Jewels of the Ionian - Cephalonia & Ithaka

Departure date :

007Sa27th September to the 4th October 2008 (7 nights)

Walking grade one --

Price €1035 per person (without flight)  Single supplement  €120

Cephalonia and Ithaka are much greener than most Greek islands because they are situated off the north western coast of mainland Greece.  In the wonderful light which falls on these islands, the green vegetation strikes a dramatic contrast with the shimmering sea. We will explore both these islands on foot, visiting pretty villages, secret chapels, ancient temples, castles and hidden coves. We will follow ancient mule tracks, passing through villages where we will sample the local delicacies and have the chance of swimming in the warm, turquoise waters of the Ionian sea.

The tour

We start on the Island of Cephalonia where spend three nights at a hotel in Fiscardo. In two days we have enough time to explore most of the island. At the end of the third day we take a ferry to Ithaka where we drive to our hotel in Vathy, the capital of the island. Vathy is an old port with lots of activity and plenty of small bars, tavernas and shops. There are four walks on the beautiful island of Ithaka; on the last day we return to Cephalonia to catch the flight back home.


Cephalonia

Cephalonia is the biggest of the Ionian islands. It is a rich island with large olive oil, wine and fishing industries. There is a little known national park, with Mount Ainus (1628 m) as the highest point, which is home to protected Cephalonian firs. The Island is botanically rich with many endemics such as crocuses, orchids, and peonies. Griffon vultures can be seen as well as eagles, buzzards and kestrels. There is a huge choice of walks: we will visit, among other places, lake Avithos, the fortress of Asos and the foothills of Mount Ainos.

Tourism  on the island dates came from the book and film Captain Correli's Mandolin.


Ithaka

It was the Island of Ithaka that captured Gerald Durrell’s heart as he wrote about the 'Greek Islands':
Ithaka, which reverberates with the Homeric legend, is a delightfully bare and bony little place, with knobbly hills, covered in Holm oak, which drop smoothly down into the sea, into deep water which is rich in fish … The intimacy of the scale and the rapidly shifting levels make it exhilarating …
Ithaka is a small island with many pretty harbours, high mountain villages, secret abandoned plateaus, intimate bays, and a network of ancient footpaths that go back to Homer’s time. We visit the legendary Homeric palace, Aetos mountain, Kioni and the abandoned windmills and the Nymphs’ cave.

The accommodation and food on Ithaka are excellent and the locals are very friendly and hospitable.

Walking grade one --
We walk between four and five hours each day with up to 500 metres of ascent and descent. The terrain is varied with quite a few cobbled footpaths, dirt roads, tracks through forest and open fields.


Price includes:
Accommodation for seven nights with full board for the week ; guiding and transport during the tour, including collection and return to Cephalonia airport.

 
Price does not include:
Flight ticket; personal insurance; drinks during the tour; entrance to museums.

Getting there:
This tour starts at Cephalonia airport. To get a flight www.cheapflights.co.uk gives you a list of all available flights from many uk airports.

 
book the walking tour in Cephalonia & Ithaka 2008
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Wonders of Zagori & the Ionian

Departure date:
00
005th to the 12th October 2008

Walking grade two --

Price: €1035 per person (without flight) Single supplement €120

 

This is a three-centre walking holiday starting from Aktion/Preveza airport on mainland Greece. The first three nights of the tour are spent on the small, fascinating island of Lefkada.

There are many enchanting walks in the heart of the island with pretty villages, wild scenery, and panoramic views of the sea and the surrounding islands.

There will be plenty of opportunities to swim. The last four nights are spent on the mainland, in the Pindus mountains in the region of Zagori, which has some of the most awe-inspiring scenery in Greece.

Here we walk alongside the sparkling water of the Voydomatis river, visit deeply traditional villages, cross ancient stone bridges and see monasteries perched high in the mountains.


The highlight of the week is a six-hour walk through the famous Vikos gorge, the deepest canyon in the world, 14 kilometres long with towering cliffs up to 1,000m high on either side.  In the gorge there is a wide range of interesting flora, fauna and birds of prey.

Special aspects of the tour :

  • In Lefkada, we visit several abandoned monasteries, the plateau of Karia, the Mount Skaros, and Skorpios, the Onassis family’s island.
  • In the main town there is a pedestrian market, a labyrinth of back streets, Italianesque churches and the bustling port. There are beautiful sandy beaches with crystal blue water.

