Fast Menalon Trail - with Accommodation in Stemnitsa and Lagkadia
Duration: 6 days
Trails: T2 trails
Distance: 15 - 20 km / 9 - 12 mi per day
Ascent per day: 500 - 1000 m / 1640 - 3281 ft ascent per day
> A combination of culture and nature, that is the Menalon Trail!
> Spend your nights in cozy Greek accommodations
> Accommodation before and after your hike is included
The Menalon Trail in Arcadia, in the Peloponnese. It doesn't get much more Greek. Sure, islands like Crete and Corfu are stunning for their perfect combination of mountain and sea, but the 'real' Greece can be found on foot deep in Greece's interior. Churches and monasteries, thousand-year-old donkey trails and watering holes, quiet villages and a small glass of ouzo to end the day. Forget the mileage and the athletic challenge: on the Menalon Trail, you take it easy in the Greek way.
Take it easy, that was always the idea behind the development of the Menalon Trail. Not everyone has the time for that and some others just like to speed up things up. Nothing wrong with that. We crafted this faster version of the Menalon Trail. The same 75 kilometers of hiking pleasure but in only 4 stages. This version of the Menalon Trail also includes accommodation in Stemnitsa, your starting point, and Lagkadia, the goal for your trek.
Itinerary
Day
1
Arrival in Stemnitsa
Today you arrive in Stemnitsa, the village of goldsmiths and headquarters of the Peloponnesian Senate in 1821. Relax! There are a few good hiking days ahead of you. The directions in this description will take you to the villages where your accommodations are booked.
Pension Mpelleiko in Stemnitsa
Day
2
Stemnitsa - Dimitsana
Duration: 03:40 h
Distance: 13.6 km / 8.5 mi
Ascent: 610 m / 2001 ft
Descent: 770 m / 2526 ft
Today we cross the famous Lousios Gorge to reach Dimitsana. Do you love ancient monasteries and churches? Then you already knew that the Menalon Trail is perfect for you. Along the way, we traverse ancient farmlands, pass the Church of the Transfiguration of Christ and admire the view of the Lousios Gorge, before entering the paved path leading to Prodromos Monastery. Nestled against the walls of the gorge, this monastery has a very nice fountain to visit. We walk on to the Old Philosophou Monastery from 963 and then to the New Philosophou Monastery founded much later, in 1691. Finally, we reach the beautiful Dimitsana.
Pension En Dimitsa in Dimitsana
Day
3
Dimitsana - Vytina
Duration: 06:15 h
Distance: 26.2 km / 16.3 mi
Ascent: 780 m / 2559 ft
Descent: 720 m / 2362 ft
Footpaths and dirt roads take you past the small monastery of St Apostoli. If you thought this is the last monastery, you are wrong. Many more monasteries and churches will follow in the coming days. Just after passing the Immortality Monument, the guard of Theodore Kolokotronis, leader of the 1821 War of Independence, we enter the centre of cute Zigovisti. The War of Independence is a familiar story to every Greek. After Zigovisti, you trek across the western Menalon massif past a stunning ravine. From Elati, you hike back to the M route and find the old mule track to Vytina via several paths. Along the way, you pass the Pirgaki springs, which supply Vytina with drinking water. You will also find the remains of the ancient Acropolis of the ancient city of Methydrion along the way. Vytina is the main town in the region, here you can spend the rest of the day relaxing.
Pension Guesthouse Teloni in Vytina
Day
4
Vytina - Valtesiniko
Duration: 05:21 h
Distance: 21.4 km / 13.3 mi
Ascent: 830 m / 2723 ft
Descent: 750 m / 2461 ft
We leave Vytina and continue to Nymphasia via the Old Vytina footpath that leads to Mavra Litharia, a massive limestone boulder in the riverbed of the Milaon. We then start descending to Tzavarenas bridge, a solid stone bridge that provided the connection between Vytina and the western Gortynian villages. The trail gains altitude in a unique rocky landscape, reaching a height of 880 metres and curving horizontally to Nymphasia, a small but lively satellite village of Vytina. Between Nymfasia and Valtsesinko, nature changes slowly. First we go downhill and cross the Kernitsa bridge. Not much further on, you will find another monastery, this time this one of Kernitsas. A huge complex nestled in a monolithic rock. After passing the Gavros Spring, we enter the small settlement of Magouliana. A fine village for a break, maybe even a good lunch. From Magouliana, it is not far to Valtesiniko. On the way, you will encounter the nationally renowned Mana Sanatorium. After quite a bit of climbing and descending, you eventually arrive at the village of the woodcutters.
Pension Valtessiniko Studios
Day
5
Valtesiniko - Lagkadia
Duration: 03:30 h
Distance: 13.9 km / 8.6 mi
Ascent: 450 m / 1476 ft
Descent: 620 m / 2034 ft
From the village of woodcutters to the village of stone builders, that's what the final stage of the Menalon Trail is all about. A relatively short day, but like yesterday, still quite a bit of altitude stress. Along the way, you will encounter some special places, such as the fountain of Kria Vrisi and the Byzantine fortress of Valtesiniko. The final finish of the Menalon Trail is at the war memorial of Lagkadia. You will have earned a glass of ouzo or raki!
Hotel Kentrikon in Lagkadia
Day
6
Departure Lagkadia
The end of Menalon and Peloponesse's magic. Antio!
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