Hiking Vikos Gorge – The Grand Canyon of Greece (Zagori Region)

Vikos Gorge is easily one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen in my life. Most call it the “Grand Canyon of Greece”, but I would actually liken it more to Yosemite National Park in California. Kind of like Yosemite, Vikos is very green and is full of wildlife. Brown bears, wolves, wild horses, reptiles, foxes, and wild cats all exist in the Vikos ecosystem! Plus, theres a beautiful, fresh river/natural spring at the bottom to swim in. Hiking Vikos Gorge I really did feel like I was in a more narrow but much taller, fertile, green … Yosemite Valley.

The best part of Vikos for me is how untouched it still is. If Vikos was in the US it would have tens of thousands of daily visitors, but since its in Northern Greece it really isn’t crowded at all. The word still hasn’t gotten out to the mainstream tourists on this place yet. I was here in Mid-June of 2024 and easily saw less than 50 people all day during my hike. The mountain villages where you stay aren’t crowded either, and the prices for food are very affordable. (about 10 euros for a meal)

I would highly recommend you come here ASAP before the rest of the world realizes what they’re missing!

🇬🇷 Things to Book Now for Vikos Gorge 🌄

  1. Rental Car 🚗 (Discover Cars)
  2. Hotel in Monodendri 🏨 (Booking.com)
  3. Rafting in Vikos National Park 🏞️ (Viator)

Table of Contents

Hiking Vikos Gorge

Vikos Gorge is the world’s deepest canyon based on a width-to-depth ratio, according to Guinness World Records.

Let’s start with some general information to help you with your hike. Also, if you’re coming from Athens, I highly recommend you checkout the Meteora Monasteries on your Greece Road Trip! These are an incredible set of monasteries built into the mountains that are world famous.

🛌 Here are all your hotel options in Monodendri 🌄

General Info

There really is only 1 hiking trail in Vikos, and you can complete it North to South or South to North. Most people stay in the South in Monodendri and choose to hike North through the Gorge to Vikos Village. Before you climb the hill to Vikos Village there is a beautiful and freezing cold spring called Voidomatis Springs that you can visit. This is some of the coldest water I have ever swam in, as it comes from the snow-capped Pindus Mountains of Northern Greece.

If you’re feeling ambitious, you can also hike the extra hour to the village of Papingo, meaning you continue past Voidomatis Springs and don’t head up the hill until a bit later.

Since the hike is pretty long, most people just hike one way, then take a taxi back to their starting point (about 40-50 euros). From Monodendri to Vikos Village is about 15 km, and you are not going to want to go all the way back after you do this hike. I only stopped once to swim in the Springs and it took me about 4 hours, but it will probably take you closer to 5.

➡️ Read: Is Meteora Worth Visiting?

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Part of the hike – mostly shaded
hiking vikos gorge
Voidomatis Springs at the bottom of Vikos

The Hike – My Experience

The starting point is at the bottom of Monodendri near a very cool amphitheatre and historic public square. From here, you will be descending for about 30 minutes – 1 hour, and sometimes quite steeply. The descent is very rocky so make sure you have good hiking shoes. Once you descend you will basically be walking alongside the (dry) river bed for the next few hours, with some small ascents and descents, but nothing too challenging.

Close to the end of the hike, you will come to a fork. To the left and up the hill is Vikos Village, and to the right is Voidomatis Springs and Papingo. From this point, the springs are only a 5 minute walk so I highly recommend you check them out. Go for a dip in the freezing cold water, then walk back to the fork, and start the ascent to Vikos Village. The climb up the hill to get to the village is steep and challenging after your long hike, but nothing dangerous. Also, this is where the best views of Gorge are at … by far. As you’re walking up to Vikos Village, don’t forget to turn around and snap some amazing pictures of the Gorge!

➡️ Read: 2 Week Turkey and Greece Itinerary 🇹🇷 🇬🇷

hiking vikos gorge
Ascending the hill to Vikos Village at the end of the hike

The hike is very well marked, and I would say there is no need for a map. There is only 1 trail, and it is very clearly defined. The internet was out in Monodendri the day before I did the hike, so I couldn’t download a map of the hike beforehand, but all was fine as I definitely didn’t need the map anyway.

Once I got to Vikos Village, the owner of the hotel I stayed at (Ladias Hotel) picked me up in his taxi. I believe he charges 40-50 euros, depending on how many people are in your group. There are a few restaurants in Vikos Village if you’re looking to eat before you head back to Monodendri!

➡️ Read: Best Greece Island-Hopping Itinerary for the Cyclades

Tips for Hiking Vikos Gorge

1 – Good shoes are really important here. There are a ton of large, loose rocks.

2 – Bring your bathing suit and towel so you can swim in the Springs at the end. The Springs are COLD. This is probably the coldest water I’ve ever swam in!

3 – You don’t need to download the trail as it is very clear. But do what makes you feel safe.

4 – Bring enough water as you will be sweating a lot. I drank 3 liters of water on this hike.

5 – Make sure you have enough cash for the taxi back to Monodendri.

🚗 We recommend to rent a car through Discover Cars. Book your rental car here!

hiking vikos gorge
My view from Hotel Ladias in Monodendri

Where to Stay – Hiking Vikos Gorge

Monodendri is the most popular and biggest village to stay in for travelers. Plus, its location right at the South of the Gorge makes it very convenient to hike Vikos Gorge.

