One of the most famous mountains in the world is the Mount Olympus, the most popular mountain in Greece and the highest. Eternally bound to the Greek mythology Today it is the destination of thousands of visitors who come to admire its forms and nature.
Here you can do a bit of everything, go for a walk, climb its peaks, sleep in its shelters and have one of the most incredible moments of your life. Let's see Mount Olympus today.
Mount Olympus
It was formed by sedimentary rock about 200 million years ago In what was a shallow sea A million years later the glaciers covered it and modified the landscape, and later, when the ice melted, the streams formed washed away rocks and earth, giving new shapes to the surrounding terrain. These geological events are visible today in the peculiar morphology of the mount and its peaks and deep canyons.
In the lower areas of the mountain the climate is Mediterranean, hot and dry in summer and humid and cold in winter. At higher altitudes snow and rain appear in summer. In fact, the peaks, the highest area that is at about 2 thousand meters it has snow nine of the twelve months of the year, is September to May. These climates allow the flora and fauna of the mountain to be varied. 25% of the Greek flora is represented here and there are many endemic species.
On the other hand, there is the ancient link of the mountain with Greek mythology, being the home of the Twelve Olympian GodsSo you add up all this data and you have a big mountain that is there, waiting for more visitors every year.
Visit Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus is northeast of Greece and reaches 2917 meters So like we said It is the highest mountain in Greece and the second highest in the Balkans. Its lower slopes are very narrow and heavily forested with green canyons carved with waterfalls and caves. Their peaks, there are 52 peaksThey have snow many months a year and are often permanently hidden by clouds.
The most difficult peak to climb in Mytikas, a peak that was reached in 1913 for the first time. Adventurers have not stopped arriving since then, but the journey is undoubtedly difficult. Since the late 30s, the entire area has been considered National Park, for its great biodiversity, and since 1981 UNESCO has awarded the title of Biosphere Reserve.
Mount Olympus is on the border between the regions of Macedonia and Thessaly and the best way to access it and its many trails is from the tourist village of Litochoro, at the foot of the mountain itself. If you have a car or are in Thessaloniki, the trip is only three hours by toll road and it is six from Athens (there are 263 kilometers between the capital and the mountain). If you cannot get by train from Athens to Larissa (five hours), and from there go to Litochoro by taxi for only half an hour.
In the case of the train from Thessaloniki, it is a direct service and takes one hour and ten minutes and is also followed by a short taxi ride. If you like the bus you can take one from the terminal in Thessaloniki, two hours and ten minutes and seven hours from Athens.
We talk about mountains, we talk about climbing or hiking. How are these activities on Mount Olympus? Well, simple, although not without difficulties. There are many easy trails to follow that they take you to the best canyons, from a panoramic point of view. You can also drive a part, at least to the beginning of several roads. A complete hike up Mount Olympus takes about three days and one night.
The signposted paths They have different degrees of difficulty, from III to VIII, according to international standards. It is best to inquire at the EOS (Greek Mountaineering Club), based in Litochoro, where you can get maps and tips. Also, if you want the specialized help of someone along the way, you can consult and hire a guide from Pieria, another nearby town.
As we said above the best starting point of the trip on Mount Olympus is Litochoro. There are many hotels and information to start the adventure. You can also get information about camp sites. Wild or free camping is illegal here in Greece so you have to do it in a unique place at the base of the mountain, in the rest of the park it is forbidden.
When it comes to hiking there are some trails classified as easy. One of them is that join Litochoro with Golna, Castana and Litochoro again. Litochoro is a town of seven thousand inhabitants from where countless tours and trips to the mountain depart, a site of very picturesque traditional architecture. The path takes you to see the Church of Agios Yoannis and that of the Prophet Elijah at 2800 meters high. It is the maximum height of this route.
Then, from this point, you walk one hour to Golna from where you can see the magnificent peaks of the gorge of Enipeas. Going northwest, you go down towards the E4 path that connects Litochoro with Prionia and thus you return, having walked at the end about four hours between beautiful views.
Another easy path is the one that, leaving Prionia, passes through Aghio Spilleo and reaches the Monastery of San Dionisio. Leaving then from Prionia you take the E4 path towards Litochoro and following the map you will pass through waterfalls, you will cross the Enipeas gorge by a wooden bridge and you will arrive at Aghio Spilleo and the monastery of the saint. It is two hours of walking.
A third simple path is the one that joins Krevatia Vrontous, Papa Aloni and Aghia Triada. This path goes up and down but in any case it does not exceed 950 meters. It starts at the Krevatia refuge, continues on the old path that goes down to Aghia Triada, in the middle of a forest, you cross the river and after 40 minutes of walking you arrive at Papa Aloni. After yes, you have other trails that are classified as medium difficulty and difficult - dangerous. The latter must be done only if you are a specialist or go with a guide who knows the terrain a lot.
Finally, if physical adventure is not your thing, you can always tour the villages from the mountain as litochoro itself, Dion which is a typical ancient Macedonian city, Anus Skotina, a nice mountain village, Palaios Panteleimonas XNUMXth century or Palaioi Poroi, a rock village built between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries.