Half way walk in the lovely Lousious river and amazing hidden gems. Not too adventurous if you are in reasonable physical shape. Try to depart early before the heat and... read more the crowds.

  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.

  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.

  The trail is long, we only tasted it. The part we did was well signed and the path was good. It seems to be very challenging in parts with steep... read more climbs. The river (in April) was full and fast. Very beautiful.

  We did two hikes:

Steminitsa-dimitsana: great hike with both mountain views and lush forest. We visited two monasteries on the way which were really worthwhile. About halfway there’s a... read more bridge with a river which is a good place for a dip. It took us about 5 hours. We passed some people on the first half of the trip and none thereafter.

Vytina, small loop, direction of Elati and back: most beautiful part nature wise, authentic Greek tranquil landscape with olive trees, old bridges and rivers.

I really recommend using the app “AllTrails” - this shows all the possible pathways and tracks your location live. The trail itself is really well marked, except for a small bit around the water museum (close to Dimitsana). I’m adding the local information on the route in the photos.

  A wonderful walk - highly recommended. We staying in Dimitsana and took a taxi to Stemnitsa, and walked back along the trail. The section is 12.5km and a combined ascent... read more of 700m (although it felt more). The walk is about 5 hours plus stops. Setting off it the morning we were above the clouds which gradually cleared during the day. Basically the walk takes through the gorge starting at 1000m and dropping to 500m and then back to 1000m. The trail is extremely well way-marked, as are many Greek paths, pretty hard to get lost, and we did not take a map. We were lucky with the weather, there was torrential rain just after we return and I imagine it could get very hot in the summer months.

  I completed the Menalon Trail in 5 days, with hindsight I should have added an extra day but I had a time constraint. The trail is extremely well marked and... read more coupled with the downloaded Topoguide there is very little chance of wandering off the trail and getting lost. There is such a wonderful variety of terrain, views, villages, history that this trail is one of the most memorable of the many that I've done over the years. The logistics of getting there is a bit difficult but I ended up getting to Tripoli from Athens by bus and then hiring a taxi to the start at Stemnitsa. From the finish at Lagkadia I was collected by family but I believe that there is a bus from there to Tripoli. I never made any prior accommodation bookings but on arrival at each village I was fortunate to find somewhere to stay. Note that I hiked late September and in peak season finding accommodation will not be that easy.
A fantastic trail well worth doing!

  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.