After a long and rainy winter, the hiking season is back! For our first walking tour we visited the gorge of Vouraikos or Voraikos which is located in the north side of Peloponesse, 63 km from Patras and 170 km from Athens. This hike is part of the European path E-4 and it coincides with the track of Odontotos, the railway with the toothed rack rail that connects Diakofto (Diakopto) with Kalavryta.
Odontotos is the most popular ‘classic’ train in Greece, more famous than the De Chirico’s little train in Pelion, despite the fact that the Pelion train is still classic whereas the Odontotos train after the renovation works is a modern one. The railway is 22km long and it links Diakopto, a sea-side town of Achaea region with Kalavryta, a mountainous (750 m. of altitude) historic village associated with the Greek Independance Revolution and the German Occupation; recently Kalavrita became popular because of the nearby ski-center.
The railway follows the course of the river Vouraikos. As expected the scenery is spectacular and it is definetely worth to hike if not the entire path, at least the part where the river enters the gorge.
The most easy way to do this is to take the Odontotos railway in Diakopto, (where you can leave your camper in the parking lot across the train station [38.19229,22.19696]) and get off at Mega Spileo stopover located in the middle of the whole route BUT at the end of the beautiful gorge that we want to hike. The path to return to Diakopto is 12,5 km long, walkable in about three and a half hours.
On weekdays there are only three itineraries (08:45, 11:15, 14:32), while Saturdays and holidays are added two more (12:33, 15:50). It is better to check on the official website for changes. Tickets cost € 9.50 for one-way (double with return) and it is recommended to reserve or buy them the day before, because despite the fact that the price is quite excessive, seats are limited and the train fills up quickly.
For those who plan to visit afterwards Kalavrita and the nearby Caves, it may be convenient to purchase the “Kalavrita City Pass” at the train station; it costs 25 € per person and it includes a/r with the train, the ticket for the Caves and the museum of the Kalavryta Holocaust.
The station Mega Spileon is at the village of Zachlorou, where the train passes literally in the middle of the restaurants tables!
As we have already took the Odontotos several times in the past, we decided to park our camper at the entrance of the village [38.09249,22.16449] instead of arriving there by train. The parking space is limited so it is not recommanded if your vehicle is big enough or if it is a busy day.
Our plan was to get down to the gorge for 7km and then come back to Zahlorou/Mega Spileo by the same path. It took us 5 and half hours and although the hike is not difficult, the uphill part (with an elevation difference of 500m.) is a little more physically demanding
The first part of the walk is easy and there is a small path alongside the rail. After about fifteen minutes we saw the first section of the toothed rack and the river bed. After another ten minutes we get to the ‘Doors‘, the first gallery. Here the path begins to coincide with the rails and it is possible that you have to stop to wait for the train. It is absolutely necessary to know the schedules and to calculate the time/distance!
Another half an hour and we get to the abandoned station of Triklià; here there is a tap with a supposed potable water but it seemed to us a bit cloudy and we did not trust it …
For most of the route it is not a problem to ‘coexist’ with the train as there is always a bit of space at the side of the rails; of course the train drivers are aware that there are people who cross the gorge on foot. In some places, however, mostly in the galleries and the bridges, there is no extra space so it is best to stop and wait. As a guide just keep in mind that both form Diakofto and from Kalavrita the train takes about 30 minutes to get to Mega Spileon.
As we approach towards the end of the gorge, the galleries are becoming more frequent and spectacular …
After two hours and twenty minutes of walking we are now at the end of the gorge. A map indicates that the position is called Dikastiria. Here we turned back and we began the ascent that lasted two and a half hours.
Along the way we met many walkers, but also other ‘locals’ as the one that you can see in the photo below!
