Akis, an HMGA certified mountain guide, will take you in this great 4-day rock climbing trip to the mythical Mount Olympus in Greece.
Not specified
4 Days
Jul, Aug, Sep
Intermediate
I invite you to join me in a fantastic rock climbing trip to Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece! We will spend 4 great days of multi-pitch climbing, facing the sea and surrounded by a majestic scenery.
This mythical mount was the home of Greek gods, according to mythology. Today it's the most wild and isolated area of the Greek mountains. I will take you along rocks at an altitude of almost 3000 metres. We will climb to the highest peak, Mytikas (2918 m).
Mount Olympus lies in the Olympus Range, on the border between Macedonia and Thessaly. Also, it's 80 kilometres southwest from the city of Thessaloniki, our meeting point.
Besides, it has many peaks, deep gorges and an outstanding biodiversity. It is also a World's Biosphere Reserve.
So, on our first day, we will meet at the Thessaloniki airport. Then, we will head to the small village of St. Dimitrious and stay in a hotel for the night. On our second day, we will head to the of Xerolaki Ridge, and to the Musses Plateau summit (2700 m), along needles and rock faces. We will spend the night in a hut.
Then, on the third day, we will climb to the impressive Throne of Zeus peak (2902 m). And finally, on the fourth, we will make the whole summits traverse! We will even climb up to the Mytikas summit (2918 m). You can check the detailed itinerary below this description.
So contact me if you want to join me in this 4-day climbing trip! It will be an unforgettable experience. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the program.
I also offer an 8-day hut to hut hiking tour in Mount Olympus. Check it out!
- Guiding fee
- Transportation start and back
- Transport during the trip
Meeting at Thessaloniki airport and transfer to the north west side of Mt.Olympus, towards the small village of St. Dimitrious. Settle down in a hotel. Evening meal. Briefing about the schedule.
Early wake up and breakfast at the hotel. Drive towards the virgin forest of Xerolaki area under the foot of the impressive Xerolaki Ridge. Today we will climb the most classic, long and majestic ridge of the Greek mountains. The Xerolaki ridge, rips the North side of the mountain and give access to the summits and Musses Plateau (2700 m), after a long climbing course between needles and rock faces. (AD+ difficulty, 1700m). It will take us in total about 10 hours. Access the Musses Plateau. Settle down in a mountain hut, dinner and overnight stay.
Wake up and breakfast at the hut. Today we will climb the impressive Throne of Zeus (2902 m) peak, also called _Stefani_. We will climb north east face of the Throne. **Route** : Comicci – Escher. **Difficulty** : D/D+ , 200 m. Return to the hut. Dinner and overnight stay.
Wake up and breakfast at the hut. Today we will climb the complete summits traverse, Mytikas (2918 m) summit included. **Difficulty**: D/PD+ , 200m. **Duration**: 5 hours. Finally we will return at the hut for a short break (lunch) and follow the tack towards the forest road (5 hours). Drive back to the village, settle down at the hotel and dinner. The next day, after breakfast, yo will be transferred to the Thessaloniki airpot.
More info
Meeting point
4.65
(17)
Mountain Guide
I come from Greece and always remember myself as a kid in the mountains…
Now, I am a Certified Mountain Guide HMGA, member of the Hellenic Mountain Guides Association (License number A.N 867/37, Nr 19 FEK (A)621-999/28-11-07) also a Mountaineering – Ski Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor, member of the Hellenic Federation of Mountaineering & Climbing (H.F.M.C).
My passion for the mountains led me on numerous hikes, ski tours, and rock and ice climbs in Greece, the Alps, France, Switzerland, Italy, and Bulgaria, with many new routes under my signature.
The beautiful valleys at the foot of Mount Olympus – Greece are my home, and the flanks above are the playground to follow my mountain love, may it be ice-climbing, ski touring, hiking, or alpine climbing. For me, it is the perfect terrain to train, play and guide.
I teach mountaineering, rock climbing, and ski mountaineering in various Climbing Schools & Mountaineering Associations, and I spend a lot of wintertime as a ski instructor. I love to share my passion with guests and guide hikers, mountaineers, climbers, and ski tourers all year round.
I am married to Mariza and we have a daughter and two sons together.
I speak Greek, English, and French.
Languages
Greek | French | English
Certificates
HMGA
Luisa
4.00
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Kwie-Hoa
3.00
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.
Da
5.00
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!
Rene
5.00
Spectacular experience in just one day
Cas
2.00
My trip to Olympus turned out to be a huge disappointment. Not only because we couldn't go to the summit due to bad weather (too much wind), more because the guide Akis lacked communication and social skills. We went with a big group (9). Akis is really a professional when it comes to hiking and knows what he's doing. But his communication in general and towards me I didn't like. I also want a guide that explains stuff about the nature, the mountain and a guide that brings some positive vibes. I didn't feel included at all and I felt like he didn't like me or something. Mostly talked in Greek language and I had to ask for translation a lot. Luckily the group I was with were really friendly and translated some things for me. Besides this he could have been more open that it's a big possibility we wouldn't go to the top because of the wind. That would've saved some disappointment. At the mountain shop before the hike someone told me there's going to be a lot of wind. After asking Akis about it on the way up he said "no, not much wind. The weather will be good" Which I found very strange but maybe this was the language barrier. I've spend 180 euro's for a trip with a guide + 80euro's to rent good gear + 40 euro's to stay at the refuge with food/drinks included. This is a total of 300,- for something I could've easily done by myself (the trip to the refuge is easy). Of course I totally understand that because of too much wind we couldn't go to the top. You can't beat the mountain, it beats you. But as a backup plan we went down and then by car to a small waterfall and a monastery thats being renovated. This crushed my soul and spirit. I strongly recommend that you get part of your money back if you can't reach te summit in stead of this somewhat boring backup plan with zero adrenaline. What was even more f'd up is that after I came back to the mountain shop to bring back my rented clothes I met a couple that did go to the summit. :( So to summarise, my experience was disappointing to say the least and won't recommend Akis as a guide. Service of explore-share is good tho. Cas
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