Tzoumerka National Park

The Tzoumerka range rises to 2,393 metres at Kakarditsa and forms one of the most abrupt landscapes in Greece: grey limestone walls above deep valleys, with villages built on terraces so steep that streets become stairways. The national park, established in 2009, covers the range together with the Arachthos gorge and parts of the Acheloos and Agrafa. Waterfalls are the signature, dozens of them, from the tall thin fall at Katarraktis to the cascades above Pramanta and the Souda falls, and caves such as Anemotrypa are open at Pramanta. Rafting runs the Arachthos, and stone bridges span its tributaries. The villages, Pramanta, Syrrako, Kalarites, Agnanta, Melissourgoi, were built by shepherds and craftsmen and mostly emptied in the twentieth century.

The landscape

• The limestone wall - the abrupt Tzoumerka ridge above the valleys.
• The waterfalls - dozens of falls, including those at Katarraktis and Souda.
• Anemotrypa cave - a show cave at Pramanta with underground streams.
• The Arachthos gorge - a deep river valley used for rafting.

When to go

Late spring for waterfalls at full strength and green slopes; autumn for colour and stable weather. Winter closes higher roads with snow, and summer reduces the falls considerably.

Practical notes

Mountain roads are narrow, winding and slow, with long drives between villages that look close on a map. Facilities are sparse outside the larger villages, and many guesthouses open only at weekends out of season.

Nearby

Syrrako and Kalarites cling to the western slopes; the Plaka bridge crosses the Arachthos below.