A common budget hotel you’ll see in every travel blog is Hotel Ladias. I stayed here and found it to be pretty decent. This is a family-run hotel with 20 rooms, and the brothers help you with everything. They give you advice on what to visit, what to see, etc. They also have a taxi-service, and can pick you up from Vikos Village and bring you back to the hotel when you finish the hike. Breakfast is also included in the price here, although it wasn’t that impressive in my opinion.

🛌 Here are all your hotel options in Monodendri 🇬🇷

Other Things to Do Near Vikos Gorge

The Zagori Region (where Vikos is located) is LOADED with cool mountain villages, springs, rivers, hikes, and viewpoints to visit. I would highly recommend you see more than just Vikos Gorge when you come to this area. The Zagori Region in Greece is honestly one of my favorite places I have ever visited anywhere in the world, so I recommend you budget at least three days here.

👉Book the best Vikos tours HERE 🗻

1 – Oxya Viewpoint

The most impressive viewpoint I found that overlooks Vikos Gorge. The key is to take the left path up to the top of the hill. There is a concrete path that goes right to an official observation deck. If you want to get away from the tourists and get a STUNNING view of Vikos, take the left path to the top. (it’s only about a 1-2 minute walk once you park here)

hiking vikos gorge
Oxya Viewpoint – Hard to Beat this!

2 – Hike the Ice Age Voidomatis Trail

About a 2 hour hike along the Voidomatis River. The river is a beautiful place to take a dip. (Although it is definitely freezing!) If you’re looking for a free activity to do after you hike the gorge, this is a great option. You’ll find tons of people living out of their vans in this area. (European tourists)

➡️ Read: 11 Things to Do in Naxos 🇬🇷

hiking vikos gorge
The Voidomatis River next to the trail

3 – Visit the Papingo Rock Pools

Very cool natural springs near Papingo to visit when you’re close by!

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4 – Go Rafting in Vikos National Park

Raft down the Voidomatis River, one of Europe’s coldest and cleanest rivers. This would be a good option if you’re looking to fill a day after hiking Vikos Gorge! This tour is $66 per person.

🛶 Book the best Rafting tour HERE ⬅️

5 – Beloi Viewpoint

Some say this is the best viewpoint of Vikos, however it’s on the Eastern side of the Gorge, meaning it’s a 45 minute drive from Monodendri. From the parking lot here, it’s about a 30 minute hike to the viewpoint. If you are staying in Monodendri, I would say Oxya Viewpoint is just fine (only 10 minutes away) as I don’t think you could get much more impressive than this!

➡️ Read: Top 8 Things to Do in Milos

6 – Visit Ioannina

The largest city in the Epirus region with about 150,000 inhabitants, located on a beautiful lake. You could base yourself here to explore the region if you’d rather stay in a real city with tons of modern amenities. I spent a few days here after my time in Monodendri and loved it! Ioannina is a great look into a thriving, authentic Greek city without the tourists! When I came here, everyone wanted to know where I was from – it seemed like they don’t get many international tourists here.

➡️ Read: Perfect 2 Week Turkey Itinerary 🇹🇷 ✨

How to Get to Vikos Gorge

I rented a car in Athens and took a Greece road trip to Meteora and Vikos. However, there are multiple ways to get to Vikos, depending on your budget and timeframe.

By Car

Monodendri is about 5 hours from Athens, 3.5 hours from Thessaloniki, and 50 minutes from Ioannina. If you are only coming to Greece to explore the North, then I recommend you fly to Ioannina or Thessaloniki, rent a car, and drive to Monodendri.

🚗 We recommend to rent a car for Greece through Discover Cars. Book your rental car here!

By Bus

There are busses to Ioannina from Athens and Thessaloniki. From Ioannina, you can try to catch a bus, however they are very infrequent so most end up taking a taxi to Monodendri. I met some travelers who did this and paid 45 euros for their taxi from Ioannina to Monodendri. (better to just rent a car at that price!)

➡️ Read: 11 Things to Do in Naxos

Map of Things to Do Near Vikos Gorge

Summary – Hiking Vikos Gorge

A trip to Vikos Gorge is definitely worth it. This is an amazing place that has not been ruined by overtourism … yet. Make sure you come here before the rest of the world finds out!

Questions? Let us know in the comments, we’d be happy to help!

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2 Comments

  1. Dear Sam and Kelsey,
    I’m planning a trip to the Vikos gorge area in North Greece, I’ve read your great account. I am not a hiker and will probably be solo (bad knees, I won’t make much more than an hour on flat(tish) ground). So my question: what would be the easiest hike or destination to still gain a fairly good view (or feel) of the Vikos gorge?

    Thank you in advance, Livia
    College English teacher from Serbia, also an avid traveller

    • Hello Szedmina!

      We would recommend head to Vikos Village. There is a beautiful viewpoint here called ‘Vikos Gorge View Point’ on Google Maps. This gives you an amazing view of the Gorge. From here, you can walk down into Vikos Gorge. This walk down into Vikos is generally seen as the best view in all of Vikos. The trail is pretty good (not too steep) and snakes back and forth until you reach the bottom. We recommend this part of Vikos because of the amazing view, flat ground, and you can turn around whenever you want very easily. I would estimate if you walk for an hour you would almost be at the bottom of Vikos (but then you would have to walk all the way back up of course)

      Another amazing viewpoint is Oxya Viewpoint near Monodendri – but it’s only a 2 minute walk to get here. (and you can’t walk down at all from here)

      Hope this helps!

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