Hiking top of mount Parnonas

Hiking top of mount Parnonas .

Travel with us on a unique autumn trek in the Peloponnese (Hiking top of mount Parnonas ).
A two-day full of chestnut trees, shelters, stargazing and a full moon. The trek starts on Saturday
morning from Athena with destination Lepida Waterfalls which take your breath away
with their view since the height they fall is more than 70 meters!!! Deep blue waterfalls accompany our every step until we reach the great waterfall.

Programm – Hiking top of mount Parnonas

At the end of the morning hike, the next stop is the unique Kastanitsa. Festivities and
a path full of chestnuts await us to relax and enjoy the uniqueness of Parnon’s nature.
Completion of the hike in the central square of the picturesque village to enjoy a nice meal with traditional flavors of the region.

The last destination of the day is the Parnonas mountain refuge, where we will relax in front of the fireplace with tea and sweet cake.
Again the day doesn’t end here!! The stargazing of the night sky from Parnonas is something unique since our place of residence 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 for stargazing in the area.

Sunday morning we start with a destination for the highest peak of Parnon, a very beautiful hiking route of 15 km.
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

On our return from the summit we will collect our equipment from the shelter and depart for another very beautiful destination.
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 Vamvakou
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.

Today, a restaurant and cafe, the guest house “I Rouga tis Vamvakous” is operating again in the village.
The Vamvakou school functions as a space for creative work for children and school class visits,
as well as a hosting space for V.Lab (Vamvakou Technology Lab fully powered by SNF), a state-of-the-art STEAM center.

Vamvakou was built in the 15th century on the slopes of Mount Parnon, at an altitude of 903 meters, among fir,
walnut and chestnut trees. It has an important historical and cultural heritage, special natural wealth and beauty.
Today it belongs to the Municipal Unit of Oinouda, of the Municipality of Sparta, of the Prefecture of Laconia.

Activities point

Parnon or Parnonas (Greek: Πάρνων/Πάρνωνας) or Malevos (Μαλεβός) is a mountain range, or massif, on the east of the Laconian plain and the Evrotas valley. It is visible from Athens above the top of the Argive mountains.[citation needed] The western part is in the Laconia prefecture and the northeastern part is in the Arcadia prefecture. The Parnon range separates Laconia from Arcadia. Its summit offers panoramic views of southeastern Arcadia and South Kynouria and much of Laconia that includes the northern and the central portions and reaches as far as the Taygetos mountains. It also views a part of the central Arcadia and the southern Argolis prefectures. It views the Myrtoan and the Laconian Gulfs.

Cost and Tickets

Hiking : 30€
Transportation/ + hiking / + Accommodation : 75€