![Sheer cliffs of Vikos gorge, below the Timfi range](https://travellingslow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/vikos-gorge.jpg)
Vikos: The Deepest Gorge
Megalo Papingo to Skamneli
I sat dangling my feet in the Voidomatis springs, wondering if it was warm enough to jump in. It had been a hot walk down from Papingo, I hadn’t filled up with enough water and I was feeling the first signs of heat exhaustion. The Voidomatis River runs mostly underground down the Vikos Gorge, bubbling up in lusciously cool pools in just two places. A water snake appeared, cleaving the water towards us. I decided against a swim.
The Gorge lies at the heart of the Zagoria region, a cluster of 46 mountain villages, connected by old cobbled mule paths and beautiful stone bridges. It’s the deepest in the world, or so says the Guinness Book of Records. For centuries, the villages have suffered from emigration, but they have now reinvented themselves as a haven for hikers. The paths and bridges are well-maintained, and there are plenty of places to stay, many renovated in traditional style.
Route: Megalo Papingo, Vikos, Monodendri, Koukouli, Kapesovo, Tsepelovo, Skamneli.
![Traditional Zagoria high arched stone bridge](https://travellingslow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/zagoria-stone-bridge-768x1024.jpg)
![Sheer cliffs above contrast with the grassy green path down to the Vikos Gorge](https://travellingslow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/vikos-gorge-path-down-768x1024.jpg)
![Cool springs among trees after the hot climb down into the Vikos Gorge](https://travellingslow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/18-Springs-768x1024.jpg)
![Steep cliffs of the Vikos Gorge with the footpath down](https://travellingslow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/path-to-vikos-gorge-1024x768.jpg)
![Brightly painted traditional wooden ceiling and fireplace at Monodendri guest house, Zagoria](https://travellingslow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/1-Zagoria_result-1024x768.jpg)
![Traditional cobbled path Zagoria](https://travellingslow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/1-cobbled-path-Zagoria_result-768x1024.jpg)
![Ancient plane tree with vast trunk in the village square. Typical of villages throughout Greece.](https://travellingslow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/8-Zagoria_result-768x1024.jpg)
![Traditional Zagori stone house](https://travellingslow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2-Zagoria_result-1024x768.jpg)
![Traditional Zagori stone bridge with three arches](https://travellingslow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/3-Zagoria_result-1024x768.jpg)
![The owner sitting on the couch in his traditional home, Kapesovo](https://travellingslow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/6-Kapesovo_result-1024x768.jpg)
![Traditional Zagoria salon with carved wooden ceiling and brightly coloured couches and rug, Kapesovo](https://travellingslow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/6a-Kapesovo_result-1024x768.jpg)
![Traditional two arched Zagori stone bridge](https://travellingslow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/5-Zagoria_result-1024x768.jpg)
![Zagoria village well-hidden among the wooded mountains](https://travellingslow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/janes-pics-560_22710354405_o_result-1024x768.jpg)
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