Climbing Mount Olympus

Stavros was a fantastic guide, extremely professional, informative, and calm in the face of quite terrifying and unexpected weather. We had a very pleasant ascent from the hut, starting half-past seven. Stavros was great about adjusting the pace for my comfort and he had a lot of deep knowledge about the nature in the surrounding area, some of the more obscure myths surrounding the mountain, as well as different routes I would like to explore in future! We were hit by an unexpected late-morning hailstorm on the descent; without Stavros' calm energy, I would surely have panicked. We got down quickly and safely; I was totally unscathed, with another good story to tell. Stavros prioritised my safety over protecting his phone, which suffered water damage. I hope the next trip was less eventful! I highly recommend the semi-guided climb; you can take your time below tree-line on the way to the hut, but I wouldn't have felt safe on the last exposed and technical section without an experienced professional.

With the support of Dimitris and his assistant Ismini, we were able to conquer two peaks. I appreciate much their experiences and kindness. 5 Star guides. The On Day 1, they picked me up at the hotel in Litochoro at 9:00, then Dimitris has checked my belongings and purchased extra bottle of water. I borrowed a helmet, harness and headlamp . I should have taken my own headlamp(light). He drove to Gortsia and park there. We started toward the first ref. Petrostouga. We took a short rest around 11:00, then we continued to the first peak, Skourta. I was able to keep my body warm, to avoid to be cold, by switching between fleece, wool underwear and a rain coat that also provided wind protection. Along the way, I learnt a lot about vegetation, trail safety, and how to climb efficiently from Dimitoris. Soon after walking on the beautiful ridge, we have faced a bit steep rocky trail, then we were on the Plateau. We have stayed our base ref. G. Apostolidis. As Dimitris had taught me beforehand, I did not need a sleeping bag; just a liner was sufficient. Next morning, we woke up at around 6:30, then we had breakfast and went to the highest peak, Mitikas. I proceeded between the two of them and when I reached the bolt for protection, I was taught to switch the carabiner of the lifeline to my back. Half an hour's climb up a slightly steeper trail and we were at the top. At the second summit, Stefani, we only stayed for about a minute due to bad weather at the top, but we did feel a sense of achievement. Aiming to descend after 5:00 pm that day, I quickly returned to the base refuge, picked up my gear and decided to head for Prionia, another trailhead, this time via Spilios Agapitos. It seemed quite long, but somehow my knees held out and we reached the trailhead almost on schedule at 17:30 h. We were able to hitch a bus that had taken another group up to Gortsia. He was right that I was a very average climber, and the difficulty level was just right. However, it would be a bit difficult to summit safely without a guide. And perfect weather was also helped me. The original itinerary was for three days, but a week before, I was informed that it would be two days due to the guide's availability, and he asked if he could compensate by climbing the second highest summit, Stefani, as well. Unfortunately, the weather on the two summits was bad and I honestly don't know if this would have compensated for the three-day trekking, but the tour was satisfactory and I gave it five stars. If the customer didn’t have enough toughness, or weather was not perfect, it would be difficult to complete all the way including two peaks within two day. The website was also okay, but the original schedule was still unclear for me. The preferable belongings (differ from the seasons), route map, and itinerary should be clearly written.

Excellent guide. Knowledgeable, fun, enthusiastic. Highly recommended. Cheers!

Dimitris is an excellent guide. He is knowledgeable, reliable, flexible and very safe. He was quickly able to gauge our group’s skill level and adjust our group’s needs (pace, timing, routes, etc). I would definitely recommend him for any adventure you have in mind. Thanks Dimitris for such an amazing experience!

Dimitris is amazing guide, knowledgeable, pleasent and made us feel very confident. Great experience and for sure we will travel again with him. Bravo

What a great trip!! Akis is and was every inch the professional, collecting us right outside our hotel and transporting us to the start point, his advice and knowledge were excellent, I learned lots about life on the mountain from him, from the wild horses living the good life to the fit looking cattle and sheep the farmers keep, Olympus was the star of the show, at scala a scary, jaw dropping beauty confronted us, and with Akis’s steady hand we made it up and down with no dramas!! Loved it as did my partner Angie!!

I have completed approx 20 plus hikes and feedback is Demitris is the best guide. He is a master of assessing the risks, helped me with planning, motivated me along the way and gave me many tips to improve as a hiker. I would like to go for additional hikes with Demitris.

Félicitations à Babis Mainidis qui a su se mettre au niveau d'une débutante.

Babis is an amazing guide with years of climbing experience all over the world. I was able to really enjoy the last scramble up Mt Olympus because Babis had me in harness and guided me safely--totally without fear of falling--unlike the people trying to do it without a guide and ropes. Very patient and encouraging. Great trip!

Dimitris was an amazing guide. He was very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful as he took us up Olympus and even afterwards. We would highly recommend anyone looking to ascend Olympus to book with Dimitris!

For the fee charged, would expect meals and accommodation on mountain included.

Clients should be told that the money paid is just for explore-share and the guide. That there is extra cost. €56 for transportation, €18 per person per night, cost of food and a guide is not necessary if you don't go to the summit. The fitness level is very high.

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Akis is a great guide, we wouldn’t have made it up Mytikas without his help! The only thing was really that the car is too small and not really able to fit 3 of us for a 2hr ride to olympus and 2hr ride back.

Super sympa et connaît très bien la région Dimitris on reviendra

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Excellent service from the start of the booking until the day of trip. Pablo answered all of my questions prior trip, which helped me to prepare for the adventure. Trip slightly changed due to weather condition, but Akis ensure that it was enjoyable and safe. Akis is a high skilled professional very friendly and kind guide.

