THE CULTURAL 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-TSEPELOVO

After breakfast we depart for Metsovo, a 2 hours drive to the west of Greece, a village originally inhabited by the old nomadic tribe of Vlachs. Upon arrival, a guided tour of the famous Averoff Katogi winery is scheduled (1 hour). After the end of the wine tour you will have enough time to wander around the village and the narrow streets of the center and try some traditionale specialities. Early in the afternoon we will drive to Tsepelovo (2 hours). After settling in, we will visit the Ioannidis Mansion-Museum, where you can have a first look at the unique local architecture that dominates the area. Later, dinner awaits you at the village square.

DAY 3

TSEPELOVO-KIPOI-VITSA

Today we will combine nature and local architecture with hiking. We walk through a forest road to the village "Kipi" where we rest next to an old mill and have a picnic with local delicacies . After lunch we continue walking through a pristine forest and through traditional stone bridges. The path leads us to the famous Vitsa Steps that take us all the way to the Vitsa village. Vitsa and the unique Land Beyond Conference Centre is our base for the next 3 days. Dinner at Land Beyond.

DAY 4

VITSA-FOOD COLLECT AND COOK

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast while sipping your coffee on Land Beyond's terrace with its magnificent views. Before lunch our on-site guide will take us to a hike where we will collect supplies for open-air cooking. Rainy days are great for mushroom hunting too! Back at Land Beyond we will cook in the garden using an old cooking technique, drinking tsipouro and wine and listening to stories of folklore gastronomy.

DAY 5

VITSA-MONODENDRI-ELAFOTOPOS

After breakfast we drive to the almost abandoned but picturesque village of Negades, where we can admire its architecture and visit the unique church of Agios Georgios. Then we drive to Elafotopos to meet Mrs. Lena, who will guide us through a workshop of an old traditional process of butter making and wool spinning. She will also bake for us a typical pie with greens and cheese. In the afternoon we will visit the village of Monodendri and the famous monastery of Agia Paraskevi and have dinner in the village square.

DAY 6

VITSA-VIKOS GORGE-PAPIGKO

This is a pure hiking day. After breakfast we hike to the village of Monodendri and descend to the Vikos Gorge, the steepest in the world. We walk for the next 4 hours along the riverbed, which is completely dry at this time of year. Another 2 hours of ascent and we reach Papigo, the most popular village of Zagori. After settling into our rooms at the guesthouse in Papigo, we enjoy our last group dinner and share and reflect on our experience in Zagori.

DAY 7

PAPIGKO-THESSALONIKI

We wake up with no haste and after breakfast we take the road back to Thessaloniki. We will be at the city around midday. Free for the rest of the day.

DAY 8

THESSALONIKI-SKG

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