Tzoumerka, Ioannina and the Zagori Mountains

For those arriving in Athens:

Depart Athens airport 13:00 and onward drive to Preveza (5 hours).

For those arriving in Preveza:

18:30 pick up arrivals on the Easyjet flight from London and onward drive to Kostitsi, Tzoumerka.

We will probably arrive about 9:30pm. Light evening meal and overnight in Hotel Lanassa.

This morning we have an exploration of the Tzoumerka region and a visit to the Arachthos river and a visit to the Klifkis waterfalls.

Evening meal and overnight in Hotel Lanassa

After breakfast, we depart Lanassa for our exploration of two fascinating villages: Kalarites and Syrako.

It was from Kalarites that the Voulgaris family originated. A family of itinerant silversmiths, they opened a store in Paramythia before emigrating from Epirus to Naples in 1880. It was there they set up their jewellery store, Bulgari which is nowadays a household name.

Onward drive to Ioannina.

Evening meal and overnight in Ioannina.

Set on the shores of Lake Pamvotis, there are few inland cities in Greece that inhabit such a lovely location. The old city is reminiscent of a somewhat dilapidated Ottoman town from somewhere in Anatolia. But it is presided over by the walls of the imposing fortress, which itself harbours a citadel of Ottoman houses. The Itskale – from the Turkish İçkale, or inner castle, is an impressive preserve of Ottoman buildings – two mosques, a Harem and other buildings, dating from the time that Ioannina was ruled over by Ali Pasha.

We also visit the silver-smithing museum.

Evening meal and overnight in Ioannina.

We depart from Ionannina and set of for the Zagori region of Epirus. On our way to Papingo, we take in some of the sights of the spectacular scenery of the region.

Evening meal and overnight in Papingo

We set off early in the morning from Papingo and drive to Monodendri for the beginning of our hike along the Vikos gorge.

This 8 mile trail through the bottom of the gorge takes around 5-6 hours to complete.

The trail is not difficult walking, but there are a couple of points where there are technical challenges using a rope to navigate some of the collapsed path. This means the route is unfortunately not suitable for novices.

Evening meal and overnight in Papingo

Today we take one of the other hikes in the Papingo region – this time to the lakes high in the mountains beyond.

Evening meal and overnight in Papingo

We depart Papigo after lunch for a return to Preveza/Athens. The drop-off at Preveza airport will be at 4pm and the arrival in Athens at 9pm.