SamuelMount Olympus. The name itself would evoke mystery of the unknown. Most people would’ve heard of Mount Olympus from the world renowned Greek mythology. I mean, who does not know Zeus or Ares, two of the Greek gods who have been popularized in Hollywood movies? I’ve got to admit, I was drawn to this place by the notion of climbing the mountain of gods.
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece. It is located in the northern part of the country, and is a part of the Olympus mountain national park that covers the whole mountain area and surrounding forest.
There are hiking trails established in the area with varying degrees of difficulty, including to the summit, making it a great place to be explored by hikers of all sorts. There are also mountain refuges spread in the mountain area for spending the night or for a brief rest during the hike.
Getting there
Most people would first stop at the small town of Litochoro before tackling the mountain. It is located directly on the outskirt of the national park, making it an ideal base for hikers looking to start the climb to Mount Olympus.
The easiest way to reach Litochoro is by car like how I did it with a friend of mine, which is about 1.5 hours drive away from Thessaloniki. Another way is to take a bus from Thessaloniki’s Macedonia bus station, operated by KTEL Macedonia. I myself did not take this bus, but the bus schedule and price are clearly listed in its website.
To start the hike to the Mount Olympus itself, one can start in Litochoro itself by walking the route through the Enipeas gorge to Prionia, where there is a car park area and a small eatery. An easier option, which I again did, is to drive directly to Prionia from Litochoro for about 30-45 minutes, and start the climb from there.
See below for the route from Litochoro (starting from near Myloi restaurant) to Prionia, which can take up to three hours.
From Prionia to Spilios Agapitos mountain refuge
As I mentioned, Litochoro was our first arrival point for this trip. The town itself is clearly quite tourist oriented, relying on travelers and adventurers making a stop before heading further to the nature. A small Orthodox church can be found at the town square, which were holding a traditional wedding at that time. We recommend to get supplies for the climb from one of the supermarkets in town.
We then searched for the place where we would spend the night, a nice lodging Arhontiko Aprhodite, from which we could see the mountainous interior from the distance. The owner was very kind and even offered to prepare the breakfast extra early since we would be leaving before dawn to start our climb. On top of that, she gifted us upon our departure a bag of dried herbal plant for making Greek mountain tea.
Early next morning, still wrapped in darkness, we continued driving further to Prionia at the head of the trail, around 1100 meters above the sea level. At dawn we started our long hike. Slowly but sure, the gentle slope started snaking deeper into the forest and higher into the center of the national park, bringing us closer to where the mythological gods reign.
We encountered many people descending having conquered Mount Olympus, some of them probably also disappointed by Zeus’ no-show. Some people were also hiking upwards, jokingly asking us, “Have you set up an appointment with Zeus up there?”.
Our first checkpoint is the Refuge of Spilios Agapitos, a mountain hut at elevation of 2100 meters where we would be lodging in the national park. After almost three hours of hike, we finally made it there, weary but excited. It is located about halfway to the top of the mountain. The facility is quite basic, with only ice-cold shower. Food and drinks are also served at reasonable price.
We had called the refuge the day before to reserve two spots in their large hall full of beds. It was probably was not necessary. An empty hall we encountered, with maybe three or four others. Understandable, since the weekend was over and it was quite late in the season. Summer would’ve been a different story, with the room full of hikers, young and old. But hey, I won’t complain that we had all the space we wanted.
“Have you set up an appointment with Zeus up there?”
One humorous hiker at Mount Olympus
To the summit of Mount Olympus
After a brief rest in the refuge, we pressed on. Two more hours to the top! Climbing even higher, fog started to descend upon us. Visibility worsened. For most part we couldn’t see too far, just the trail ahead of us. How fitting the condition was, the gods must be waiting somewhere beyond the mist. I instead grumbled, hoping that the mist would clear to give us clear panorama.
Further, the forest started to give way and the surrounding transformed to moon-like barren rocky terrain. Devoid of life, apart from dozens of tired hikers. We were finally above the tree line. As I toiled on, I won’t forget how I excited I was when all of a sudden the fog cleared around me. We were finally above the mist, and cloud too. I started running in excitement, going further up to have a clearer view.
At this time, my friend was already struggling with the climb. It always made me laugh to this day to remember how he told me half jokingly that I was torturing him with the hike. We finally made it to a rocky outcrop, very close to the highest peak (Mytikas) that is still shyly hiding behind the mist. This peak can only be scaled up with mountaineering equipment, not something for us mere hikers.
The highest peak where hikers could still reach, Skolio, was less than 100 meters lower than Mytikas. Well, I’d take that as Mount Olympus conquered. The fog came and go above and around us as we lied down on the rocky surface, catching our breath. We just said to ourselves with that imaginary tap on the shoulder, “Well done! We made it this far”.
And there were we, almost 3000 meters above the sea level somewhere in the northern Greece. Above the clouds. There’s nothing else to be seen below, just fields of clouds. Above was just a clear blue sky, with mist passing by at times. We were just lying there on a rocky slope, shrouded by mist, enjoying the cold mountain wind after a strenuous hike.
We were among the gods, the gods so revered in the Greek mythology. Well, not literally among the Greek gods since we could not find them there, on top of Mount Olympus. Maybe we forgot to schedule an appointment with them. A pity, since I was ready to ask Zeus if he thought that he was worthy enough to be portrayed by Liam Neeson in the movie Clash of the Titans.
The descend
Still slightly disappointed from the gods’ absence, we started our descend back to the mountain hut. At this point, it had been about eight hours since we started our hike from the base. Two more hours, we moaned. One heavy step, followed by another heavy step. Slowly but sure, we finally made our way back to the hut.
The spaghetti served in the hut was a god-send after such as hike, one of the most satisfying I ever had after clocking nearly ten hours of hiking with almost 2000 meters of ascend and 800 meters of descend. An achievement that my friend must be proud of despite all the torture I made him go through. Well, at least I know I am.
The way down on the next day felt so much easier. And one more surprise awaited us. We started hearing bells jingling in the distance, getting louder and louder. To our amazement, a caravan of about five donkeys appeared before us, led by a ‘donkey cowboy’, sitting sideways on the foremost donkey.
They were carrying supplies, presumably for the mountain hut. I wondered, how could these donkeys navigate the narrow trails, which can be tricky to pass even for hikers. Let that be a mystery reserved only for the donkeys and the brave cowboy (or donkeyboy?).
Back to the base, we high-fived each other with pride, having completed the strenuous hike. It was a pity the mist blanketed the most of Mount Olympus yesterday, hiding its glorious peaks and vista. The gods must’ve felt a bit shy on that day, I presumed.
