Greece's Wildly Underrated National Park Is A Quiet Gem With Scenic Mountain Trails, Wildlife, And Gorge Views

Greece often finds itself at the top of bucket lists, and some of its most sought-after destinations are the Greek Islands with their incredible beaches and wild nightlife, or its big cities like Athens or Thessaloniki that are steeped in culture and history. National Parks seldom get top billing, although they are a great way to experience the country's natural beauty. One in particular, located in Northern Greece within the Pindus Mountains, is an underrated gem that deserves much more attention than it gets.

Located in the Epirus region, Vikos-Aoös National Park is one of more than a dozen national parks in the country. You may think of beautiful beaches at the mention of Greece, but you won't find any of those in Vikos-Aoös. Instead, you'll find mountain peaks and plateaus, sweeping views of expansive gorges complete with rivers, lakes, and caves, and an active community of local wildlife. It's part of the Zagori region, an area known for the Zagorochoria (villages of Zagori), which feature beautiful stone architecture of their buildings and bridges. The Zagorochoria are designated a UNESCO World Heritage site due to their preservation of the local history and culture, and you can explore some of them during a visit to the park.  

Two gorges run through the park (and lend it it's name), the Vikos Gorge and the Aoös Gorge, and together they form a diverse ecosystem that supports a wide variety of plant and animal life. It also features unique rock formations that aren't quite as otherworldly as those of nearby Meteora, but they create a rugged landscape that makes a great place to hike in the wilderness of Greece.

In Vikos-Aoös, you'll find seemingly endless options to hike, from a difficult mountain hike to a leisurely stroll through the Zagorochoria villages. The stone bridges and homes are not only fun to explore but also make for amazing photo opportunities; if you want to head further into nature, consider the Voidomatis Trail. This trail dates to the Ice Age and is rated easy. At just under six miles long, it is a relaxing way to explore the park's forested woodlands as you walk alongside a river.

The Vikos Gorge trail is a bit longer at 7.3 miles and takes you uphill before returning back to the start, but the trek is worth it. Along the way, you'll see amazing views of the gorge with the river below. Some of the more difficult trails include the Vradeto Steps Trail, which is short at just 3.1 miles but takes you 1,046 feet down a staircase to the bottom of the gorge. The 7.1-mile Vikos Gorge North to South Trail is rated difficult, but it's worth it for the views along the way. 

While you explore the park's trails, you might be lucky enough to spot some of the wildlife that calls this region home. Vikos-Aoos is home to many different species thanks to its diverse landscape and wide variety of plant life. Animals include roe deer, brown bears, foxes, lynxes, chamois (a goat-like creature), otters, wild cats, and wolves. Over 120 bird species and 15 raptor species live in the trees and soar through the skies.    

To grasp the enormity of Vikos-Aoös, you'll want to take it all in with one sweeping view. To do that, visit  Oxia, a viewpoint that can be found about 3 kilometers south of the Zagori village of Monodendri. But even with that expansive view, you'll have to devote time to exploring the nooks and crannies of this beautiful park to find its hidden gems and uncover its secrets.

The park is remote, which makes it all the more incredible to experience. It is quiet and peaceful, and far from the usual tourist's itinerary, but all those wonderful things that inspire us to travel also mean, at least in this case, that getting there will require a bit of effort. Vikos-Aoös is several hours northwest of Athens and several hours southwest of Thessaloniki, so your best bet is to fly to Ioánnina National Airport (IOA), which is about an hour's drive away. It is a beautiful lakeside city that serves as the gateway to the wilds of northeastern Greece and is worthy of a visit on its own. 

There are buses to the region from Ioannina, but visiting by car is the best option so you can explore the entirety of the park at your own pace. It is free to vist, but you'll find little in the way of park support services, so make sure you go prepared if you are planning on doing any hiking. You can visit any time of year, but April through June and September through October will likely have the best weather — i.e. you'll be more likely to avoid the stifling heat of summer and the bitter cold of a snowy winter.