Travel
Information
Season:
May to early October. Start any Sunday from May to early October if flying from
Gatwick to Preveza. Other starting days may be possible for land-only
customers flying via Athens to Ioannina, or to Corfu. However land-only customers must make their own way to and
from Ioannina. It is normally possible for those on the full package with
charter flights from UK to fly back one week later, but this must be
requested on your booking form. This
would enable you to spend some time at a resort such as Parga or Lefkas or
to visit Corfu.
Arrival: The most
convenient access point to Zagoria is the small airport at Preveza on the
west coast of the Greek mainland. Our full package includes flights from
UK to Preveza airport where you are met and transferred via Ioannina to
the first night's stop at Tsepelovo. 'Land only' clients can also be met
at Ioannina, which is reached by a twice a day scheduled internal flight
from Athens as well as by express bus from Athens and from Igoumenitsa
(the mainland port opposite Corfu). Tsepelovo is about 1 hour drive from
Ioannina. Buses are infrequent. Our local agent will meet passengers at
Preveza or Ioannina airport.
End of Tour:
After breakfast on day 8 at the hotel in Ioannina. You will then be
transferred either to Ioannina airport or to Preveza airport. There are
also regular express bus services from Ioannina to Athens and to
Igoumenitsa.
Level of Difficulty
Grade: The tour is graded 'moderate to challenging'. The paths are
rough and stony but reasonably well defined. There are ascents/descents of
up to 900m/3000ft per day but the walking need not be seen as particularly
strenuous as the days are not long. However, it is necessary to have some
experience of map reading and route finding from written descriptions.
This tour is best suited to hill walkers who are experienced at route
finding in all weathers, in places like the English Lake District,
Snowdonia or the Scottish Highlands. Because of the remote and rugged
terrain this self-guided tour is not available to singles.
Fitness: The tour should
present no difficulty to anyone in good general health who is accustomed
to hill walking. Day stages range from 6km/4hours to 17km/8hrs. These
walking times are generous as they allow for the steep gradients and rocky
footpaths of the route.
Waymarks:
Much of the route is on the official O3 long distance trail, which is
marked with occasional distinctive red and white waymarks. Elsewhere,
notably on Day 6, other colour -coded marks are used, e.g. distinctive
blue yellow marks. Our local rep. and Mountain Guide, Konstantinos, has
checked and recently re-waymarked the route.
General Information
Baths:
it is not normal for your room to have a bath, the main reason being that
it takes up a lot of space, some hotels/guesthouses may have a separate
room in the house where a bath is available to guests, but in the main it
is showers.
Breakfast:
in Greece usually consists of coffee and bread, yoghurt and honey, if you
want more for breakfast then we would suggest you purchase some food the
night before. It is important for you to tell us if you have any dietary
requirements when you book your holiday so that we can inform everyone
that you are staying with.
Language: Note
that you will not necessarily come across people speaking English.
Remember you have left home to find things different bring a phrase book,
try to learn a bit of Greek!
Luggage:
When staying in hotels, sometimes your luggage will have been taken to
you room awaiting your arrival. However don’t be surprised if your
luggage is waiting for you to take it up to your room.
Accommodation & Meals
Village
pensions for 5 nights, mountain refuge (dormitory) one night, hotel one
night. Full board throughout except for lunches on days 1,7 and 8 and
dinner on day 7. Rooms with en-suite facilities (shower/bath and WC) where
available.
q
Night 1: The
first night is spent in a comfortable small hotel in the typically
Zagorian village of Tsepelovo, where a lot of the houses are built of
stone in the traditional style of the region.
q
Night 2: Again in
Tsepelovo.
q
Night 3: On the
second night we stay in the village of Vitsa, which has marvellous views
over the Vikos gorge.
q
Night 4:
Comfortable pension in Vikos village.
q
Night 5: The twin
villages of Megalo (Big) and Mikro (Little) Papingo huddle below the great
limestone buttresses called the "Towers of Papingo" on the north
side of the Vikos Gorge. We stay at a small pension in Mikro Papingo.
q
Night 6:
Astraka Hut.
q
Night 7: You walk
back to Papingo, return to Ioannina by bus (tickets included in tour
price) and transfer to a taxi for a short trip to your hotel, which is
normally in the old walled part of the town, formerly the Turkish citadel.