Gear list is incomplete. Sleeping bag, head lamp, clothing type etc lacking. Food, snacks?? No gear check. Day 1: 2 hour drive to trail head. At 4 pm arrived at refuge. Guide wasn't very interactive or explanatory about surroundings. Waking hours was akward and guide on phone most of the time. Day 2: poor weather. Excellent guiding! Cut trip short due to poor visibility. Arrived back in Litochoro around 5 pm. Guide helped me get settled in my motel. Day 3: I chose to hike E4 myself. Meals: boiled tortellini with grated cheese x 1. Breakfast (after asking): dry bread with chocolate spread. No hot beverage offered. If I knew, I could have brought my own stove and prep my own meals and hot tea. I only brought power bars and snacks for during hikes. Suggestions: better gear list, gear check, explanation and orientation of route and area, clarification of what can be or cannot be expected of meals. Akis is the best guide in a challenging situation when you can't talk or see because of a blizzard.

We had a wonderful time with our guide Dimitris. He is a very experienced mountain climber. Although we were unexperienced, he led us through the breathtaking Olympus without any problems. During the climb he told us many stories. It was an unforgettable experience and we couldn't wish for a better guide!

First off, wow. Words can't describe the experience that I had on that mountain. Dimitris literally changed my life. I've been an avid hiker for many years, but when I travel to a new country I like to have a guide at first to teach me the lay of the land. He went above and beyond to teach me. I learned how to use pulls, this alone is going to change my life. Ha I can't believe I've been hiking all this time and never used them. Secondly, I was very bummed that we couldn't summit due to weather, but he made it OK, with showing me more hikes and showing me trails that weren't crowded with tourists. I love local trails. Finally, I truly feel like I made a friend at the end of all this! He didn't make me feel like a paying customer, I had a grand time drinking at the refuge and hiking on that mountain. I will definitely come back to bag that peak in the summer time soon to come. Thank you!!!

We had 3 amazing days with the guide Babis on the mountain. Being at Mt Olympus for the first time, we got see the things we wished for and at the right experience level as fitted us perfectly. Thanks a lot.

I had an amazing time on this trip! Breathtaking views, cozy refuge, friendly people. My Guide Dimitris is very professional, we got the most out of the trip, it was a big pleasure to spend time with a mountain expert! Highly recommend!

A truly wonderful experience! Hard-going at times but thoroughly enjoyable and with a great sense of achievement at the end. Demetris was excellent. Very knowledgable and supportive. Got us all to the top and back down again safe and feeling great. He is the consummate mountain guide.

It was everything amazing!

Babis is a very experienced guid and make sure that everyone climbs safely and successfully. It was an absolute thrill to get to the top of Mt Olympus.

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Climbing a mountain is far from being an easy thing to do. I fell extremely lucky to choose Babis Marinidis as my guide to hide the mount of Olympus. Babis gathers all the qualities of a professional international mountain guide. Not only he motivates you to encounter your physical difficulties, but also your mental challenges in order to drive you to the edge. He is very clear with an analytic brief which summarizes what will happen, what to expect, verifying the trail conditions and forecast, respecting your pace. I trust him and I had the best experience of my life, hence I can highly recommend him.

Thank you to our guide babis was very friendly, always put safty first, very professional and our trip wouldnt be the same without him. thank you babis!

I can't put into words how great our experience was. Pavlos made us feel like family. The climb was a life changing and humbling experience. The mountain was beautiful!

Spectacular experience in just one day

Our whole experience was top notch and a once in a lifetime adventure. Everything went very smooth from booking to the big hike. Even when we wanted to change dates, last minute, because of weather Babis was very professional and flexible. He did everything to accommodate our needs. As a guide he was very knowledgeable and professional. We had a wonderful experience and can highly recommend Explore-Share, and specially Babis as your guide for your Mount Olympus adventure. Thanks for a great trip. Anette & Anders living on S/V Horizon

The trip up Mt Olympus was even better than we imagined it would be, and that was partly due to Babis being a great guide. He knows the mountain so well, it's almost as if he built it.

I think that Zhivko is absolutely brilliant in his role: always providing professional insight and mental support. I am sure I would have never made it to the top had I not been assisted by an experienced guide. Zhivko was very mindful throughout the entire duration of the challenge - e.g. advising on proper way of stepping, breathing, clothing etc. I would like to emphasise not only his great knowledge of practicalities related to hiking and climbing, but also fantastic psychological and social skills, showing respect to both: the environment and fellow hikers/ climbers. I've received a feedback following the completion of my 'mission' which will surely help me in the future. It's apparent that Zhivko loves what he is doing for living and he does what he loves rather than simply earning money. Absolutely fabulous experience!

Amazing site. Helped but me in touch with Babis Marinidis. Fantastic mountain guide, super helpful and attentive to needs. Made my climbing of Mt. Olympus so much fun. Could not recommend Explore-share or Babis more!

Dimitris was an amazing guide. Very knowledgeable, safe, and has a great personality. Would definitely use him again.

This was an awesome experience! Thansk to Pavlos, who is a perfect guide (and not a luxury at all when you want to climb Mytikas, we had 2 meter of snow in April). We did not reach the top due to heavy snowfall, but made a couple of other hikes while Pavlos told us the complete history of the Olympos mountain range. The breathtaking views from the refuge Giosos Apostolidis with the ever smiling ward Lazaros: it made it all a highly recommended journey! Thanks to all for making this happen!

Good trip, but Babis did not allow for his perhaps unusual clients. He was too keen to do everything at super-fast speed, and get to the refuges early. A slower pace would have suited us better. Also he did not brief us adequately on what to expect, and give advice on facilities and rules of the refuges.