Compare Classical Greece by Artisans of Leisure vs Epirus And Metsovo MTB Tour by Travelncycle.com
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| Trip |
0 | Poor
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5 | Excellent
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| Duration | 7 days | 7 days |
| Price From | $ 9,815 | $ 1,403 |
| Price Per Day | $ 1,402 | $ 200 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Private guided tour | Group tour |
| Lodging Level | Luxury | Premium |
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| Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | Ground transport included |
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| Meals Included | N/A | N/A |
| Description |
This private luxury tour features the most antiquities-rich cities in mainland Greece. With your own private guide, enjoy comprehensive touring of the top sights in Athens, explore the center of the ancient world in Delphi and the medieval monasteries of Meteora, and experience the cultural crossroads of Thessaloniki. |
The region named Zagori in Epirus is one of the most breathtaking in the Greek Highlands. The architectural beauty of the villages built entirely out of stone, the legendary arched stone bridges, the natural scenery with the amazing geomorphology, the rivers, the gorges, the deep forests and of course the local tradition, cuisine and culture contribute to a strong and special impression on the visitor. Metsovo, on the other hand is a traditional small city located in northern west Greece. The region’s morphology offers imposing landscapes of dazzling beauty as well as a wide range of fauna and flora. A variety of high class local products, such as cheese and wine can be found in these hidden gems of Greece. Mountain biking in these two impressive regions is definitely the adventure you will remember for a life time. |
Day 1: Arrive Athens
Private transfer to hotel for 2 nights
Day 2: Athens
Half-day private city tour
Day 3: Athens – Delphi – Kalambaka (Meteora)
Private excursion to Delphi for touring of ruins en route to Kalambaka (also, Jewish touring in Trikala, if desired)
Day 4: Kalambaka & Meteora – Thessaloniki
Private tour of Meteora monasteries. Continue to Thessaloniki for 2 nights and tour ancient sites of Dion, Vergina, and Pella en route
Day 5: Thessaloniki
Full-day private touring of city’s highlights
Day 6: Thessaloniki - Athens
Private transfer to airport for flight to Athens. Private transfer to hotel for overnight
Day 7:Depart Athens
Private airport transfer
Day 1: Transfer to Zagoria
Departure from Athens or any other major Greek city and transfer to Kipi village in Zagoria area. Kipi are located approximately 6 hours driving from Athens and 3 hours driving from Thessaloniki. Check-in into our hotel and dinner. Overnight.
Day 2: Mountain biking tour in Zagoria
We enjoy breakfast in our hotel. Safety briefing will follow, quick check at the bikes and then beginning of our MTB tour of the day. We will combine riding in dirt roads and single trails within mountains, in good proportion. The altitude we will be cycling ranges from 900 to 1400 meters, moving through deep forest areas, under the shade of tall pine and fir trees. We will also get the chance to cross some of the arched stone bridges of the area with their unique architecture and we will enjoy a delicious picnic with local products in the nature. Total duration of riding time estimated at approximately 4-6 hours depending on the rider’s level. Return to our hotel. Dinner – Overnight
Day 3: Mountain biking tour in Zagoria
Breakfast in our hotel and then beginning of the second day’s Mountain biking tour in Zagoria. Today we cover a distance of about 40 kilometers starting from our hotel to reach the next beautiful village of Dilofo. Then through the villages of Vitsa and Monodendri we reach an altitude of 1400m and the breathtaking viewpoint of Oxia where we will admire the famous Vikos Gorge, the deepest canyon in the world. We return to Monodendri to enjoy a light meal with traditional pie at a local tavern. Then we begin to descend from high altitude through the magical “Steps of Vigla”. Total duration of the tour is approximately 6 hours. Return to our hotel. Dinner – Overnight.
Day 4: Kipi – Ioannina – Metsovo
Enjoy your last breakfast in Kipi as today we leave Zagoria to head for Metsovo, our next Mountain biking destination. We load our equipment and we will visit first Ioannina, the capital city of the region Epirus. It is a lakeside beautiful city with lots of history. Free time will be given to explore the city on your own. You can visit the old castle of the city or one of the museums, or enjoy a coffee at the beautiful lake front. Later at the afternoon we will leave Ioannina to head for Metsovo at a distance of about 40 kilometers where we will spend the next days. Check-in into our hotel, free time to explore this traditional city and later dinner in our favorite restaurant with local specialties. Overnight.
Day 5: Valia Kalda mountain biking tour
Breakfast and beginning of our MTB tour of the day. Today’s highlight is Valia Kalda; one of the main areas of the National Preserve of Pindos. We load our gear on the support vehicle and we have a beautiful drive for about 25 kilometers until we reach the dam of the Aoos springs artificial lake. Our target today is to reach Tsouka Rossa, a mountaintop located at an altitude of 1985m high. The whole route remains in high altitudes, making it very challenging but nevertheless, the end offers a spectacular view of the area that rewards us. After the necessary break on the top we start descending towards out starting point. The end of the tour will find us enjoying a picnic with local products by the lakeside. Total distance of the tour is about 50 kilometers and the duration is approximately 5 hours. Return to Metsovo and later dinner – Overnight.
Day 6: Valia Kalda and Metsovo area mountain biking tour
We enjoy our breakfast in our hotel and then transfer to our starting point location near the village Milia, about 28 kilometers from Metsovo. We hop on our bikes and we begin pedaling towards the deep forest of pine and fir trees. We use mostly local dirt roads for safety reasons but we will try to challenge you in some very technical trails depending on the condition they are after the winter. We will cover a distance of about 20 kilometers within the forest until we reach an abandon asphalt road which was the main road of the area for many decades until a new highway was introduced. Soon after, we will enjoy a picnic in the nature overlooking the mountaintops around us. We continue pedaling in high altitude until we reach the Ski resort on Anilio. From there we start to descend until the foot of Metsovo and last, a challenging uphill until our hotel. Later we enjoy a special dinner with local dishes and local wine with our compliments for the last night of the tour.
Day 7: Departure from Metsovo
We enjoy our last breakfast of the tour in our hotel. Soon after we load our gear and we depart to visit Meteora, the world famous monasteries built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly. The Meteora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List and considered to be one of the most important monuments in Greece. Depending on your mood and the time we are able to offer you a unique short single trail route for a fantastic mountain bike experience in Meteora. Lunch in a local tavern and then beginning for our 5 hour return trip to Athens.
