- published: 21 Aug 2013
- views: 2895
Coordinates: 39°58′10″N 20°43′42″E / 39.96944°N 20.72833°E / 39.96944; 20.72833
The Vikos Gorge (Greek: Φαράγγι του Βίκου) is a gorge in the Pindus Mountains of northern Greece. It lies on the southern slopes of Mount Tymfi, with a length of about 20 km, depth ranging from 450 to 1600 m and a width ranging from 400 m only a few metres at its narrowest part.
Vikos is listed as the deepest gorge in the world by the Guinness Book of Records among others. This follows a somewhat arbitrary definition of a gorge that excludes deeper features such as Colca Canyon because of their greater width:depth ratio.
The gorge is found in the core zone of the Vikos–Aoös National Park, in the Zagori region. It begins between the villages of Monodendri and Koukouli and ends near the village of Vikos (or Vitsiko). The gorge collects the waters of a number of small rivers and leads them into the Voidomatis River which forms in the gorge. The major part of Voidomatis is only seasonal, and is permanent only at the lowest part of the gorge. Vikos is also a site of major scientific interest, because it is in almost virgin condition, it is a haven for endangered species and contains many and varied ecosystems.
Mount Olympus (an excerpt), Zagorohoria / Vikos Gorge, Dragon lake, Greece, HD video, HQ sound, Recorded by Zoran Pernjakovic, july 2013.
Vikos gorge, Oxya Lookout, Pindus mountain, Epirus, Greece
Vikos gorge is one of the jewels of Greece's nature in the larger gorgeous Zagorochoria region (the name Zagori is derived from Slav and means 'behind the mountains'), which is found north of Ioannina, in Epirus, northwest Greece. The described walk starts at beautiful Monodendri village in central Zagori and finishes at the village of Vikos (walk length : 9 km / 6 mi, gorge depth of about 1,000 m / 3,300 f). This walk traverses the main part of Vikos gorge and takes nearly 6 hours to complete. It is tiring for many walkers, as there are a lot of ascents and descents, and as the ground surface is uneven in many places, with small or large pebbles. This is one of the wow experiences in life. Keep Exploring!!
NOTE: This isn't my usual "Car-Centric" upload, but is a product closer to my heart's definition of true road tripping pleasure, because spending a day driving leisurely around is to also explore new roads in unknown territory, to find some unspoiled countryside with good food and good company and to appreciate the long history that exists in parts of the world. In that regard, this is about as good as I've ever had it. SUMMARY of the VIDEO: A long edit from a day trip in a Mercedes C180 through the mountains above Ioannina in the Epirus region of Greece, known as The Zagorohoria, with my son Simon. We drove to the deepest gorge in Europe; The Vikos Gorge. We visited rustic hill towns like Vitsa and Monodendri, explored old monasteries and mountains with interlacing rivers spanned by o...
The Vikos Gorge, with a length of 20 km (12 mi), walls that range from 400 to 1,600 feet (120 to 490 m) deep, and a width from 400 m (1,312 ft) to some metres at its narrowest part is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the deepest canyon in the world in proportion to its width, though some gorge lobbyists contest that claim. The main part of the gorge stretches from the village of Vikos to Monodendri, and attains a depth of about 1,000 m (3,281 ft). The landscape of the 20 km long gorge, 12 km οf which belongs to the park's core zone, presents a diverse relief and is characterized by abrupt altitudinal changes. Steep slopes and precipitous rocky cliffs dominate in the middle and higher zones respectively. Numerous gullies dissect both sides of the gorge and the movement of water det...