m.
HOW WE RUN IT
Max 8 walkers. inReach satellite comms carried and checked daily. Escape routes planned before we sell a single place. And the weather rule that built this company: we turn back. That's the deal. Full detail on our safety page.
NO PAYMENT AT THIS STAGE
Ask about this trip
Send this and a guide rings you back — Tuesday or Thursday evening, usually. Fifteen minutes, honest questions both ways, no hard sell.
IF THIS, THEN ALSO
