Hiking Parnonas Mount and Lepida Canyon in Peloponnese

Hiking Parnonas Mount and Lepida Canyon in Peloponnese

Hiking Parnonas Mount and Lepida Canyon in Peloponnese

Destination Peloponnese for hiking on Parnon and Lepida gorge.
The trek starts on Saturday morning from Athena with destination Lepida Waterfalls
which take your breath away with their view and the height they fall from a height of 70 meters.
There we will hike on a very beautiful path to see the middle waterfalls
of the gorge and then we will go down to the big waterfall which as we mentioned falls from a height of 70 meters

Photos and tea will include our stop under the imposing waterfall.
Departure for dinner in a traditional tavern of the area.
The last destination of the day is the mountain refuge of Parnonas,
where we will relax in front of the fireplace with tea and sweet chestnut cake!!! . Again the day doesn’t end here!!

Self-observation of the night sky from Mount Parnon is something unique since our accommodation is well known
for the stargazing ability it offers to its guests. The area of ​​the refuge is ideal for amateur astronomers who every year
hold global and pan-Hellenic meetings in the area for self-observations. Sunday morning we have split into 2 groups
with the first undertaking the ascent to the top of Parnon and the second (which will wake up later)
a very beautiful 10 km hiking route.
After completing the 2 hikes, we will go for lunch in the beautiful Vamvakou

Area

Parnonas is a mountain 1,934 meters high, which separates Arcadia from Laconia, ending in the latter,
|ending at Cape Maleas. Parnonas is considered a mountain range, since its length exceeds 100 km.
In the east, its ends reach the Argolic gulf and the Myrtle Sea, and in the west, the valley of Evrotas.
Its mountainous mass occupies an area of ​​2 million acres.
The highest peak of the mountain is Megali Tourla, at 1,934 m, which is also our destination,
during the hike we will encounter three types of conifers: the Capelin fir (abies cephalonica),
the black pine (pinus nigra) and the rare cedar (juniperus drupacea ), as well as from oaks,
plane trees and carob trees.[ A product found in great abundance on the mountain
is tea and martinis (mushrooms). There are also many cherry trees, walnut trees, fig trees and vineyards

The penultimate destination is the picturesque Vamvakiou, The village is located in an idyllic mountain landscape,
where a group of five friends with roots in Vamvakiou wanted to write a new chapter in the history of the village
and began to formulate its revival plan. In this context, in 2016, the five friends met with Andreas Drakopoulos,
President of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), while in August 2018, they founded the Social Cooperative
Enterprise called “Vamvakou Revival”. With the SNF donation, the first steps of the project included planning
to attract new visitors to the village, offering activities, and creating new structures.

Tips and Extras

Technical Details
1 day
Hiking 5.8 km.
350 altitude
3-4 hours
2/5 Difficulty

2 day
Hike Hiking 10 or 15 km.
300 or 700 Altitude
3-4  or  5-6 hours
2/5  or  3/5 Difficulty

Cost and Tickets

Accommodation and  Hiking €80

Accommodation

The shelter of Parnonas is located at Arnomousga,
above the village of Vamvakou in Lakonia at an altitude of 1,420 meters.
It was put into operation in 1973 by E.O.S. Sparta and was a donation
of the Greek-American George Pierce (Giorgos Papatheodorou).
The shelter does not have electricity, it has a fireplace, stove, gas for cooking,
indoor toilets, and there is also a natural water source at a distance of 200 meters.