Vikos Gorge is located 30 km north of Ioannina and is one of the most important and busiest hiking destinations of northern Greece. It is 12 km. long and with Vikaki gorge, which starts next to the village of Monodendri, its total length reaches 24km. The National Park of Vikos-Aoos has a total area of 1,600 hectares.
The main characteristic of the gorge is the steep edges of the surrounding peaks and the forests of deciduous trees. The flora of the region includes about 1700 species and subspecies. Five of these are local endemic found only in the gorge, and twelve are found nowhere else in Greece. The fauna is equally rich as the gorge is the shelter of wolves, deer, bears, weasels, wild cats etc. In the spring you can see the traces of bears on the melting snow of the surrounding mountains (not inside the gorge though). Unfortunately, poaching is a major problem for the national park.
The geological limestone formations of the gorge (up to 1,700 m. high) were created 37-150 million years ago. It often rains in the summer while in winter temperatures are low.
The abandoned Monastery of Agia Paraskevi, near Monodendri, offers a panoramic view of the canyon. Nearby you will find the Great Cave which is reachable through a narrow path. The bridges in the area were built in the 18th and 19th century to connect the remote villages. The entire area of Zagori flourished during the Ottoman rule but also in the years after its liberation, thanks to intense commercial activity. The charlatans, "the Doctors of the Gorge", who claimed they used the beneficial properties of plants and herbs of the gorge, were known throughout Greece.
