Mount Grammos stands on the border with Albania, between Macedonia and Epirus. Its highest peak reaches 2,520 metres, which makes it the fourth-highest mountain in Greece. People come here to walk. The best-known route climbs from the village of Grammos to Lake Gistova, an alpine lake at about 2,350 metres, and then to the summit. Forests of beech and pine cover the lower slopes, and brown bears live in them. The Aliakmon River begins on the mountain. Grammos is also known for its history. The Greek Civil War ended here in 1949, and the Park of National Reconciliation, near the small town of Nestorio, presents that history. The two starting villages, Grammos near Kastoria and Aetomilitsa near Konitsa, are small and far from the main roads.
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Geography
Grammos stands on the border between Greece and Albania. On the Greek side, its north-east part belongs to the area of Kastoria, in Western Macedonia, and its south part to the area of Konitsa, in Epirus. The highest peak, Tsouka Petsik, reaches 2,520 metres and stands on the border ridge. This makes Grammos the fourth-highest mountain in Greece. Mount Smolikas lies to the south.
Most of the mountain is made of flysch, a soft rock formed of layers of sandstone and clay. Two rivers begin here. The Aliakmon River rises near the village of Grammos, on the north-east side. The Sarantaporos, which flows into the Aoos River, drains the south side. Lake Gistova lies below the main ridge at about 2,350 metres, higher than any other alpine lake in Greece. It is about four metres deep and is free of ice for only about four months of the year. The Moutsalia lakes, two small lakes joined by a stream, lie much lower, at about 1,750 metres.
Activities
Grammos is a mountain for hiking. The best-known walk starts at the village of Grammos, at about 1,400 metres on the north-east side. A marked trail climbs through high grassland to Lake Gistova in about three hours, and the summit, Tsouka Petsik, is about two hours further. Without snow the walk has no technical difficulty, but it is long. From Aetomilitsa, a village at 1,430 metres on the south side, a route of about five hours goes through forest to the Moutsalia lakes and the peak of Epano Arena, at 2,196 metres. The route to the summit from the village of Plikati is harder and poorly marked.
Lower down, around the small town of Nestorio, shorter marked paths of one and a half to four hours lead to abandoned villages. The forest roads of the same area are used for mountain biking and for 4×4 routes.
History & Culture
The Greek Civil War of 1946 to 1949 ended on Grammos and on Mount Vitsi, further north-east. The village of Grammos served as the seat of the provisional government of the communist side, and the last battles were fought here in August 1949. Hikers still pass old bunkers and supply paths on the slopes, and monuments stand at several points.
The Park of National Reconciliation presents this history. The foundation of the Greek Parliament set it up, and it opened in 2012. It stands at about 1,450 metres in the meadows of Kotyli, about 27 kilometres from the small town of Nestorio. It has two permanent exhibitions, a library, a guesthouse and a café-restaurant, and its guided visits cover both the exhibitions and the forest around them. The two mountain villages, Grammos and Aetomilitsa, are old settlements of Vlach shepherds.
Nature & Outdoors
Forests of beech, oak and pine cover the lower slopes of Grammos, and in autumn their leaves change colour. Two kinds of mountain pine grow here, the black pine and the Bosnian pine. Above the trees, open grassland reaches the ridges.
Brown bears, wolves, chamois and otters live on the mountain, and golden eagles fly over it. These animals keep away from people, so do not expect to see them. The small animals of the lakes are easier to find. Alpine newts live in Lake Gistova, the high lake below the summit, and all three newt species of Greece are found in the Moutsalia lakes, on the south side. The whole mountain belongs to the European Natura 2000 network of protected areas.
Practical information
Getting there
Grammos is approached from two different sides. For the village of Grammos and Lake Gistova, drive from Kastoria through the small town of Nestorio and the village of Pefkos, about 60 kilometres in total. Follow the signed road, because map applications sometimes suggest forest tracks. For Aetomilitsa, the village on the south side, drive from Konitsa, a town in the north of Epirus, about 50 kilometres away. Konitsa is north of Ioannina. In winter, snow often covers the mountain roads.
When to go
June to October is the season for the high routes. Lake Gistova is free of ice for only about four months of the year. With snow on the ground, the climb to the summit is much harder and needs winter equipment and experience. In autumn the beech forests change colour. The weather on the ridges changes quickly in any season, so check the mountain forecast before you set out, and be ready to turn back.
Good to know
There is no mountain hut on Grammos. Walkers stay in guesthouses in the villages of Grammos and Aetomilitsa. Both villages are very small, so book a room before you travel. The Park of National Reconciliation, near the town of Nestorio, receives visitors on Sundays and at other times by arrangement, so call before you go. The summit ridge is the border with Albania, and small concrete pyramids mark the line.
Getting around
Choose one side of the mountain as a base, because the villages of Grammos and Aetomilitsa are a long drive apart by paved road. Most roads that link the villages across the mountain are dirt roads and need a 4×4, and snow often closes them in winter. The Park of National Reconciliation is at the end of a forest road of about 4 kilometres. On the trails, a map or a recorded track helps, because some sections are poorly marked.
