We split the trail into 4 days walking 2 stages each day starting 15th October. Stayed at Lagkadia, drove to the end of the stages each day and got a... read more taxi to the start to walk back to the car. Excellent scenery, fairly strenuous walking in places. Trail mostly well signed, took a couple of wrong turns. We had a map but didn’t bother to download the app.
We stayed at Agnantio Studios with wonderful hosts Takis and Dora and their son Demetri. Accommodation and breakfast was excellent and Dora arranged our taxis for us each day as we don’t speak Greek.
Would recommend both the accommodation and the trail. We had excellent weather as well!
Saw a tortoise, numerous lizards, a few small snakes which soon disappeared into the undergrowth, lots of goats but very few people.

  This trail is really amazing!

We did 3 parts:

Dimitsana - Stemnitsa: Both villages are beautiful. The trail takes you through the gorge where you have a great... read more view of the river Lousios. The nature is really something to see. Very peaceful trail, we encountered very few people. The monastery close to Stemnitsa is also worth visiting. Once you are at the top a great view awaits you.

Stemnitsa - Karitaina: Karitaina is really a very beautiful village. This is not part of the official trail and is not so well maintained, however it is really amazing. I would not recommend it to acrophobic people. Also consider that despite the fact the hike is short, it still takes a while to do since the path is not so easy to go through. You once more decent into the gorge of the river and, for the most part, hike along the river Lousios.

Elati - Vytina: An amazing part of the trail. First going through a cedar forest and along a small river. Really worth it. Again both villages are really beautiful. With a bit of lack we were able to get a cab from Vytina back to Elati for about 15 euro.

  There were once a group of forward thinking people with passion that build the trail. They did everything perfect: courses, signs, good orientation, diversified attraction and the possibility to divide... read more and join different parts of the trail. But 1-2 years later it turned out that locals are not interested in what was achieved. The trail looks literally in some places abandoned and the only things that you can meets are sheeps and horses (!) that use the trail to get to the resting areas. Sad.

  We hiked the Menalon Trail in March from Stemnitsa to Vytina over four nights. We could have maybe made it three, but we wanted a day in the middle to... read more rest (which we did in Dimitsana in the Amanites Guesthouse, which I highly recommend). It was a beautiful trail but in March be warned - it can get quite warm in places but also quite foggy, rainy, and cold! We started off in the beating sun, but eventually on the Dimitsana - Elati route we ran into snow several feet deep! The first leg, going along the gorge and the monasteries was beautiful. We saw turtles and donkeys as well along the way. Nearing Dimitsana, we ran into some flooded areas of the trail and had to climb around and get our feet quite wet for a bit of it due to recent spring rain. There were some marked detours but we did lose the trail at one point and regained it later on. Dimitsana itself was a lovely quiet town, a great place to rest off the first day and we were lucky to see it snow-covered in the morning. The museum in town was unfortunately closed because of the holidays, but as we walked past it, it looked interesting. After resting, we did two legs in one day from Dimitsana to Zygovisti and then on to Elati. Because of recent snowfall, this third leg started out okay but quickly became a challenge as we had to walk up and down steep snow-covered icy trails which we hadn't quite been prepared for. Luckily some proper hikers were ahead of us, so we followed their footsteps and were fine. They had hired the services of a Menalon Trail guide, which you can do by email or calling the number for the trail (I recommend this if there's any sign of inclement weather). In Elati we stayed at Vanna's House (the contact you can also get from emailing Menalon trail), who provided a beautiful dinner and breakfast in their lovely self-built farmhouse. From there we did the last leg at a leisurely pace to Vytina. Vytina is a bigger town which probably gets more tourists, but we didn't feel as welcome there as in the earlier few towns along the trail - but it's a gorgeous town nonetheless.

The whole trail is pretty clearly signposted, however due to aforementioned inclement weather (rain and snow), it might be not so easy to find during early spring. The only time we walked near other people was during the first leg, as there are people going between the monasteries. In the snow covered areas, we saw hints of other travellers, but for the most part the whole trail felt like it was just for us!

To get to the trail, we took a bus from Athens to Tripoli (€16.50 each) and had been planning on taking a local bus from Tripoli to Stemnista, but we found there was a holiday on that day, so we had to pay for a taxi (€40). On the way back to Athens, we took a bus from Vytina back to Tripoli which carried on to Athens. I found there wasn't so much clear information on getting to/from Menalon trail that you can find online... But it's not really a big problem because, unless there's holidays, you can probably make it to and from Athens OK.

  We have just finished the full 8 sections of the trail. Like many of the reviewers we enjoyed the fir forests, the rock perched monasteries, the picturesque villages and the... read more hospitality of the villagers.
The late season had its effect so some villages were practically vacant. This includes Zygovitsi, Elati, and Magouliana, with Nymphasia just a bit more lively. So when preparing accommodation better check availability beforehand. Luckily you can always call for a taxi from a neighboring village. People are very friendly - one time we were offered a ride to the guesthouse in the larger village, and in another the guesthouse owner took us to the next village to continue the trail.
Autumn proved to be very welcome for hiking. Except for few raindrops in the first two days the weather was shiny, with few clouds, and with just the right temperature, around 20c. The autumn also offers the special golden colors of the poplars and plane trees in the river beds.
Other memorable pictures are the great plane tree in the village square of Magouliana, and the clear quiet stream with moss-covered stones in the narrow shady creek before Elati.
Transportation from Athens should not be a problem. For access to and from the area we used KTEL Arcadia bus service. They have a quite regular line between Athens and Tripoli, few times a day from Tripoli to Stemnitsa and twice a day from Lagkadia back to Tripoli.

  This is a bit of an undiscovered gem and one of the best walks I have done. We walked four sections of the trail with rest days in between. One... read more section is probably a day's walking although some sections you could do 2 in one day. Firstly it says the walk is moderate difficulty. I would agree but would clarify it: there are some steep uphill climbs and some long ones. You really do need a good level of fitness. Some sections there have been landslides and the paths are a little treacherous. Most of the paths we walked was well marked, but we did go wrong a few times and the section from Dimitsana to Filosophus we lost the trail completely. Lots of people walked Stemnitsa to Filosophus Monastery and it is really well marked but steep. All the other sections we walked we barely saw anyone. It is extraordinarily beautiful. I would say you need a good level of fitness. My biggest disappointment is that you can't easily hike with your things and then stay a night as some of the villages don't even have hostels. I had to stay in larger villages, get a taxi to the start point of a section, and then get a taxi back.

  This network of paths offers the visitor the chance to experience a scenic walk through the woods, by the river, on the top of mountains, in a gorge in a... read more constantly changing environment. The hiker must be well prepared for rapid weather changes and never hike by a river or in a gorger during rainy days. A guide is highly recommended for beginners.

  There are so many paths to take on the Menalon Trail, you cannot be bored. The trail I took was Stemnitsa - Dimitsana. It was rigorous and wonderful. I loved... read more all the water - the river, the waterfalls, the fountains. The Lousios River Gorge was tremendous. The water was so cold and refreshing. I absolutely loved it. And there were several monasteries that were so beautiful, especially in the pristine setting of the gorge.