ROUTES STARTING FROM METSOVO - SECOND ROUTE - ANILIO – MANTRA HODZA PASS – BAROS PASS – KALARRITES – SYRRAKO

 

 

Routes starting from Metsovo

Wonderful forest of beech trees

 

 

Second Route: Anilio – Mantra Hodza Pass – Baros Pass – Kalarrites – Syrrako

 

Anilio as it looks from Metsovo

From Metsovo, we headed south towards Anilio. After passing under the Egnatia Highway, we continued through a magnificent forest of beech trees, towering firs trees and plane trees to the Mantra Hodza Pass (1650m. High altitude) near the springs of the Rona.

 

The highest asphalt pass in Greece with wild natural beauty

 

Outside of Haliki (1160m. High altitude), we turned right and passed over the Acheloos River, the Stone Bridge of Michos, the Holy Monastery of Galaktotrofousa and arrived at the Baros Pass.

 

Holy Monastery of Galaktotrofousa

Baros Pass 1905m.

The Baros Pass is the mountainous border between Thessaly and Epirus and was paved in 2014. It is the highest asphalt pass in Greece with an altitude of 1900m., the mountains around are higher in some places, without vegetation, rocky, with a wild beauty and with impressive hairpin turns and long S-curves.

 

Impressive hairpin turns

 

Our motorcycle at Baros pass

 

From the Baros intersection we turned right, following the beautiful route to Kalarrites.

 

 

Turn right for Kalarrites

 

 

A stop in the village is mandatory, only you have to leave your vehicle on the road and walk down to the village on foot from the stone path. 

 

 

Church of Agios Georgios at Kalarrites

 

We left our motorcycle at the church of Agios Georgios, next to the cemetery and reached the central square.

 

 

Central square of Kalarrites

 

The village is built at an altitude of 1120m., on a ravine, through which the Kalarritikos River flows.

 

 

Κalarritikos river

 

 

There is a path, a walk of about two hours inside the gorge at 900m, that connects Kalarrites with Syrrako on the other side of the gorge and at an altitude of 1200m. We crossed this path from the opposite side, from Syrrako to Kalarrites and back.

 

 

Κalarrites

 

By road, Syrrako is 22 km away and it took us about three quarters of an hour to get there.

 

Kalarritikos river bridge

On this route we first crossed the Kalarritikos River Bridge, the Holy Monastery of Kipina, Prosilio village, until you reach the two roads that lead to Syrrako, depending on the accommodation you will sleep in, you choose a route to reach the village.

 

 

Syrrako

 

In Syrrako the streets are cobblestones and the houses are built of gray stone, with slate roofs. The house of the writer Kostas Krystallis, the library and the Folklore Museum stand out.

 

The Building of Goura

 

In the center of the village is the Building of Goura with the running water, a 15th century building, the Square of Statues, with busts of Prime Minister Ioannis Kolettis and the poet Georgios Zalokostas and the church of Agios Nikolaos.

 

Stone houses at Syrrako

 

We slept in Syrrako and the next day we started a new route towards Tzoumerka.

 

First Route: Eastern Zagori - Artificial Lake Aoos - Lake Zorika - Vovousa - Tristeno - Tsipiani Bridge - Doliani - Leptokaria - Fragkades