  • Zagori is a complete contrast: this is an area of Greece well off the beaten track. We walk on 200-year-old cobbled footpaths and discover an interesting flora and fauna (orchids galore, wild peonies, bears, eagles and wild ibex).  There are two National Parks, running rivers, ancient stone bridges, frescoed churches, protected and preserved stone villages … all of this in the midst of dramatic, majestic scenery close to the border with Albania.






 

  • Ioannina is the capital of Epirus, forty five minutes from Zagori. A fascinating city with a bloodthirsty history. It was here that Ali Pasha lived in 1800s; he was a tyrant and friend of Lord Byron. His legend lives on as does his mosque and palace.
    Today Ioannina has a flavour of the orient: it is a rich city full of interesting markets and shops; there is great lake with an island in the middle. This is a student town, and there is a buzz in the air around the lake-side cafes in the evenings.


Walking grade two --
We walk between four and six hours each day with up to 700 meters of ascent and descent. The terrain is varied with quite a few cobbled footpaths, dirt roads with tracks through the forest and open fields.


Price includes:
Accommodation for seven nights with full board for the week ; guiding and transport during the tour, including collection and return to Preveza airport.
 
Price does not include:
Flight ticket; personal insurance; drinks during the tour; entrance to museums.

Getting there:
This tour starts at Preveza airport, sometimes known as Aktion. For flight details you can go on to the following site www.cheapflights.co.uk You can reach Preveza from many UK airports.


book the walking tour in North of Greece 2008
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Lesvos - Garden of the Nightingales (for 2008)

Departure date: 29th May to 5th June 2008 SOLD

New departure date : 5th to 12th June 2008


Walking grade two --

Price: € 1035 per person without the flight Single supplement €1200

 
 
Lesvos is one of our favourite islands. It has remained very Greek in character and is largely unaffected by tourism. Eastern Lesvos is deliciously lush with olive groves, dense forests, cultivated fields, highland plateaus and interlaced by running streams and springs. Moving to the west the landscape is transformed: it becomes more arid, with sparse oak forest and in the far west it is more like a desert. There are the remains of a petrified prehistoric forest. In Spring, the island comes alive, carpeted with wild flowers it offers a temporary home to thousands of rare birds migrating northwards. It is a birdwatchers paradise.
You will see many fascinating things during your stay here: impressive neoclassical mansions, roman aqueducts, Byzantine chapels and Turkish baths.
Unlike many of the Greek islands, Lesvos has a wealth of traditional industries, which have been practised for centuries. Its distilleries produce some of the best ouzo in Greece.




Pottery is made in many of the villages using traditional methods and ancient designs. Sheep and cow’s milk cheeses are made in many mountain villages. Other industries include charcoal making, fruit confectioning, icon painting, saddle making, leather working, sardine fishing and canning. We visit many artisans during this week’s tour. We base our tours in seaside studios on the eastern side of the island close to the capital. Many of the walks we have chosen are on the eastern, southern and central part of the island.

We believe that you will be charmed and fascinated by an island that is just waiting to be discovered.
Special aspects of this holiday
  • descending a wide cobbled path from the highest peak, Mount Olympus at 1,000m, to Agiassos, where there is a remarkable church of the Panagia
  • visiting the capital, Mitilini, with its impressive Genoese churches, bustling markets, busy port and the renowned impressionist art gallery. Walking on cobbled footpaths across a valley passing three monasteries
  • visiting several charming seaside villages with wonderful views across to Asia Minor; finishing the walk at Mandamados,  browsing in pottery shops, meeting an icon painter and visiting a cheese factory
  • visiting the Hellenistic temple of Meson and Xalkinadon before feasting on fresh grilled sardines in a seaside taverna
  • walking across wild moor land and forest to a deserted beach; lunch by the sea; visiting and bathing in a 200-year-old Turkish hamam  fed with natural, hot spring water
  • walking through an enchanted forest; visiting a shepherd and his family; lunching by the sea in Gera bay


Walking grade two --
An average of four to six hours’ walking in a day with up to 500 metres of ascent or descent. The terrain is a mainly cobbled footpaths and dirt roads across fields and moorland.

Price includes:
Accommodation for seven nights with full board for the week; guiding and transport during the tour, including collection and return to the local airport.
 

 Prices does not include:
Flight ticket; personal insurance; drinks during the tour; entrance to museums.

book the walking tour in Lesbos 2008