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The day that you’ve been waiting for, after all those years of reading the hiking posts of a Greek gal, has finally arrived. Today, I want to share an adventure that takes us to the heart of Greek mythology and beauty – the awe-inspiring Mount Olympus, home of the gods and a hiker’s paradise. 

Mount Olympus, or “Olympos” in Greek, is the tallest mountain in Greece, soaring to an impressive 2,917 meters above sea level. It is also the second-highest mountain in the Balkans, with Rila in Bulgaria being the highest, with a difference of about 7 meters. Nestled in between Thessaly and Pieria, it has earned its reputation as the dwelling place of the Twelve Olympian gods of ancient Greek mythology. The gateway to the mountain is Litochoro, a picturesque seaside resort adorned with cobbled streets and inviting tavernas. We organized the trip in a three days-two nights format, thus we spent the first night in Litochoro, to wake up and start the hike early the next morning.

The most popular trail leading to the summit of Mount Olympus is the “Enipeas Gorge” trail, part of the E4 international trail. However, during my visit, several wooden bridges along this path had been rendered inaccessible due to the recent storm Daniel, which wrought unimaginable destruction in the region of Thessaly. Instead, we embarked on our hike from “Prionia,” a popular starting point for many hikers, situated at an elevation of 1,100 meters. Here, you’ll find amenities such as a parking area and a small café.

The vegetation changes as you climb higher, transitioning into alpine meadows, where you’ll encounter beautiful wildflowers and unique flora. The path eventually opens up to reveal the rocky terrain of the higher slopes. On our way up, we met a group of mules carrying provisions to the shelters. Upon reaching the “Refuge A – Spilios Agapitos (Zolotas)” at 2100m, the most popular stop for hikers, you can take a well-deserved rest, and recharge for the final push to the summit.

As far as I noticed, all refuges around Mt Olympus have the names of popular hikers of the past century, a token of gratitude for their efforts to explore the mountain. While refuge A bears the name Agapitos, an architect and politician, it is commonly known as Zolotas, the name of its guard who worked as a mountain guide for 50 years. Zolota’s name appears in many stories, as he often appeared to aid stranded hikes in adverse weather conditions. The refuge is now operated by his daughter.

From the refuge, there are two ways to reach the summit. You can either follow the “Zonaria” trail and decide whether you’ll conquer the “Mytikas” or “Skolio” peaks or opt for the “Kofto” trail, leading to the plateau of the Muses. We opted for the latter, where the path quickly becomes steeper and rockier. On the eastern side of Olympus, mythological tradition placed the nine Muses, who were the protectresses of the Fine Arts and the daughters of Zeus and the titaness Mnemosyne. As lesser gods, of course the Muses would reside just below the Olympians, at their own plateau at 2,600m. A lot of wild goat-like chamois, which are not shy at all, roam the plateau. Their are protected and an example of the admirable biodiversity of the Balkan peninsula.

There are two refuges at the plateau, Kakalos and Apostolidis, each devoted to an explorer of Mt. Olympus. The mountain was considered sacred by the ancient Greeks, so they didn’t dare to get on the summit. No one paid much attention to the mountain in the centuries that followed. Its peak was not conquered until 1913, by the Swiss climbers Frédéric Boissonnas and Daniel Baud-Bovy, with the help of a local wild goat hunter from Litochoro named Christos Kakalos. Kakalos, who had extensive experience on Olympus, was the first of the three to reach the summit of Mytikas. Later, until his death in 1976, he became the official guide of Olympus. On the other hand, Yossos Apostolidis was the first and foremost member of the Hellenic Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing (S.E.O.) which was established in 1957 in Thessaloniki. In 1959, Apostolidis came to Litochoro and organized a workgroup consisting of craftsmen and laborers with the aim of building a mountaineering refuge on the plateau of the Muses on Mount Olympus.

Our original plan was to spend the night at either of the refuges. However, everything was fully booked weeks earlier, so we had to carry our tents and sleep there. We enjoyed a humongous plate of spaghetti Bolognese and local soup with “trahana”. If you want to relax after the stress of the hike, there’s always warm “rakomelo” available. It would have been a great day and even better night, if it weren’t for the howling winds sweeping the plateau during the night. The wind was whirling inside the gorges, and a few seconds later I could hear the air swell and then gush on the outer shell of my ten.

According to mythology, the twelve gods resided in the gorges of Olympus, where their palaces were situated. The Pantheon (known as Mytikas today) served as their gathering place, while Zeus’s throne was perched at the summit, known today as “Stefani.” The peak indeed resembles the back of a regal throne.  In the afternoon, the mountain rewards you for the strenuous hike with breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, the Aegean Sea, and the Thessalian Plain. In the morning, the sleepless night is exchanged for a marvelous view of a sea of clouds below.

On the second day, you have to make a decision, whether you will summit the peak or not. There are two common routes to reach the summit of Mytikas: the ‘Louki’ route or the ‘Skala’ route. To attempt this climb, you should have no fear of heights or edges. It’s advisable to bring or rent a helmet, and many guided groups also use safety ropes. The ground is extremely slippery and flimsy, so getting struck by a rock which was carelessly dropped from above is a major issue. In our case, we decided to leave the final 300 meters of ascent to the peak for another time.

On our way back, we reached the entry point for Louki, but instead headed downwards, following the “Zonaria” trail. The name means belt, because the geological formations it follows form layers, which do look like a belt as they encircle the peak. The return trail is almost double in length compared to Kofto, but is less steep and more comfortable for people who are afraid to look down in front of them. The trail meets Agapitos refuge, so we got some coffee and quickly met Prionia again. We refreshed our tired legs at the waterfall, to prevent any soreness for the next day.

Be warned that hiking Mount Olympus is not for the faint of heart. It demands excellent physical condition, endurance, and meticulous preparation of mountaineering equipment, even during the summer season. While ascending Mount Olympus can be a challenging journey, it’s a pilgrimage worth embarking on. It’s more than just a trek up a mountain; the spirits of the Olympian gods, though long gone in our collective mindset, still seem to bless the mountain and send shivers down the spine.

If you want to check out the details of this 2-day hike, you can follow the route in alltrails, Prionia – Agapitos (Zolota) refuge – Kofto – Muses Plateue for Day 1 and Muses plateue – Zonaria – Agapitos refuge – Prionia for Day 2. You can read more hiking posts under the tag hiking. If you liked this article, share it with your friends. Do you have any hiking tips for the area? Add them in the comments. You can also follow this blog, follow me on Instagram or Facebook, to never miss a post. Until next time!

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