On occasion we may use another hotel (The Palladion) in the town centre. |
Outline Itinerary
q
Day 1: Fly from
UK to Preveza and transfer by road to Tsepelovo, via Ioannina.
(150km/3hrs). Clients can also be transferred from Ioannina to Tsepelovo.
(50km/60mins).
q
Day 2: Tsepelovo -
Vradeto -Beloi - Tsepelovo.
From Tsepelovo (1050m) we start
with an uphill path towards the highest village in Zagoria called Vradeto
(1450m) from where the beautiful path at the edge of the Vikos gorge leads
to a great viewpoint at Beloi (1650m). From here you can look right over
the Vikos in all its resplendence and see the paths that we will be
following tomorrow. Return to Vradeto village continuing downhill to
Kapesovo village heading down the famous steps of Vradeto – a stone path
built in the 16th Century on the slopes of the Vikos. Transfer
back to Tsepelovo and overnight in a traditional pension there. (Walking
for 4-5 hours).
q
Day 3: Tsepelovo –
Kipi – Koukouli – Vitsa. An easy descent to where the Vikos gorge
starts, which is marked by a stone bridge dating back to 980 called the
“Paliojefira.” Continue through a forest of beech and pine trees,
where you might see evidence of bear pugmarks on the path. We end up in
the village of Kipi. From
here we walk up the “Koukouli Steps” (more stone steps) and visit the
center of this picturesque village. We walk down into the Vikos gorge
again crossing the “Misiou” bridge and climb the Vitsa stairs and
reach the villages of Vitsa and Monodendri that are built at the edge of
the gorge.
q
Day 4: Vitsa
–Vikos. Early in the morning we descend the old Vitsa stairs into
the Vikos ravine. Traversing the ravine you can do a bit of bird and
flower watching, as there are quite a number of rare species that have
taken refuge into the gorge. Early in the afternoon we will arrive in
Vikos village where you will overnight in a pension. (7 hours of walking).
q
Day 5: Vikos –
Papingo (also called Papigo). Following the old up-hill path, you
traverse the beautiful ravines to Papingo Village. Above the Towers of
Papingo skyrocket inaccessibly into the sky. At the village’s natural
swimming pool, you will have time for a dip and a break, before
overnighting in a traditional pension. (4 hours of walking).
q
Day 6:
Papingo – Astraka hut – Dragonlake – Astraka hut. Head
on uphill, up Mount Astraka. After 3-hour ascent you will come to the
Astraka hut (1950m). From here optional ascent to Dragon Lake at 2100m,
before returning to overnight at Astraka hut. (6 hours of walking if
Dragon Lake is included).
q
Day 7: Walk
back to Papingo, and then transfer by bus to Ioannina (44km/1.5hrs),
where there is time for sightseeing. A tour of Ioannina old quarter and
citadel is worthwhile. Out-of-town excursions could include the huge
limestone cave system at Perama, discovered in the 1940's, or the 3rd
century BC theatre of Dodoni, and nearby ancient oracle with its
whispering oaks, 15km from Ioannina and accessible in an afternoon by
public bus. For those who
want to take home souvenirs or gifts, a local speciality is silver and
filigree jewellery.
q
Day 8: Depending
on your flight times, there may be time for further sight seeing or
souvenir buying before your transfer by taxi/ minibus to Ioannina airport
for flights to Athens or Preveza (2 hours) for flights to Gatwick.
What's Included
For
UK based full package clients, charter flights from Gatwick to Preveza and
return, together with road transfers from Preveza to Tsepelovo at the
start of the tour, from Papingo to Ioannina on day 7, and from Ioannina
back to Preveza airport at the end of the tour. Meals included: 7 nights bed and breakfast with
packed lunches on days 2 to 6 inclusive and evening meals on days 1 to 6
inclusive. Also included are baggage transfers between each new night
stop. Plus, for self-guided clients only, route descriptions and maps.
Joining
points.
You have a choice of joining the tour at the following points:- On the
start date at Preveza Airport on arrival of charter flight from UK, at
Ioannina Airport on arrival of midday or evening flight from Athens, or
even at the first hotel at Tsepevolo. |
