Tag: Serres

The mount of Paggaio lies between the cities of Kavala and Serres. With about 1,956 meters height, a great variety of deciduous and evergreen trees and small rivers, it is the ideal destination for nature enthusiasts at beginner or intermediate level (level B).

Spring is the best time of the year for outdoor activities; the winter snow loses the battle to small, colorful flowers and most days are sunny with ideal temperatures for hiking. Although this winter- especially in Northern Greece- was quite heavy and spring made a late appearance, the view from spot “Denna” at 1,150 meters as well as the top of the mountain, called “Mati” (def.eye) is definitely a highlight.

If your starting point is the city of Thessaloniki, you will need a two hour drive to reach the monastery of Oikosifinissa, located at the foothills of Paggaio. We started our route at 7 am along with the Trace Your Eco team that provided two buses for our trip. The monastery opened its doors in 450 B.C and it is located at 753 meters height. Apart from being a historical site, it also attracts tourists for religious purposes. Its presence in combination with the fog and the psalms from the 23 nuns, create a rather spooky scenery.

After a while, we started hiking towards the spot “Denna” and after a small break to enjoy the view, we would visit the village of Nikisiani. The overall route’s duration is about 5.30 hours, mainly upward and during this season, a bit challenging, due to small pieces of eyes and slippery leaves. In the beginning, someone can only see dry trees and small Anchusa flowers making their first appearance. But soon enough, evergreen tall trees and firs are all around, creating a scenery straight from Enid Blyton’s tales.

The team of hikers was advanced, walking with a fast pace. After only an hour, we had already reached spot “Denna” where we took a break for a quick snack while enjoying the snowy tops in the horizon and with a panoramic view to the village of Nikisiani.

This brief stop was long enough to help us regain the strength for more hiking. Our main goal was to explore the NorthEast part of mount Paggaio, and eventually reach the village of Nikisiani at 350 meters height. Someone would expect that walking downwards would be easier but the remains of ice and the thick layers of wet leaves, made our route a bit challenging and full of trips!

Tip: Don’t forget to wear strong hiking or non-slip shoes if you wish to reduce the level of difficulty. A thick tree branch could work as a hiking stick for more support.

Some areas require extreme caution, since most trails are very narrow. It is recommended that all hikers walk in a straight line for their own safety. Our downhill route lasted a bit longer than expected because of the aforementioned small challenges and around 14.00 o’clock, we arrived at the village of Nikisiani.

It’s not easy to describe this place with a single word, because it’s a mixture of folklore and modern. On the one hand, picturesque alleys with small houses featuring windows with pots of flowers and embroidered curtains and on the other hand, modern, luxurious buildings. In the streets you could see, expensive jeeps and youngsters conducting tricks with their motorbikes trying to impress us newbies, but you could also see horsemen and farmers.

The central square had only two, three taverns, a small hostel, closed shops and local people.

We chose a small tavern called “Spilia” (def.cave). Although the service was a bit slow, probably because they usually don’t expect so many people, they offered tasty and quality cuisine. After a filling meal, we started roaming the empty streets, observing the few locals doing their daily activities. An old farmer gave us a suspicious look while doing his gardening and an old lady, doing her laundry, nodded to us with a friendly smile.

Unfortunately, we had to return back to the busy city…We once again took the buses of Trace Your Eco for the trip back home. Most of us fell asleep in the bus, relaxed by the pure oxygen and the long hours of hiking. 19.30, the fields become stores and the birds’ singing is now covered by the noise of someone’s car, rushing to reach his destination…