Welcome to Zagorochoria, Epirus!

Villages of Zagoria are of unique beauty!
River Voidomatis flows across the villages of Zagoria. It is one of the most scenic natural attractions in Greece. This river is a famous active holiday destination for tourists from all over the world. It is also characterised by the traditional stone bridges along it and it is famous for its clean water, as it is probably the cleanest river in Europe. Its smooth, crystal-clear and friendly water offers a lot of excitement and fun to the adventure sport lovers. The grey rocks and the green vegetation are nicely combined to the turquoise water of the river. Rafting, cannoning, canoeing, river trekking are among the popular water sports practiced in Voidomatis River. Many sports organizations frequently organize courses of water sports along Voidomatis River as well as excursions. Note that Voidomatis crosses the famous Vikos-Aoos Natural Reserve, which is among the most precious and beautiful natural reserves in Greece. The water route to Voidomatis starts at the village of Vikos, where the spring of Voidomatis originates. Vikos Gorge is very deep, measuring about 1km deep and 1,100m wide. There is a track among the lush forests, which leads down to the river. The greenish-blue waters flow at the bottom of the gorge. The view to the National Park of Vikos is amazing from the inside of the track, that stretches for about 12 km. Around Voidomatis River, you will find traditional Zagorian villages and beautiful Byzantine Monasteries.

Cultural Events in Zagoria
Sarakatsans Festival offers some characteristic examples of local festivals held by the local communities. The tribe of Sarakatsans used to be nomad shepherds and are said to constitute one of the purest Greek populations, as they might be descendants from the original tribes of Homeric Greece. Their festival is celebrated every year at Gyftokambos, in the central area of Zagoria, during the first weekend of August.



Epirus cuisine has the most delicious dishes in Greece!
Local cuisine mainly uses ingredients found on the mountain and depends mostly on stock farming products: milk, yogurt, cheese, goat and sheep meat. Milk is the basic ingredient in the Epirus cuisine. It is used for the production of butter and buttermilk, yogurt and the famous local cheeses. Butter is another essential ingredient in the region’s cookery as olive trees do not thrive on this land.

The great variety of local cheeses is owed to the area’s fresh goat and sheep milk and it is the result of a long tradition in cheese-making. Local feta cheese is really top quality.
Pies hold a central place in the region’s gastronomy and they are prepared either as a weekday meal or as a special dish on feast days. They can be simple and straightforward to make or complicated and requiring more skills, there are salty or sweet ones, made with or without phyllo, stuffed with all sorts of ingredients, seeing that in Epirus, practically everything can be made a pie: meat, fish, macaroni, greens, vegetables etc.
Traditional cooking of Epirus involved the use of particular cookware. Many of these items are still used today, named tavas (a lidded baking dish), roasters and sagania (large pans for cooking on the fireplace).
Savory syrupy sweets such as saragli, walnut cake, almond cake, flute shaped sweets, local baklava with walnut filling and the well-known Kantaifi from Ioannina are but a few of the sweets you can taste in Epirus. The secret is a successful combination of ingredients such as kantaifi threads, baklava dough sheets, walnuts, almonds and thick syrup. You can also try spoon sweets made from the fruits of the Epirus earth. Make sure you also taste Debina, a wine made from an Epirus grape variety cultivated in 95% of the vineyards in the Zitsa viticulturally zone. It produces the renowned white wine PDO Zitsa, as well as well-known semi-sparkling and sparkling wines. Don’t forget to try the aged tsipouro (a type of spirit) and local cranberry and blackberry lique


Do you want to stay in Zagorochoria? BOOK NOW Pindos Chalet I!
Pindos Chalet I is located in the entrance of Vitsa village, one of the 46 picturesque traditional villages of Zagori, in a magical setting amidst pine and fir trees at an altitude of 960m.
It is considered as a luxurious, yet homey accommodation. It is decorated with chic English upholstery and furnished to detail with antiques, stylish fabrics and luxury oriental rugs. The Frette linen and the exclusive bathroom amenities, the luxury bathrobes and slippers, the high quality mattresses and the beds guarantee a relaxing sleep.
It consists of 2 bedrooms with double beds on the ground floor with en suite bathrooms. The wooden stairs lead to the spacious and cozy living room, the dining area and the fully equipped kitchen with large fridge-freezer, oven, electric hobs and complimentary tea and coffee facilities. There is an extra WC on this floor.

