Walking the Ancient Paths of Zagorochoria

From the Vikos Gorge to Dragon Lake, Zagorochoria reveals the soul of Greece beyond the postcard image.

 High in Greece’s Pindus mountains, stone bridges arc over rushing rivers, cobbled paths wind through forests and fields, and 46 mountain villages stand as guardians of history and tradition. This is Zagorochoria, or “the villages beyond the mountains”, one of Greece’s best-kept secrets and now the setting for Nefeli Nine’s Zagorochoria Trekking Adventure, recently recognised by the BBC as one of Europe’s most extraordinary hiking journeys.

 A Journey Through Living History

For centuries, Zagorochoria’s villages were bound together not by roads but by the ancient kalderimia - stone footpaths built in the 15th century for shepherds, traders, and pilgrims. These trails, carved into the landscape with an intuitive understanding of climate and terrain, connect the 46 communities through bridges, staircases, and winding lanes that feel as though they grew organically from the mountain itself.

UNESCO recognised this remarkable stone network as a World Heritage Site in 2023, but walking it offers more than history but the opportunity to step inside a living museum of Greek culture. Each village reveals a central square shaded by a centuries-old plane tree, a church nestled nearby, and clusters of homes built in harmony with the earth around them.

“The architecture here is deeply embedded into nature,” architect George Karvelas, who has worked to restore these timeless homes, told the BBC. “They built according to the climate, the morphology, and using local stone. That’s why it has endured.”

Nature’s Masterpiece

Providing more than simple passage through villages, the trek grants an encounter with landscapes as dramatic as they are beautiful. The jewel in Zagorochoria’s crown is the Vikos Gorge, sometimes called “the Greek Grand Canyon”, a 20 kilometre-long chasm of jagged limestone cliffs, carpeted in wildflowers and echoing with birdsong. Descending into the gorge reveals a world of emerald springs and wild orchids growing between ancient stones.

Other highlights include the Vradeto Steps - a 1.5km stone staircase of 1,100 steps snaking up Mount Tymfi; and the hidden alpine Dragon Lake, a hidden jewel shimmering high among the peaks. And then there are the bridges: Missiou, Kokkori, Mylos – all feats of 18th-century engineering whose elegant arches span rushing torrents as though they, too, are natural extensions of the mountain itself.

 The Nefeli Nine Experience

Nefeli Nine, led by founder Stephanie Sofia Contomichalos, invites travellers to experience Zagorochoria at the pace it was meant to be discovered - slowly, and at an unhurried rhythm. Their curated adventure, run in partnership with Nomads Path, balances challenging hikes with restorative practices: gentle stretching, nourishing meals of mountain herbs and handmade pies, and evenings unwinding in charming guesthouses warmed by local hospitality.

“This retreat is less about rushing from sight to sight and more about immersing yourself in nature and culture at a slower, deeper pace,” says Stephanie. “It’s about reconnecting with what matters.”

Guests cover around 60 kilometres across five days of hiking, with highlights including rafting on the Voidomatis River and shared meals where laughter flows as freely as the wine. One traveller described their experience, saying, “Absolutely every detail was looked after, and I felt that I could truly relax and enjoy. I was blown away by the breathtaking views of Zagorochoria, and Stephanie and Michalis made us feel like family. We shared food, conversation, and laughter - it was unforgettable.”

Autumn’s Golden Light

 While Zagorochoria enchants in every season, autumn is perhaps the most magical. The forests ignite in shades of crimson and gold, mist lingers over stone bridges at dawn, and evenings are cooled by mountain air scented with pine and earth. This October, Nefeli Nine’s first Zagorochoria retreat sold out quickly, prompting the addition of another date: 26 October – 1 November 2025.

For those who join, the trek becomes a chance to walk Greece’s mountains as generations once did, following the old paths from village to village. To walk the kalderimia is to follow in the footsteps of shepherds, merchants, monks, and mothers who shaped these communities. To rest beneath the plane trees is to share in centuries of communal life. And to pause at the edge of Vikos Gorge is to be reminded of our smallness, and of the timeless beauty that endures when people build in harmony with nature.

As climate experts now study Zagorochoria’s homes as models of sustainable, nature-based design, the region may hold lessons not only for Greece’s past, but for the world’s future.

For now, though, Zagorochoria remains what it has always been: a place beyond the mountains, where stone, forest, and sky converge in quiet splendour, and where travellers willing to walk its ancient paths can still discover the Greece that hides behind the postcard.

Learn more about Nefeli Nine’s Zagorochoria Trekking Adventure, including upcoming dates and itineraries, at Nefeli Nine.

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