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Deep canyons, great cinema - From Albania to Greece

Venetikos and Voidomatis, Arachthos and Kalaritikos. In Albania the magnificent Osum Canyon. Wow! A trip for sporty beginners and connoisseurs. A journey to the most beautiful gorges in the south. Bizarre rock faults, blue water and a road trip through the wild landscapes of Pindos and Epirus. No top sporting performances, paddling and marveling in the great cinema of geology. Holidays in Balkania with the best combined views Albania-Greece camp!

Article: Deep canyons, great cinema - From Albania to Greece - Osum
Osum - Grand Canyon of Albania

The rivers

The first trip to Greece in 2012 blew us away. So beautiful! So gigantically beautiful! So remote to us, at the bottom of a narrow notch in mother's earth crust. We kept coming back. What could be more obvious than to take a look across the border. In Albania the Aoos becomes the Vjosa, tributaries have cut deep gorges into the rock over time.

Article: Deep canyons, great cinema - From Albania to Greece - Bence
The valley of the Bence, southern Albania.

We'll take you with us. One of the most beautiful canyons in Albania and Greece, some call them the most beautiful canyons in Europe. Osum, Bence and maybe even the mystical Lengarice Gorge. In Greece also Venetikos and Voidomatis. From the comfortable base camp in Plaka from Arachthos and Kalaritikos. Let us be surprised which route the weather god recommends. In any case, we have enough experience under our belt to pick the reddest cherries.

Post: Deep canyons, great cinema - From Albania to Greece - Lengarice hot springs
The hot springs at the exit of the Lengarice Canyon.

The Tour

starts in the Albanian capital Tirana. From there we start in the south of the country to the very clear Bence, which cuts through a narrow valley to the Vjosa. We take a bath in the hot springs at the exit of the Lengarice Canyon. Are we lucky and there is enough water splashing out of the gorge? If not, we have the "Grand Canyon of Albania" of the Osum and the water-rich Vjosa near Permet. We reach the Osum via an adventurous pass road. Here we are happy to be on the road with our Albanian off-road drivers. A rustic stop along the way awaits us at the top of the pass.

Article: Deep canyons, great cinema - From Albania to Greece - Osum Canyon
In the Osum Gorge.

Via the small border crossing at Konitsa we reach the Voidomatis, whose blue-clear water flows out of the mighty Vikos Gorge. In two more days we paddle the open white water of the Venetikos. In the foothills of the Pindus near Grevena, the rivers have cut huge meanders in layers of clay and marl.

Article: Deep canyons, great cinema - From Albania to Greece - Venetikos
On the Venetikos at Trikomo.

A completely different landscape awaits us in the Tzoumerka Mountains. The Arachthos has dug deep into the limestone with canyons rich in figures. The amount of water is bigger here, long waves and extensive block slaloms let us play in the waves. Over five days we head to various stages from the paddler camp in Plaka. The ideal setting to fine-tune your technique while enjoying the magnificent landscape. After a delicious dinner in Marina and Nikos' restaurant, we crawl tiredly into the sleeping bag - or treat ourselves to a warm bed in the Hotel Teloneio.

Contribution: Deep canyons, great cinema - From Albania to Greece - Drone Arachthos
Bird's eye view of the Arachthos. | Photo: Flo Smith

Logistics

If you've had enough after nine days of travel, you can take the airport shuttle to Thessaloniki on Saturday, from where connections to all major German airports start. Since this trip often involves... Arachthos Camp I If the trip coincides, you can alternatively add up to seven more days of paddling to Arachthos and Kalaritikos and fly back from Preveza. Condor flies from Preveza to Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, and taking kayaks on the plane is possible without any problems.

Contribution: Deep canyons, great cinema - From Albania to Greece - God of Arachthos
God of Arachthos
Post: Deep canyons, great cinema - From Albania to Greece - Kalaritikos hike
Hike on the uppermost Kalaritikos. Fairytale!

Lodging

We stay overnight in wild camps directly on the river (Venetikos), on simple campsites (Vjosa, Arachthos) or in guesthouses. In Greece this is the camp well known among paddlers Via Natura. During the last week, you can alternatively stay overnight in Hotel Teloneio possible. A night with breakfast costs around € 30 to € 40 per person. A dinner in the restaurant costs around 15 euros.

Post: Deep canyons, big cinema - From Albania to Greece - Spileo village
The village of Spileo looks majestically over the Venetikos valley.
Article: Deep canyons, great cinema - From Albania to Greece - Kalaritikos Canyon
Technically - the entrance to the Kalaritikos Canyon.
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