On Foot Holidays - Vikos Gorge Traveller Reviews

A six-day holiday with five day mostly linear walk in the Vikos area, northern Greece. Luggage was transferred between guest houses. A really lovely and unique part of the world - the villages, paths, landscape all to be enjoyed, and some spectacular views. Varied, from Vikos Gorge, which was hot at the end of May, to the melting snowfields below Astraka. The trip included a night in Astraka Mountain Hut, and a walk to Dragon Lake (the 'dragons' are now the hundreds of newts that inhabit the lake). The guest house accommodation was luxury and the food excellent, particularly the home cooking (although the Greeks give you too much food and I never know how many courses to expect).

I was kept very well informed throughout. The location and itinerary were well thought out. A good sample of the villages and an interesting route. The amount of walking was well planned. All the accommodation was delightful. They provided a lot of information, which for me was too much (I had hoped to travel light). The personal itinerary, maps and GPS file were the most useful.

The itinerary, accommodation and administration provided by On Foot Holidays were all first class. The communications were prompt, efficient and friendly. Nothing seemed too much trouble. Each of the 3 guest houses are distinctively different and all have lovely hosts. Joanne in Kapesova is a great cook too. Vasili in Papigo is a mine of information and very friendly. The mountains of northern Greece are spectacular and our walk passed through the landscape in springtime when the wild flowers were at their best. The holiday was everything and more than we had hoped for. Thank you everyone at On Foot Holidays.

On Foot Holidays were efficient and friendly. Tour details are accurate and the itinerary was imaginative. Well done, we felt well looked after. We won't hesitate to use the company again.

We travelled via Corfu to Zagoria in Northern Greece so that we could visit the Vikos Gorge. I had first seen this stunning area on a television programme and then found a lonely planet account of a walk there. The account was exactly what we wanted to do and luckily the small print told us that it was organised through ‘On foot holidays.’ We were pleased to find that ‘on foot’ still ran a trip that covered the majority of what we wanted. ‘On foot’ were brilliant with the planning and we soon found ourselves staying in Kapesovo in a fantastic guest house where we treated so pleasantly whilst also being able to sample amazing cooking. We did a circuit walk from Kapesovo to take a look down into the breathtaking Vikos Gorge-we did wonder how we would ever climb in or out of this dramatic place. We left Kapesovo and walked the ‘on foot’ route to Monodendri seeing our first of many wandering tortoise. Again the walk was amazing and the route was easy to follow. There was more stunningly spectacular scenery to absorb along the way as well isolated small churches and shrines to appreciate. The night spent in Monodendri was enjoyable and gave us our first visit to a beautiful monastery. The next day gave us our descent into the gorge and it was not as difficult as one would have imagined. Our walk here was everything we had hoped for and more-it was a truly memorable experience. However it was in the gorge that we had our first thunderstorm but nothing could dampen our spirits and it was fairly short lived. We had hoped to see a brown bear but only managed to see evidence that they were not too far away! The climb out of the gorge was also a lot less of a challenge than we’d thought. Our stay now was in Papingo and what a wonderful place this was to stay and we were so glad that we’d booked an extra night here. We abandoned our walk to Dragon Lake as advised by our hotel owner due to the intense heat and lack of shade. Instead we followed an ‘on foot’ alternative shorter walk that didn’t disappoint. Then a further day here was spent walking along the banks of the Voidomatis River. This brought the part of our holiday organised by ‘on foot’ to an end. We travelled on to Meteora.

On foot holidays were excellent in every way and totally enabled us to successfully visit and enjoy this walk and the whole area. The communication and paperwork, maps etc before we left was good and gave us confidence. What really shone for us was the places that they had booked for us to stay en route-these guest houses and hotels felt real and authentic. The welcome we received at each was so generous and the levels of comfort and accommodation were exceptional. Our bags were transported for us and were always awaiting us at the next stop. The maps and route descriptors were clear and concise. However we felt that the temperatures we were walking in ( high 30’s ) needed longer expected walking times.

This was a self-guided walking holiday in the Pindos Mountain region including Vikos Gorge and Dragon Lake

Excellent communication at all times. Notes and maps were detailed and easy to follow. All the accommodation was carefully chosen and it was clear that the operators held On Foot Holidays in high regard. Everything went smoothly.

We were a party of 5 who spent had 4 day walk thru the Zagori region, including the Vikos gorge, the deepest in Europe., in mid June.2019. We stayed in traditional stone villages, with enthusiastic local hosts, who took pride in their accomodation and home cooking. This is unspoilt Greece, with a beautiful climate for early summer walking. The wildflowers were beautiful, the walking paths uncrowded , the Vikos gorge spectacular. We would highly recommend this beautiful corner of Greece.

