

As soon as the snow melts and continues rainfall wets the ground, the slopes transform into a verdant carpet adorned with the colourful presence of thousands of wildflowers. While the pastures appear parched and dry in fall, following the relentless Greek summer heat, they brim with life in spring. After a swift descent, you will find yourself at the rocky shores of Xeroloutsa lake, ready for the final stretch of the hike. Overshadowed by the looming scarps of Astraka, the dense woodland slowly dwindles as you ascend and gives way to swaying meadows and hardened shrubs, before even the most resilient trees yield to the altitude.Īs the landscape opens up, the trail continues to snake up the rugged slope, now strewn with boulders, before reaching the Astraka hut, scenically positioned at the edge of a precipitous ridge in the shadow of Astraka. Once you leave the winding alleyways of Mikro Papingo behind, a dirt path leads into the adjacent woods and begins to crawl up the mountainside towards the Tymfi massif.
Lake dragon landscape how to#
This guide will provide you with all the necessary info to visit this enchanted place as a daytrip from Ioannina, including a trail description, how to get there, when to go, and more. The dragons might have vanished long ago, yet their magic has lingered. So savage was their strife that they dented the rock and bended the earth on which they fought, tearing the ground asunder and creating the stunning landscape visible today. Locked in eternal conflict, they hurled boulders and pine trees at one another, while the frail humans of the forested valleys below cowered in fear in the face of this forbidding frenzy. Beneath towering peaks, they clashed, and the gut-wrenching roars of their struggle echoed from the lifeless walls around them. The day came when, fuelled by rage and jealousy, they ascended from the icy depths of their abodes, determined to settle this rivalry once and for all. However, serenity was not to last, and before long the drakes had grown restless, wary of their respective presence. Building their lairs beneath the darksome surface of two alpine lakes, they dwelled in their watery realms for some time, ignorant of the others existence. The snow-capped summit of Smolikas was sought out by one, while the other alighted in the looming shadows of Tymfi. When the world was virgin and man was merely taking its first steps, these mythical creatures descended on the magnificent peaks of Epirus. Local folklore tells the tale of two dragons.
