Gorge-ous
Trip Start
Aug 28, 2007
1
14
28
Trip End
Nov 02, 2007
Monodendri, Greece
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Monodendri is part of the Zagorahoria, a collection of tiny villages on hilltops surrounding the Vikos Gorge (according to Let's Go, the steepest gorge on the planet). It has a permanent population of only about 150 people, and is not the most accessible place, which is part of its appeal of course.
We almost didn't make it. Buses only go to Monodendri three times a week from the nearest big city (Ioannina). We had planned our departure from Corfu to fall on a Wednesday, to coincide with the Mon-Wed-Fri bus schedule to Monodendri. However, after a bus ride, a ferry, and another bus ride, we arrived in Ioannina to find that the bus schedule had changed and there were no longer any Wednesday departures. Oops - this is where it probably pays to double check the info in your guidebook. Undaunted (OK, slightly daunted), we called the place where we'd reserved a room and deduced that there was a bus going in the general direction that might let us off at the Monodendri turnoff, which would put us only 10 km from town. From there, they said, they'd pick us up. With the help of the bus driver and a very nice old lady on the bus, we managed to get off at the right place (which really was just a random spot where the highway forked, and not an actual stop at all - but this does not seem uncommon in Greece). After half an hour of waiting in the rain, we were picked up by one of the family members who ran our little hotel, and were delighted to find that -- for not much money -- we had a sweet room in an old stone building, with a balcony overlooking the gorge.
As you might imagine, it took all of five minutes to explore the little town, so we spent most of our time wandering the surrounding cobblestone paths and hiking trails. We found one trail that led to a tiny monastery with sweeping views of the gorge. It also had an offshoot trail that led to a huge cave, which unfortunately we couldn't reach without bouldering.
If you're headed to Monodendri:
1) Stay at Arhondiko Zarkada hotel - great value for the money. It seems that getting a thumbs-up in Let's Go has gone to the Monodendri Hotel's head - they quoted us a price that was twice as much as the one listed in the guidebook. Some inflation is to be expected, but that's ridiculous.
2) Consider a stopover in Ioaninna, especially if you are craving some city living. We passed through it to change buses on our way to and from Monodendri, and it seemed like a pretty nice town, set on a beautiful lake.
He says:
After taking another early morning ferry, several buses, and standing for a half hour on the side of the road in the middle of rainy nowhere, we finally made it to Monodendri. This sleepy little town is a must-see for serious hikers. The Vikos Gorge, deepest on Earth, runs along right next to Monodendri. The views were great, especially from the old monastery. Michelle and I walked a 4-foot-wide trail behind the monastery, above a sheer drop. The trail led to a cave where the monks used to hide from marauders. The problem is, the trail ends at a mossy angle over the ravine, and you would need a rope and some courage to actually make it all the way to the cave.
Comments
So Dad says
What a grand find. Great pics. One hell-of-a gorge. If it was only about half an hour standing in the rain consider yourselves about 2 hours short of the Greek 'national average'for stranded travelers. Were you able to contact Malamedes in Thessaloniki?