This is our 8 Th walking trip with on foot holidays, and we have never been disappointed. All the itineraries have been excellent and varied, On foot have walked all the routes, their communication pre , during and post walk is great, and they attend quickly to any needs or requests during the trip. We will certainly walk with them again.

We thoroughly enjoyed our 8 day walking holiday. We had 2 nights and 1 full day in Corfu which gave us the opportunity to see the old town and fort before taking the ferry across to the mainland. On Foot provided us with excellent travel information, so we were able to get the ferry and bus with no problems and were then met by pre-arranged taxi to take us to the Zagori mountain region for our walk. On Foot booked all the accommodation for us, which was comfortable and we were warmly welcomed at each place. We enjoyed staying at small B+Bs in the mountains, which gave us a flavour of the real Greece. Our luggage was moved for us, so was safely awaiting our arrival at each of the B+Bs we stayed in. The walking descriptions provided made it easy to follow the route (we walked on our own), and we were able to enjoy the stunning scenery in the knowledge that all the details had been attended to, and all we had to do was relax and enjoy the walk.

We have now booked 8 holidays with On Foot, and have our 9th one booked already for next year! That must surely tell you how much we value the support, attention to detail, and personal touches provided by On Foot. They will go above and beyond - this time helping with a request to provide a surprise birthday treat for a birthday which fell during the holiday. Having exchanged many e-mails and phone calls over the years, we decided to visit the On Foot office this year - it felt like meeting friends. We would not hesitate to recommend On Foot to anyone who likes walking in unspoiled countryside.

We had 3 nights at the beautiful Bella Venezia Hotel in Corfu town and then transferred to the Greek mainland and travelled by bus and taxi to the mountainous Zagoria region. The walking or Corfu was good and Corfu town is a real gem and not to be missed but we just loved the unspoilt Zagori mountains. Great scenery, stunning Vikos gorge, good food, friendly people, pretty butterflies and wild flowers. Walking was fairly strenuous but rewarded by lovely countryside and amazing views.

This was our third holiday with On Foot Holidays and they are excellent. Staff are very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Their choice of accommodation is perfect. Each hotel or B&B was faultless - great locations, beautiful buildings, lovely rooms, good food and all run by people who want you to have a great time and go out of their way to provide help. All arrangements worked well, transfer and travel details were precise and accurate and explained exactly what to do, where to go and how much it would cost. Walking notes are very easy to follow and give you complete confidence you will find the way.

Walking from village to village over 7 days allows you to understand so much about a country. Let alone the people. The history is evident and you can feel it. Walking through the deepest gorge in the world gives you perspective on life and how small we are in the greater scheme of things. I walked this by myself so there is a great sense of accomplishment i got from this. It was so remote and peaceful at times isolating but the people in the villages made me feel welcome and i felt like i was leaving home every time i started a new hike. But couldn't have done it without the guided routes and information supplied by on foot.

So informative, gave me EVERYTHING i needed to make sure i didn't get lost. A contact person in every village, from Maps, to written directions, even GPS paths. They were insistent i studied all the information before i arrived. Which was so helpful. Especially walking this route by myself I felt safe knowing i had all the information i needed to explore this very untouched part of Greece.

We had two nights on Corfu which was beautifully mixed, with an afternoon in the town and a day walking in the hills and along the coast - lovely. Then five nights in the Pindos Mountains which we found perfect walking country with superb little inns and places to eat along the way, as well a an ecellt day walking the Vikos Gorge. The baggage transfers were all very efficient and walking directions accurate. Then a day in the Meteora where the travel arrangements worked out very well and the route notes took us off the beatne track, enabling is to avoid other tourists as much as possible. `all the accommodation was excellent and the whole service couldn't be faulted.

Very helpful even when I changed the itinerary after we had booked; prompt replies and a totally well run and efficient trip. I appreciated the phone call just before we left home to check if we are alOK.

Based around walking routes they have meticulously planned, Onfootholidays offer flexible holidays for walkers. The routes take walkers from one night's accommodation (always of high standard, and often exceptional) to the next, with luggage transfers provided so there is no need carry all one's holiday clothes when walking. From the planning phase to returning home again, the office staff are very knowledgeable, tirelessly helpful, and will adapt itineraries and accommodation bookings to suit each walker's needs. Maps and route plans are provided, and there is always local backup a 'phone call away, but this is not an organised walking holiday in the usual sense. It's not guided, and is all the better for that. One makes one's own way from place to place, and such are the areas in which the walks are organised, one can walk all day and see very few other people. Perfect (for us at least).

Onfootholidays is a small enough operator to be able to provide a highly personalised service. All the staff are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Nothing is too much trouble.