ZOOM IN
By car we continued to the Venetikos, which drains the eastern side of the
Pindos Mountains. Driving in the Greek mountains has lost much of the horror
for which it was once famed. In recent decades, the Greek road network has
been renovated and expanded with billions of euros worth of work. Many
small, gravel mountain roads are now paved and smooth. Shuttling vehicles
can still be time-consuming because roads rarely lead directly from the put-
in to the take-out, but you can confidently explore without four-wheel drive,
which was essential for Greek paddling pioneers. Other, larger improvements,
like having a continuous highway from Igoumenitsa to Thessaloniki, which
traverses the mountainous region of Epirus from west to east, significantly
reduces travel times. Thanks to the A2 motorway, it now takes only a few hours
to travel from the Voidomatis to the Venetikos, making it easy to paddle both.In its lower reaches where it confluences with the Aliakmon, the Venetikos
presents a very different picture of Greek rivers. The river does not flow through
rugged canyons, but winds through a gentle hilly landscape cultivated with
wheat fields. The river has its own beauty, the green of the water in beautiful
contrast with the dark black of the rock. The whitewater is easy and beginner-
friendly, with nice rapids for skill practice. At the take-out there is a beautiful
picnic area with huts, fountains and barbecue pits. Anyone seeking extra
challenge can simply paddle a few kilometers further down the massive and
somewhat sportier Aliakmon.The next day showed us that even Greece has its uncomfortable side. Rainfall
had caused the Venetikos to rise more than two meters overnight. Thick tree
trunks floated on chocolate-brown water and it was still raining. We decided
to skip kayaking and visit the dripstone caves of Perama and the ancient
oracles of Dodoni instead.At our next destination, the Arachtos, the campground lay ankle-deep under
water, returning us to the words of Plato: “...when a man is compelled to
choose one of two evils, no one will choose the greater when he might have
the lesser.” Facing the choice of camping with kids in the rain, or expanding
our budget, we decided to spend a few euros more and check into a small
hotel in Plaka. We quickly realized that “minor evil” is real luxury. Georgios, the
hotel owner, heated up the sauna, served cold beer, and prepared a great
breakfast in the morning. From our room we had a great view of the Tzoumerka
mountain massif in the heart of the Pindos Mountains. The mountain chain of
the Pindos, over 150 kilometers long and 70 kilometers wide, forms the end of
the arch of the Alps in Greece, and is the origin of many wild rivers. Between
the clouds we could see the peaks of the Tzoumerka reaching a height of
2400 meters.The sun had returned, but the Arachtos still carried too much water. This
wasn’t a problem: the Tzoumerka region is a small but fine outdoor paradise
that offers more than fun for kayakers and rafters. In the past few years,
many hiking and biking trails have been made public and even signposted.
We visited the rock monastery in Kipina, and walked between the lovingly
restored mountain villages of Kalarites and Sirako. An unbelievable number
of flowers and herbs embellished the small path. We found peppermint, sage,
thyme and savory, and anyone who is familiar with orchids would have been
able to discover many species of them. Oaks, beeches, chestnuts and pines
dominate the woods. Greece, it turns out, is far more colorful than expected.After two nights in the hotel, we moved to the small kayakers’ campsite in Plaka.
The Arachtos had dropped to a manageable level, and surprised us with the
quality of its fine, big water. The river was quiet, apart from the roar of the waves.
A small road runs far above and the few villages we could see are spread
throughout the mountains. Although many Greek rivers have fallen victim to
dams, there are still a few rivers that flow freely. The lower Arachtos has been
drowned in a reservoir, but its upper reaches still move unrestrained and behave
as nature intended. For many kilometers, the river remains pristine, an original
picture of wildness rare in central Europe. In the economically underdeveloped
north of Greece, nature still has plenty of space to unfold. Curious turtles and
snakes crawl across the tortuous and sunny mountain roads. Vultures and eagles
nest in the in the canyons. Through the dense peaks of the Aoos National Park,
bears, wildcats and wolves range, but are rarely seen by tourists.We left the Arachtos without paddling all of its stretches and tributaries.
Fourteen days, it turned out, was too short an amount of time for a holiday in
Greece. We turned west again, towards the Mediterranean, and felt lucky. Just
a few days after the rainstorm, the Acheron had ideal water.Plato came to the conclusion that there is a perfect model for all things in this
world. Contained within his “theory of forms” is the “prototype” of the world.
According to Plato, the material things perceived by us in the sensory world
are only the imperfect illustrations of ideal ideas. Yet, the totally real Acheron
is undoubtedly as close to the archetype of a whitewater river as one could
get. It is as if one of the Greek gods anticipated what paddlers dream of today.Without a doubt one of the hidden gems of Greece, the Acheron first purls
peacefully as a forest stream before turning sharply, its turquoise water
disappearing into a white, bare crevice. The Acheron then saws its way
through a mountain massif, forcing its waters through a splendid, desolated
and secluded canyon, which it exits abruptly twelve kilometers later. In Greek
mythology, the Acheron is the river that divided the world of the living with the
world of the dead. Here, the venerable ferryman Charon ferried the dead
souls into the underworld on his boat made of rushes. Though the real Acheron
does not end up in the underworld and primarily contains whitewater of only
moderate difficulty, beware, for there are a few places that can ship paddlers
without ceremony into Charon’s reach.The last kilometers of the Acheron are very gentle, slowing as if to ease the end
of its journey to the Mediterranean Sea at the fishing village of Ammoudia. This
is where we spent our last hours paddling on this holiday. The lower Acheron
wound through thick meadows and a loamy riverbed with sluggish movements.
Together with our children, we searched for kingfishers and water turtles.
Innumerable colorful dragonflies flocked around our kayaks and we spotted
a beaver in the distance. On the quayside of the natural harbor of Ammoudia
were large sailing boats. We turned around in the bay in front of the river mouth
and surfed small waves back to the sandy beach.We ended our holiday in Greece with a day at the beach. The water was
almost warm at Whitsun, and sun and salt licked at our skin. At the end of
my vacation, my astonishment gave way to a clear realization: Greece
is an absolutely recommendable, fantastic holiday destination, and I will
come back."People are happy when
they have what is good
for them," wrote Plato
in considering the human
spirit. This is no doubt
true for kayakers. With
a fantastic river, lots of
water and good weather –
kayakers are in heaven."
PLATA US
N
NNot a must, but
a 4-wheel drive
vehicle is helpful
on the small,
curvy, Greek
mountain roads.