MOUNTAIN
GUIDE

" A wonderful peak, a narrow ridge made up of fragments of large volumes in series. Around us, frightening cliffs lost in the dense fog that envelops us... But we finally arrived... Arrived first since the gods left. "

Frédéric Boissonnas, Montagne Magazine, 1936

Home to the Greek Pantheon and location of the battle of the Titans, Mount Olympus was considered a holly mountain in classical antiquity. Ancient remains dedicated to mythical figures like Dionysus, Orpheus, the Nymphs, the Muses, and the god of sky and thunder Zeus are spread across the circular massif.

Aside from the legendary tales of Classical Greece, the Olympus Range has hosted Iron-Age settlements, medieval fortifications, Christian monuments, and hide-outs during the 2nd World War due to its geographic remoteness. Olympus to this day inspires cultural celebrations and shapes the local tradition, history, language and folklore.

Mytikas 2.918m, the rocky summit of Olympus and highest of Greece, offers magnificent views to the Thermaikos Gulf as we ascent, being just 18km far from the coastline. The summit saw its first ascent on the 2nd of August 1913 when local guide Christos Kakkalos from Litochoro took the Swiss Hellenophile and photographer Frédéric Boissonnas and art historian Daniel Baud-Bovy to the top. In 1938, Olympus became the first National Park of Greece and was declared by UNESCO as a World's Biosphere Reserve in 1981. The Enippeas river, endemic species of flowers and endangered birds, deep ravines, and the Mediterranean climate make up its forested foothills, as its alpine crest snowcapped from October to April make the upper mountain.

 

An ascent to Mount Olympus starts often at the Thessaloniki Airport, from where we drive for 1,5 hour to Litochoro, a picturesque village by the sea and park entrance point. We organize 2-day trips, long-weekends, or a week of touring around the Olympus Range, choosing one of the multiple routes based on your needs.

Highlights of the trip include overnight at a guarded mountain refuge on the Muses plateau 2.648m, climbing to the highest summit of Olympus 2.918m, lunch at a seaside tavern, sightseeing to the archaeological site of Dion or swimming at the sea.

Northern Greece offers a broad range of outdoor destinations, which allows us to combine some days on Olympus with the conglomerate towers of Meteora and the stone-paved villages of Zagori.

Would you like to summit Olympus?

Plan your adventure with us!