Ioannina, Dodoni & the Zagori villages.

Day 1: Arrive at the City of Ioannina, either by bus or airplane. (The cost is extra). Ioannina is a modern town except for the old district near the lake, which dates back to the Turkish occupation. Local craftsmanship produces embroidery and silverwork. Find some time and visit the wax museum of Pavlos Vrelis,11km out of Ioannina on the way to Arta, and no visit to Ioannina would be complete without a trip to the islet of Ioannina in the lake. A traditional village of superb beauty, built in the 17th century and consisting of 150 families is waiting for you. In the tavernas of the village one can taste a selection of fresh lake fish. Gastronomic specialties include eels, frog legs, trout and crayfish from the lake, cheese from Dodoni and sparkling white wine from the region of Zitsa. The Philanthropinon Monastery and the Revolutionary Museum on the islet are also worthwhile visiting. Small boats connect the islet with Ioannina very frequently and the trip takes 15 min. and costs € 1.50. Overnight at Ioannina after picking up your rented car.

Day 2: Early morning drive to Dodoni. Ancient Dodoni grew out of a sanctuary dedicated to Zeus where a famous oracle flourished from the second millennium BC until the 4c BC. Visit the theatre one of the largest (130m/427ft broad by 22m/72ft high) and one of the best preserved of ancient Greece. Continue your visit in Epirus driving north towards Perama. Stop and visit the Perama Cave, one of the most beautiful caves you will see in your life. The visit in the 1km. cave lasts about 1 hour and at the end you climb 155 steps to come to the exit. Continue towards theVikos Gorge and spend the night in a restored traditional house at one of the Central Zagori villages.

Day 3: Visit the Zagori villages, "the land beyond the mountains" which follows the renowned trout stream, the River Voidomatis, as it flows north into Albania. It is a region of Forests (conifers, oaks, chestnuts) and pasture. The traditional habitat has not been disturbed, there are many houses of beautiful gray stone, with projecting upper storey and wooden balconies, roofed with stone. In these wild mountains, where bears and wolves still roam, Greek troops defied the advancing Italian forces when they invaded from Albania in November 1940. Visit the villages of Vitsa and Monodendri. At the edge of Vikos Gorge, the Monastery of Agia Paraskevi clings to the rocks directly above a precipitous drop into the bottom of the gorge 1000m/3281ft below. A path starting from the monastery winds down the face of the cliff past some terraces once cultivated by the monks and some caves with provided shelter for Klephts and Hermits and it reaches a platform overlooking the confluence of the Voidomatis and a neighboring mountain stream. The atmosphere is oppressive and wild. Continue driving to Aristi and the 2 Papigo villages (megalo and Mikro). Overnigth at Zagori.

Day 4: Continue your visit driving on the road to Tsepelovo. Stop and explore the village before continuing 17kms. further to arrive at the area called Gyftokampos. The camp has been set by the "Sarakatsanoi", a tribe of shepherds originally living at the north of Greece. In a beautiful site you are going to see how the Sarakatsanoi lived in those years, and if you happen to be in Greece the first week of August try and organise your visit to the area. At the first weekend of August the "Sarakatsanoi" meet at Gyftokampos and celebrate this re-union with a great feast. Return to Ioannina to drop the car and this is the end of your tour to Zagori.

Estimated cost per person € 170.00 per person, including accommodation in double bedroom with daily breakfast and the use of a car hired for 3 days from Ioannina. Our representative at Zagori will provide all information you may wish and organise for you hiking tours, extreme sports activities, etc.

Contact us for further details, information about the beautiful area and bookings at the hotel you choose.

* hiking at the zagori villages