THE BEARS TRAIL

DAY 1

SKG-THESSALONIKI

A private mini-van will transfer you from SKG airport to your hotel in the heart of Thessaloniki. Early in the afternoon a city guide will take you to a mini city tour, where you will have the opportunity to get to know Thessaloniki, a city with a multi-layered historical past and a huge cultural interest. After the city tour a welcome meze-dinner is planned for you in a local tavern-cafenè.

DAY 2

THESSALONIKI-METSOVO

After breakfast we depart for Metsovo, a 2 hours drive to the west of Greece. Metsovo was originally inhabited by the old nomadic tribe of Vlachs and is located at an altitude of 1160m. After settling into our guesthouse, we will have the opportunity to get familiar with our bikes. Our route today, Ursa Trail (meaning the Bear Trail) is a short one (16km) around Metsovo, with great views of the surrounding mountains. In the afternoon, a guided tour with wine tasting and dinner at a local tavern is planned.

DAY 3

METSOVO-AOOS SPRINGS LAKE-VOVOUSA

Today is our first substantial ride. We start cycling from Metsovo to the Aoos Springs Lake area (1 hour). We will cycle along the north side of the lake (15 km, 45 min). Before leaving the lake and the paved road, we will stop for lunch picnic with traditional specialties. After lunch we will get back on the bikes and enter a dense forest of fir and beech trees. Now we will climb uphill towards the Chuka Rosa (Red Peak) mountain. About 1,5 hour later we go off the forest road and follow the concrete road that leads us to the village of Vovousa. Tonight we will dine in a cosy rustic tavern.

DAY 4

VALIA CALDA NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast we take our bikes and enter the Valia Calda National Park (Warm Valley in Vlach). This is a stunning bike ride with incredible landscape changes, from alpine valleys to forests and streams. In the valley we stop for lunch and rest. We return to Vovousa and our hotel where dinner awaits us.

DAY 5

VOVOUSA-GYFTOKAMPOS-TSEPELOVO

Today we enter the Zagori area. We leave Vovousa and we ride through the Morfas Pass and the forest of Gyftokampos. At the end of the dirt road we will visit the open-air museum Sarakatsaniki Stani, a reconstruction of the settlement of the nomadic Sarakatsani tribe. We continue cycling on paved road heading to the village of Skamneli and then to Tsepelovo, where we will have dinner and spend the night.

DAY 6

TSEPELOVO-BRIDGES TRAIL-VITSA

Today is the day of the famous Bridges Trail. We will bike over the traditional Zagori stone bridges and we will visit some of the most beautiful Zagori villages. We start biking in a forest road and after 1 hour we stop at the village of Kipi where have picnic at the Mill bridge. After lunch we continue riding on paved road and we visit the villages of Koukouli and Dilofo. Our last stop of this trip is the village of Vitsa where we will celebrate completion of the Bears Trail, a total of approximately 160km

DAY 7

VITSA-THESSALONIKI

This is a relaxing day. We wake up and have breakfast without stress. Then we can walk to the village of Monodendri (15 minutes) where we can visit the textile museum of the Rizari School or the famous monastery of Agia Paraskevi or just sit and relax in the village square. Around noon we start our return to Thessaloniki (4 hours). You are free for the rest of the day to explore the city again.

DAY 8

THESSALONIKI-SKG

Depending on your departure time, you will be transferred to the SKG international airport