{"id":733,"date":"2015-04-23T17:56:05","date_gmt":"2015-04-23T15:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/astra-inn.gr\/?page_id=733&lang=en"},"modified":"2017-11-17T14:41:22","modified_gmt":"2017-11-17T12:41:22","slug":"sightseeing-zagorochoria-vikos-aoos-national-park-unesco-geopark","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/astra-inn.gr\/en\/sightseeing-zagorochoria-vikos-aoos-national-park-unesco-geopark\/","title":{"rendered":"Sightseeing"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Thanks to its wild and unspoiled nature and its distinctive, traditional architecture, Zagori is one of the most strictly protected areas in Greece. It falls under the Greek law for the conservation of the environment, as well as the UNESCO and NATURA 2000 regulations. The region\u2019s settlements are also strictly supervised by the Architectural and Archaeological authorities due to their cultural value.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1510666610506{padding-bottom: 12px !important;}”]VIKOS GORGE[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Vikos Gorge\u00a0with a length of about 15\u00a0km, \u00a0is listed as the deepest gorge in the world. You may walk through it (12km \/ 6 hrs) or choose the one of the four view points (Beloi, Aghia Paraskevi, Oxia,Vikos) and enjoy the view.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1510666790569{padding-bottom: 12px !important;}”]VOIDOMATIS RIVER[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The river rises in Vikos gorge and follows an impressive waterway wreathed with age-long plane trees that border its bed and traditional stone bridges over the waters.\u00a0Its length is about 10km and it is considered to be one of the cleanest rivers in Europe. You may hike part of it (5km approx) starting from Papigo bridge.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1510666835135{padding-bottom: 12px !important;}”]ROGOVOS POOLS[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]These are situated halfway between the villages of Megalo and Mikro Papigo at an altitude of 980m. It\u2019s a cluster of small pools, formed on the large rocks of the riverbed of Rogovos, a stream that descends from the westernmost peak of Tymphi crossing the two villages. Over the years the stream\u2019s corrosive powers sculpted the rocky riverbed, creating small cavities that collect the water. The pools are spread over approx. 200m, one after the other, interspersed with small waterfalls; the combination of the water and the stream\u2019s dense greenery make for a uniquely beautiful landscape enjoyed by large numbers of visitors throughout the year.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1510666677063{padding-bottom: 12px !important;}”]SCALA (STAIRS) VRADETOU[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]It is quite an impressive stone stairway not only because of the breathtaking view it offers but also for the great condition it has been conserved in. The stairs of Vradeto were the only way to get from Vradeto, which is located at the highest point in Zagoria, to Kapesovo, up until 1974. Follow the stairway and admire the magnificent artistry with which the stones have been put together, creating three different lanes, as well as the virgin natural landscape. The path towards Vradeto starts just outside Kapesovo and goes down to Mezaria. From there begin the stone stairs and after 1200 meters they lead to the entrance of the village at an altitude of 1,340 meters. The route is fairly easy as the stairs were built pedestrians and the walk lasts a little over an hour.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1510666888294{padding-bottom: 12px !important;}”]DRAKOLIMNI LAKE[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]It is located on a 2,050 m. elevation on Tymfi massif, between\u00a0Aoos River\u00a0and its tributary\u00a0Voidomatis. Its shape is elliptic, with a perimeter of approximately 500 m. and it lies next to the precipice facing Aoos River. The surrounding landscape is barren and very impressive in its rare beauty offering a panoramic view of the mountain peaks. In order to visit the lake you need to hike 17km round trip.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1510667073387{padding-bottom: 12px !important;}”]TRADITIONAL STONE ARCH BRIDGES[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Most of the stone-arched bridges in Greece are found in Epirus, in the Zagori area. The main reason is the landscape (mountains-gorges-rivers) and the climate (rainfalls).The stone bridges of Zagori are one of the most typical elements of traditional\u00a0 local architecture. They were built during the Ottoman occupation (1453-1912). The most important bridges visitors should see are Kokkoros bridge, Plakidas bridge,\u00a0 Mylos bridge and Misios bridge.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1510666717543{padding-bottom: 12px !important;}”]TRADITIONAL STONE VILLAGES[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]There are 46 stone-built villages in Zagori. \u00a0The Greek Ministry of Culture has officially proposed they should be added to the UNESCO World Heritage list as a Greek \u201ccultural landscape\u201d. Most of the buildings we see today were built in the 19th<\/sup>\u00a0century. The best- preserved villages are Dilofo, Kapesovo, Koukouli, Megalo and Mikro Papigo, Kipi, Vitsa, Vradeto, Monodendri, Elafotopos, Dikorfo and many more.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1510666941020{padding-bottom: 12px !important;}”]ASTRAKA REFUGE[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The\u00a0Astraka<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Refuge is located at an altitude of 1950m in Radovoli place, specifically in the neck formed between the peaks of Astraka and Lapatos. The refuge was constructed in 1966 on the initiative of the Alpine Club of Ioannina and Mountaineering Group of Papigo. In 2004 it was renovated and expanded to its current form. The shelter can accommodate 51 people in total during the summer months in rooms with bunk beds. The shelter provides beds, pillows and blankets. Guests must have with them a pair of sheets or a liner or lightweight sleeping bag and a pillowcase. The refuge is open daily from May to October.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”1096,1663,1657,1661,1659,1635,1655,1653,1643,1647,1641,1637″ img_size=”400X400″ column_number=”6″ grayscale=”no” images_space=”gallery_without_space”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#383838″ css=”.vc_custom_1510649756279{padding-top: 12px !important;padding-bottom: 12px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Credits: Z. Stamoulis, D. Golidopoulos, Neboj\u0161a Atanackovi\u0107 <\/span><\/p>\n

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[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” background_color=”#e3ded8″][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1510845840226{padding-top: 32px !important;padding-bottom: 32px !important;}”] Thanks to its wild and unspoiled nature and its distinctive, traditional architecture, Zagori is one of the most strictly protected areas in Greece. It falls under the Greek law…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"full_width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-733","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/astra-inn.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/astra-inn.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/astra-inn.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astra-inn.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astra-inn.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/astra-inn.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/733\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/astra-inn.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}