Meteora

Over millions of years the elements have striven to create this geological masterpiece to match anything of its kind throughout the world; a place to test your physique and stun your senses.

Can you touch the sky?

One of the top abseiling venues in the world, it has all the facilities you could possibly need to take up the challenge. As you survey the panorama below, you’ll get the exhilarating sensation that you are suspended somewhere between heaven and earth.

Set out for a hike to one of the gravity-defying monasteries that perch on top of the rocks and on your way you cannot help but be enchanted by all the untamed beauty; those imperious stone giants are mesmerizing from the moment you set eyes on them and the palpable sense of serenity and soothing silence as you draw nearer to the holy residence, broken only by the calls of the birds wheeling in the sky, will leave you in an state of utter calm. The higher you climb, the more commonplace cares and responsibilities seem to evaporate into the ether, freeing your mind to simply exult at the majesty of the experience.

Then again, if you prefer, there’s a two-wheel alternative. Mountain biking in Meteora means plenty of physical exertion, but doesn’t that make the reward of all the hidden treasures you will discover that much sweeter? There are three trails, one with a guide that’s a little more leisurely and another that really throws down the gauntlet for those who have pedaling power to spare!

Rock, roll and raft

The legendary Aheloos river, referred to as Aspropotamos by the locals, crosses endless expanses of forest, whose colours and textures make a sublime collage. What better way to enjoy them than from a raft on the river itself descending from Tria Potamia to the Alexiou bridge? Another unforgettable rafting experience, suitable even for those just beginning, can be had on the Ionas river, a tributary to the Pinios.

Cave of Theopetra

When did Homo Sapiens replace the Neanderthals? How did humanity’s transition from hunter-gatherer to farmer come about? Who do the 130,000-year-old footprints belong to? The cave of Theapetra in Kalambaka can definitely lead you out of the darkness as far as these and other archaeological conundrums are concerned –the mysteries of prehistory in Greece beckon you in.

Raise the pulse and reach for the skies in fabled Meteora.