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.

  I recently visited and walked part 5 of Menalon Trail, starting from Vytina to Nymfasia..but we also walked all the way to Kernitsa monastery...I am an experience and professional guide... read more myself from Evia island..My visit was part of the the 1st Panhellenic Meeting on Hiking Networks and the 3rd European Conference of Representatives of Certified LQT (Leading Quality Trails) paths. In my opinion this trail network does serve the purpose it was initially created for..to revive small mountain villages through outdoor and hiking activities, also promoting the landscape, culture and gastronomy. The trails are reasonably well maintained, and the marking are sufficient to keep you going..i wish the team good luck with their trail projects, as their future goal is to connect all ancient sites of Peloponnese, such as Mycenes and Ancient Olympia with the same walking path, which i find really fascinating..

  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.

  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.

  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.

  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.

  I did the whole trail from 14-08-2020 till 21-08-2020. It's a great hike! A large part leads you through fir forests. The villages are small and beautiful. You need definitly... read more a walking stick. Mind that there is only an ATM in Stemnitsa, Damitsana, Vytina and Lagkadia. At many accomodations you can only pay with cash. In summer the bus leaves from Lagkadia to Tripoli at 15.00 h. The Menalon trail map helps you to understand the courses of the trail.

  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.