Lousios River
The Lousios River runs through a deep, wooded gorge in the mountains of Arcadia, in the centre of the Peloponnese. Marked paths follow much of the gorge. They go down from the stone villages of Dimitsana and Stemnitsa to the water, pass two monasteries built into the cliffs, and reach the remains of an ancient healing sanctuary beside the river. For centuries the same water powered mills that made flour, leather and gunpowder, and a museum below Dimitsana shows how they worked. Rafting takes place on the last part of the river, shortly before it flows into the Alfeios River. Most visitors stay in the villages above the gorge, and the walk between two of them is the first section of a long certified trail.
Geography
The Lousios starts from springs near the village of Karkalou, on the west side of Mount Mainalo. It flows south for about 23 kilometres and joins the Alfeios River about 2.5 kilometres north-west of the village of Karytaina.
For most of this distance the river runs inside the Lousios Gorge, which is about 15 kilometres long. The gorge begins below the village of Dimitsana and continues south towards the Alfeios. Its walls are limestone cliffs, and trees cover the slopes below them down to the water: plane trees, willows, maples and firs.
The river is narrow and fast, and its water is clear and cold. Springs add water to it along the way. One of them, the spring of Agios Ioannis below Dimitsana, powered the mills that are now a museum.
Activities
Hiking is the main activity on the Lousios. The paths are old stone mule tracks that linked the villages with the monasteries and the mills. The first section of the Menalon Trail runs through the gorge: about 12.5 kilometres from the village of Stemnitsa to the village of Dimitsana, past the Prodromou and Philosophou monasteries. The whole trail is 75 kilometres long, and the European Ramblers’ Association certified it as a Leading Quality Trail in 2015.
Shorter walks use parts of the same path. The walk between the two monasteries takes about one hour and crosses the river on a footbridge. Another path, also about one hour long, links the Prodromou Monastery with ancient Gortys, an archaeological site at the southern end of the gorge.
Rafting takes place on the last kilometres of the river, on organised trips run by operators based nearby. The boats start at the bridge of Atsicholos, pass under trees that meet above the water, and continue on the Alfeios River to the stone bridge of Koukos. The run is graded as easy.
History & Culture
In Greek myth the newborn Zeus was washed in this river, and its name comes from the Greek word for washing. The ancient travel writer Pausanias wrote that its water was the coldest of all rivers.
The monasteries
Hermits, monks who live alone, settled in the caves of the gorge, and the monasteries grew from their cells. The Prodromou Monastery is built into a hollow in the east cliff, with wooden balconies that hang over the gorge, and monks live there. Across the river, the Philosophou Monastery has two parts: the old one, founded in 963, and the new one, in use by 1691, a short walk away.
Ancient Gortys
Beside the river, at the southern end of the gorge, are the remains of a sanctuary of Asclepius, the god of healing, and of a bath building with heating under its floor. The small Byzantine church of Agios Andreas stands next to them.
The water mills
The river once turned flour mills, leather workshops and gunpowder mills. Below the village of Dimitsana, the Open-Air Water Power Museum shows restored workshops with working machines.
Villages & Inland
Three stone villages are close to the river, and most visitors to the gorge stay in one of them. Dimitsana is at the edge of the gorge, above the point where it begins. Its houses are built in rows up a steep slope and look south over the valley. The village has been protected as a traditional settlement since 1978.
Stemnitsa is about 11 kilometres from Dimitsana by road. It is the starting point of the Menalon Trail, and the road to the Prodromou Monastery begins near it.
Karytaina stands on a hill near the place where the Lousios meets the Alfeios River. A Frankish castle of the 13th century is at the top of the hill, and an old stone bridge with five arches crosses the Alfeios below the village.
Practical information
Getting there
The gorge is reached from the road between the villages of Dimitsana and Stemnitsa. Dimitsana is about three hours by road from Athens. A short side road leads to the Open-Air Water Power Museum. A longer one leaves the main road two kilometres before Stemnitsa and goes down to the Prodromou Monastery. It is narrow and steep, and the last 600 metres to the monastery are on foot. Ancient Gortys is reached by road from the village of Elliniko. Rafting trips start further south, near the village of Karytaina.
Getting around
The gorge walk is one-way, so plan the return before you start. The section from the village of Stemnitsa to the village of Dimitsana is about 12.5 kilometres and takes about five hours, with a steep climb at the end. Leave a car at each end or arrange transport back; check locally what is available. For a shorter day, park above the Prodromou Monastery, walk down to the river and up to the Philosophou Monastery, and return the same way. Allow two to three hours with the visits.
Good to know
The monasteries close for some hours around midday, so check current visiting hours before you set out. Visitors must cover their legs: long trousers for men and a long skirt for women. Skirts are usually lent at the entrance. Carry water and wear walking shoes, because the paths are stony. The Open-Air Water Power Museum below the village of Dimitsana charges an entrance fee and is usually closed on Tuesdays. Ancient Gortys is an open site with no entrance fee.
When to go
Spring and autumn have the mildest weather for walking, and the river carries the most water in spring. Summer days are hot on the climbs out of the gorge, although the path near the water is shaded. After heavy rain the paths are slippery and the river rises, so wait for a dry day. In winter, snow and ice are possible in the villages of Dimitsana and Stemnitsa, which are high on the mountain. Rafting trips depend on the water level.
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