Arrival Instructions
By Air
There is no airport in Zagoria. The closest airport is in Ioannina city, about 1 hour drive from the villages of Zagoria. The airport of Ioannina receives domestic flights from Athens. The flight time from Athens to Ioannina is 1 hour. From the airport of Ioannina, you can go to Zagoria by car. Alternatively, you can take the bus to Zagoria from the center of Ioannina.
By Bus
The villages of Zagoria can be reached by bus from Ioannina. The town of Ioannina is connected by bus to Athens, Thessaloniki and many other Greek towns. There are daily buses from Athens and Thessaloniki to Ioannina. Buses from Athens depart from Kifissos Bus Station (Bus 051 Omonoia-Kifissos and X93 Athens Airport-Kifissos) and the trip takes about 7 hours. The bus trip from Macedonia KTEL Station in Thessaloniki to Ioannina is about 3 hours. From Ioannina there are buses to almost all villages of Zagoria and certainly to the most popular villages, such as Papigo, Monodendri and Konitsa. Depending on the village location, the duration varies from 40 min to 1 and half hour.
By Car
To travel from Athens to Zagoria by car, you follow the National Highway Athens-Patras. After you cross the cable bridge of Rio-Antirrio, you continue to Mesolongi and Ioannina. After you pass Ioannina, you follow the signs to the particular village of Zagoria where you want to go. To go from Thessaloniki to Zagoria by car, you follow the Egnatia Odos from Thessaloniki to Ioannina and in Ioannina you follow the signs to the particular village of Zagoria where you want to go.

EXPLORE PIRIN MOUNTAINS IN BULGARIA IN A LUXURIOUS WAY!

Where to find Paradise?
In the Razlog valley surrounded by three of the most beautiful mountains  Rila, Pirin and the Rhodopes
• within 160 km of the capital Sofia and the airport
• within 15 km of European quality ski tracks with total length of 65 km
• within 12 km of hot spa springs in Banya village
• only within 150 km of the beaches of the Aegean



The rich History of Bulgaria
The national historical-archeological reserve “Madara” is located 17 km northeast of Shumen, 2 km from the village of Madara and 75 km from Varna.
First settled during the Neolithic Age (the late Stone Age), it has been occupied ever since. Over the centuries, rock sanctuaries were founded here, as were palaces and other habitations, fortresses, temples, hermits’ retreats and monastic complexes, places for solitude and for communal celebrations. Visitors can observe evidence of the material and spiritual cultural development of many ethnic groups – the earliest inhabitants, Thracians, Romans, Byzantines, Slavs, Bulgars, Turks, and others. Today dozens of monuments and artifacts from all epochs can be seen.
The most notable monument at the Madara reserve is the unique stone relief known as the Madara Horseman. Carved on a massive cliff some 23 meters high, it is representative of early Medieval Bulgarian artistry.
The relief depicts a horseman in a natural pose with a sword in his hand. At the feet of the horse is a lion, and behind the rider is depicted his hunting dog. One legend has it that a Roman emperor was hunting on the plateau when he fell off the cliff and died. His relatives memorialized him by engaging a master to carve his image on the cliff.
The stone relief is the only one of its kind in Europe. In 1979, it was included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and in 2008 it was chosen as the national symbol of Bulgaria.
In the 14th century one of the largest cliff monasteries in Bulgaria was founded at Madara. More than 150 natural caves on the rock face were used as churches, chapels, monastic retreats, and gravesites. One of the largest caves was used as a church, and it continues to function to this day as the cliffside chapel “Saint Panteleymon”.
-The Burgas Archeological Museum is located in a former girls’ school that was built in 1894. It was designed by the Swiss architect Herman Maier, who also designed banks in Sofia, Plovdiv, and Russe.

