Drakolimni of Tymfi

Drakolimni sits on a bare shoulder of the Tymfi massif at around 2,000 metres, a shallow tarn with no trees anywhere near it and alpine newts living in the water, which is where the dragon lake name comes from. The way up starts at Mikro Papingo and climbs steadily for three to four hours through beech, then scree, then open limestone to the col below Astraka, where a refuge sells drinks and has beds in season. From the col a gentler traverse leads out to the lake, with the ground dropping away sharply on the far side toward the Aoos valley. Snow patches linger into June and the weather changes fast; on a clear afternoon the whole Pindus range stacks up to the south.

What you actually see

• The tarn itself - shallow, still and treeless, holding alpine newts in the shallows.
• The Astraka col and refuge - the halfway point, with water, shelter and the first big view.
• The drop toward the Aoos - the ground falling away in cliffs beyond the lake.
• The limestone slopes - bare karst terraces above the last of the beech woods.

When to go

Late June to early October, once snow has cleared the upper slopes. Start at dawn: the ascent is exposed from the tree line up and afternoon thunderstorms build regularly over the massif. Staying at the refuge splits the day and gives you the lake in evening light. Trails are unsafe under snow and the refuge closes outside the season.

Honest expectations

This is a serious mountain day with well over a thousand metres of ascent, not a stroll from a car park. There is no water between the village and the refuge. Cloud can close in within minutes and the marked route becomes hard to follow. Many people turn back at the col, and doing so is the sensible call in bad weather.

Nearby

Mikro and Megalo Papingo, the Vikos gorge trails and the Zagori stone bridges.