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I hiked the trail solo in the last week of June and it was fantastic. I did it in four sections and walked to a village with accommodation every day.... read more I want to share that it is possible because I couldn't find any other reviews where people did it this way before I went. (I’m a 35 year old female, pretty confident hiking).
Tip: FOLLOW THE SIGNS. They are frequent so if you haven’t seen one for a while, consider backtracking. They are visible but it only takes a minute to miss a turn into the forest. Sometimes the trail has to be changed due to conditions, so there are handwritten notes on the little signs.
My recommended alternative shorter adventure would be to walk day 1 and day 4 and spend more time relaxing in the villages.
My route:
Day 1: Stemnitsa to Dimitsana
Short day, about 5.5 hours including stopping to explore old monasteries.
Day 2: Dimitsana to Vytina (via Zygovisti and Elati)
It is admittedly a big day, up to 10 hours, but if you are reasonably fit and experienced and set off early it's achievable.
Day 3: Vytina to Valtesiniko (via Magouliana)
This is a long pants day, lots of scrub. Took about 8 hours with stops.
Shout out to my hosts at Petra & Elato Hotel and to the family that runs Taverna Vasilikos (Ταβέρνα Βασιλικός), they were so friendly and made me a superb pizza.
Day 4: Valtesiniko to Lagkadia
Definitely one of the nicest scenery days, and some of the best walking. About 5 hours. Glad for my leftover pizza.
August 11, 2019I have lots in four continents, and I find that the Menalon trail was well designed, with changing landscape, connection to culture and people, and ease of navigation/logistic. If you... read more have the time to do the whole thing I highly recommend doing the whole thing but if you just do a part then the Stemnitsana-Dimitsana section was really nice for the monasteries.
I did it in 5 days in July. The heat was bearable since I left early morning, stopped mid-day, and walked again from 2-3 pm until the next village.
I did (1) Stemnitsa-Dimitsana, (2) Dimitsana- Zygovisti -Elati, (3) Elati - Vytina - Nymphasia ; (4) Nymphasia - Magouliana - Valtesiniko; (5) Valtesiniko - Lagkadia.
Day 1: Stemnista is a cute village, Dimitsana has everything you need. In Stemnista I asked the B&B owner and he helped me arrange transfer of my stuff to Lagkadia. Lots of culture in the trail with several monasteries. Really interesting! A monk explained the history of the monastery to me (in perfect French). I had snacks for that day
Day 2: Long day, I ran out of water. I usually carry 2 liters and refill during the day but on that day 3 liters would have been necessary since some water streams/sources are dry in July. I did not stop in Vytina. In Elati there is no guesthouse, so I rented an apartment from a local person. I got the contact by emailing the Menalon trail people. Elati has one taverna - shout out to John the 13 years old son of the owner for speaking good English! Great, hard hiking day, beer tasted great!
Day 3: Nice walk in the valley. In Nymphasia I stayed at the Nymphasia Resort Hotel, 20 minutes from the village. I stayed 2 nights, did not do much, ate a burger, went to the swimming pool, and had a massage because I'm worth it haha! The staff is great and will work hard to make you happy (including yogurt for supper brought to your room). Shout out to the receptionist guy who seems to work every day from 7 am until midnight, and still found the energy to worry that I was "relaxed ok"!
Day 4: Great hike in forest and open scrub. Stopped at the ermitage and was able to toll the bell several times as I was the only one. Neat experience! Had lunch in Magouliana before the main square. The taverna was busy and people all said hi and smiling. Nice, welcoming experience! That day was particularly hot as the afternoon walk is in open land (not forest) so take you time. Valtesiniko is my favorite village: small, authentic, beautiful, clean, well organized. The priest kind of walks around the village entering cafés and tavernas saying hi! Moussaka was great! From the top of the village you can see the mountains stretching and the churches down below lighted in blue and white. Shout out to the owners of Thea Valtesiniko who were super welcoming and caring.
Day 5: Wonderful walk in varied fir forest. Felt elated walking and stopping in the deep forest moss. I had snacks as this day there is no village between start and end. The weather was nice and the walk easy. Towards the end of the walk I was sad it was already over! There was a bus back to Tripoli at 8 am the day after. (Check schedule at your hotel).
August 1, 2022We spent an enjoyable day walking from Stemnitsa- we had a map but didn’t need it as the route was well signed all the way. We walked for about... read more 5 hours including stops at the monasteries and a dip in the river but didn’t make it to Dimitsana in that time. We then decided to return by taxi as the kids were tired in the August heat. We got help from the hotel to call a taxi to take us back which cost about 20 Euros. At times it was a bit unstable under foot so you definitely need trainers. The views were stunning!
August 16, 2018i traveld whit giannis. a nice guid. he took us for a nice wallk over the melnia wallk. He knows all the trails in the area. It's worth a stroll... read more through the villages along the river that connects them. On the way to see monasteries hanging. You can also ask him for a bike ride. jonh942003@gmail.com.
October 12, 2019 -
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.
August 25, 2020With a small team of nature lovers we hiked 4 of the most difficult trails at Menalon Trail over last week, starting from Karytaina, Moni Panagias Kalamiou, Atsicholos, Lousios river,... read more Moni Agiou Ioannou Prodromou, Moni Panagias Filosofou, Dimitsana, Elati, Zygovisti,Vytina. Since I'm amateur in this kind of excursions I faced many difficulties on walking many times under the hot summer sun of Greece or at very narrow paths, but I also enjoyed every step under the huge pine, oak and fir trees. Swimming at Lousios river natural Spa waters was so exciting that we spend almost 3 hours relaxing and sunbathing. The signs and explanatory panels were very helpful. At the villages we visited and stayed the people were very hospitable offering the nicest goods that they had, but the most important their warm welcome and smile. At the monasteries, visitors are welcomed with water and loukoumi so to refresh and rest a bit. From the monks we learned quite a number of historical and art details about the monastery and the people that lived there.
It really worths a lot to walk on foot to feel and discover real life.
July 18, 2016There 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.
August 23, 2016This 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.
April 20, 2017