Cultural Events of the Bulgarian Traditional
Bulgarian customs are rooted in antiquity and are closely tied to the country’s history and particular expression of Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
Dancing on live coals is an ancient Bulgarian ritual still practiced in a few villages in the Balkan Mountains. The ritual in its authentic form is performed on the name day of Saints Konstantin and Helena – 21 May or 3 June according to the old calendar. Fire dancers perform their special dance on live coals holding in both hands an icon of Saint Konstantin and Saint Helena. Amazingly, they never get hurt or burn their feet.
The Mummer games are special customs and rituals conducted most often on New Year’s Eve and at Shrovetide. They are only performed by men, who wear special masks and costumes that have been made for the occasion by each of the participants in order to chase away bad spirits and demons at the beginning of every year.
“Laduvane” is another interesting ritual that is performed on the New Year’s Eve, George’s Day, Midsummer’s Eve and St. Lazar’s Day. At this ritual young women predict their future in marriage and the men they will marry. They address Lada, the goddess of love and family life, to ask her about their future husbands.

“Lazaruvane” is a ritual related to coming of spring. It is conducted on St. Lazar’s Day, eight days before Easter and always on the Saturday before the celebration of Palm Sunday. On this day willow branches are picked and used to decorate the doors and young maidens pick flowers to shape as garlands. On Saturday maidens dress in festive clothes decorated with flowers and sprigs. Then they walk from house to house, offering blessings for good health and rich harvests and given small gifts.
Probably the most important symbol of Bulgaria is the ritual of making and giving martenitsas for health and happiness at the beginning of March.
Especially well-respected in Bulgaria are traditions related to the circle of life – birth, christening, wedding, and funeral.


Traditional Food
Bulgarian cuisine is exceptionally diverse and delicious, consisting of various salads, breadstuffs, stews, and other local dishes. Many of the dishes are prepared according to traditional recipes handed down from generation to generation over the centuries.
The most products for which Bulgaria is internationally known are yogurt and white brine (feta type) cheese. These are almost always present on Bulgarian tables in one form or another.
One of the most famous and most popular breakfast items in the country is banitsa. It is a made of dough with various fillings, such as cheese, spinach, rice and meat. Other popular breakfasts dishes include pancakes, buhtas (fritters), mekitsas (fried dough pieces), and fried bread slices. All of these are particularly delicious when served with jam, marmalade, honey or yogurt.
The most popular Bulgarian salad is the Shopska Salad, but there are also other salads worth trying – Shepherd’s Salad, Harvest Salad, Snezhanka, Monk’s Salad, Dobrudzha Salad, Roasted Peppers Salad.
One of the most popular appetizers is Tarator (cold Cucumber Soup).Some of the most popular Bulgarian dishes are grilled meat balls, kebapches, grilled meat pieces, grilled sausages, etc. Various stews and dishes in clay pots are also a regular part of the Bulgaria cuisine (hotchpotch and casseroles).
One of the trademarks of the Bulgarian cuisine is Cheverme – an entire lamb roasted on a spit. Potatoes are a main ingredient in many Bulgarian recipes. The most popular potato dishes include Ogreten, Patatnik, potato stew and fried potatoes.
Bulgaria is justly famous for its wines. Thanks to the country’s unique climate and soils, a variety of grapes thrive here – Gamza (North Bulgaria), the Wide Melnik Vine (in the region of Melnik and Sandanski), Dimyat (in the regions of Varna, Shumen and Stara Zagora), Mavrud (Plovdiv, Pazardzhik, Asenovgrad), Red Misket (Straldzha and Sungurlare), Ruby (Plovdiv and Septemvri) and Pamid (Pazardzhik, Pamidovo and Plovdiv).


BOOK NOW A LUXURIOUS PROPERTY IN PIRIN MOUNTAINS!
This complex in Pirin mountains is an international 5-star complex, which offers vacation properties and luxury trade areas and manages a top-level golf club. Situated on an area of 150 hectare, in close proximity to the world famous ski resort Bansko, the complex provides the unique opportunity for a golf & ski vacation throughout the year.
The vacation properties and the two golf courses are perfectly integrate with the natural surroundings and define the complex as a preferred holiday destination.