1st long weekend – Crossing Thessalian Agrafa

Friday

   A mountainous and large artificial lake that impresses with its lacy coastline together with the surrounding vegetation creates an idyllic landscape. The mosaic of biotopes hosts an exceptionally rich fauna. Arriving at the lake we make a short stop at the dam, an elegant arch that seems to embrace the huge volume of water of the lake, it is a beautiful spot to gaze at the lake.

   We arrive at Karitsa Doloponi where we begin our hike. We pass by the chapel of Metamorphosis of the Savior (wall painting from 1,600 AD) of the post-Byzantine years and then we arrive at the Holy Monastery of Panagia Pelekiti. We continue in a fir forest that in various places overlooks the lake from above. Opposite us we see the impressive mountain complex of the Sleeping Lady of Agrafa with the peak of Borlero while to the west Voutsikaki patiently awaits us. We arrive at the Agrafa Mountain Refuge located at an altitude of 1,536m. where we will take our things from the coach and settle down.

   In the afternoon we will visit Kaimakia cave which is the largest cave in the prefecture of Karditsa with a corridor length of nearly 500 meters. The entrance of the cave is open to the public. The waters that emerge from the mouth of the entrance, mainly in the spring months, feed the stream “Bounou” (which in Vlach means «the good one») and this in turn feeds the Karitsiotiko stream. The cave is located on the first borders of Greece-Ottoman Empire as they were formed in 1835. Natural wealth, history and culture come together in these underground palaces, which are included in the category of monuments. Inside, the visitor will see wonderful works of nature, such as stalactites, stalagmites, curtains, columns, eccentric cave pearls and underground rivers. In an environment with constant temperature and relative humidity, in almost absolute silence and lack of light, many species of fauna are found, such as moths, snails, dolichopods, pseudoscorpions, spiders, bats and salamanders, a world unknown to many.

   Later, to end the evening nicely, we will have prepared an open-air cinema for you with a short presentation of the area, Finix Adventures, the #save_agrafa struggle for the defense of the mountains, and a short film from the 70s shot in Agrafa and Olympus by local climbers.

Saturday

   We start for the Voutsikaki peak (2,152m), we will soon leave the fir forest and continue in the alpine section to the Templa peak (1,809m) from where we will enjoy the first impressive panoramic view.

  We will walk along a ridge where we will encounter the monument of the late mountaineer and glider pilot Konstantinos Tzamaras, while at the «Stratonas» pass we will see an underground stone-built remnant of an outpost from the first borders of the Greek state. After the Voutsikaki ridge, which is breathtaking due to the cliffs on the south side, we will see two worlds. On the one hand, we leave behind civilization with the cities, villages and Lake Plastira, while in front of us opens up the wild nature, a sea of ridges, the inaccessible Agrafa. From here we see half of the Pindos mountains. The final descent is made by the path carved into the rock that will take us to the Petrilo Meadows. Here we will be surrounded by vast fir forests and above us the three highest mountain ranges of Agrafa, Voutsikaki, Delidimi and Karava.

  We will settle our things at the guesthouse «Ta Livadia» and enjoy the traditional Argithea cuisine from the hands of the owner Thanasis Vassilos. After our midday siesta in the afternoon we will take a botanical walk on the Souda tou Mai path with the final destination being the impressive waterfall that pours its waters between huge fir trees. At the guesthouse, tsipouraki accompanied by mutton chops will be waiting for us to enjoy.

Sunday

   We will start our hike at 1559 meters altitude, from the col of Agios Nikolaos, the highest point that the road passes to reach Argithea. We pass through a forest with large impressive beech trees and soon we will continue into an alpine field. We arrive at Loutsa, a seasonal dragon lake that forms on a small beautiful plateau and we continue the climb to the peak of Karavas at 2,184 meters, the highest of Agrafa. If we are lucky we will also encounter some of the herds of wild horses or we will see rare large raptors that live here flying high. After gazing at the Pindos mountains and the plain on the other side we will return to the accommodation for lunch before starting the return journey.