SamuelIt may not be the most popular natural wonder, but Vikos gorge in Greece offers one of the most breathtaking views in Europe and beyond. In fact, with about 900 meters deep and only 1100 meters between its rims, it is the world’s deepest canyon, with a more impressive height/width ratio than even the world famous Grand Canyon.
It is located in the north-western part of the country, nestled among the small villages in that sparsely populated part of Greece. It is part of the greater Vikos–Aoös national park, which also includes the surrounding area. On our way there, it was easy to see why there are not so many settlements. The terrain is mountainous with only winding road connecting the settlements.
There are plenty of ways to explore this mighty gorge. Besides admiring its beauty from above, this gorge can also be explored from the bottom. There is an established hiking trail running through the whole length of the gorge, starting from the village of Monodendri and ending in Papingo, about 12-13 kilometers which can be done in about seven hours at moderate pace.
Check out also my hike to the Dragon’s lake (Drakolimni) which is also located in the Vikos–Aoös national park. The visit to both Vikos gorge and the Dragon’s lake can be conveniently combined to get the true taste of the natural beauty of this area.
Getting there
Due to its remote location, the most convenient way to reach Vikos gorge is by car. It allows travelers to also visit some of the vantage points spread over the rim of the gorge for wonderful views. No public transport is available to visit the vantage points.
The most popular entry point to the Vikos gorge area is the village of Monodendri at the southern tip of the gorge. Vitsa, directly south of Monodendri, is also a good alternative. Both offer excellent starting point for walking the gorge northward.
Papingo, at the northern tip is the best starting point for those looking to walk southward. The villages around this area are very pretty with charming stone houses, sometimes painted with the typical Greek white and blue.
The nearest major Greek city to the area is Ioannina, due south of Vikos gorge. There are supposedly bus services, albeit infrequent, running from Ioannina to Monodendri or Papingo. However, I cannot vouch for their accuracy or reliability.
Vikos gorge vantage points
Among the many villages dotting the Vikos gorge area, we chose to first settle in Monodendri at the southern tip of the gorge. There were many lodgings available for visitors and our choice fell on the Guesthouse Ladia, a family owned, modest, yet charming traditional Greek house.
The owner, Lefteris, was very friendly, offering us hot drinks and small cakes upon our arrival and showed us on a worn-out map the places to visit in the area. He even offered us a locally distilled liquor afterwards, which I regrettably had to refuse as I had to continue driving.
There were some vantage points all around the gorge, and Lefteris suggested us to go to the Oxya viewpoint which offered the best panorama. As a local, he really knew what he was talking about. The view of the gorge was truly something special. The low hanging late afternoon sun shining upon the gorge gave the usually white cliffs a pretty golden hue.
Standing next to the cliff with almost a kilometer of vertical drop was surreal. It was really daunting and made me feel really small, exposed, and vulnerable. There was no fencing, so visitors had to watch their every step, not to tumble into the depths of the gorge. I thought to myself, “Luckily I refused the liquor offered by Leftiris. This is not a good place to hang around after a drink.”
We then went to another vantage point close to Monodendri, which is actually located at Agia Paraskevi monastery nestled at the edge of the cliff. The monastery itself looked quite deserted, but the view over the gorge was breathtaking.
Walking the gorge
For walking through the Vikos gorge, we again relied on Lefteris to give us some tips and suggestions about the route, such as about the drinking water source found halfway through the walk.
He offered us a packed lunch for the walk, very convenient since there’s hardly any supermarket for us to get supplies in Monodendri. We also made a deal with him to pick us up by car from Papingo back to Monodendri where we left our car. It is recommended since public transport between the villages is almost non-existent.
On a cloudless early morning, we started our hike. The prospect of walking for seven hours had already gotten into my friend’s nerve. “I’ll be tortured again today. Help meeee!”, I remember he moaned as I brushed his complaint off with a laugh. Anyway, the hike first started with a rapid descent to the canyon’s floor. It took us quite a while before we got to the bottom, about an hour, demonstrating how deep it was.
The hike started with the easy part. After the descend, a long walk through the largely flat canyon base followed. Occasionally we crossed path with other hikers and trail runners, but we mostly had the place to ourselves in quietness. The path ran mostly on the side part, with a dry rocky riverbed in this autumn season running through the middle of the canyon. However, rainy season in another time of the year can fill up the river.
After going through the narrower part of the canyon in the first half of the hike, the terrain started opening up. The rocky canyon started to give way to lush forested valley. But, the difficult part would soon start. After almost six hours of walking on our legs, the path started ascending. Bad news! I can hear my friend started saying, “I’m being tortured…”.
Our pace slowed down. But, with the ascend, the view started to change too. Walking on the slope of the valley presented us with a different perspective. The sight of a settlement in the distance located in a foot of towering rocks brought us relief, a sign that our destination in just a stone’s throw away.
In the end, eight hours was what it took us to cross the mighty Vikos gorge. Weary but satisfied, we high-fived each other as we entered civilization again and my friend exclaimed: “The torture is over!”.
