The old footpaths: walking without leaving a trace

Paths older than the roads

From the time the first monastic communities took shape at Meteora, a network of footpaths gradually opened up so people could get from place to place. Monks and pilgrims walked them. The rough ground is what saved them: the newer roads loop around the rocks, and much of the old network survived. Reaching the monasteries on top of the rocks was another matter. Until steps were cut in the 1920s, the only ways up were ladders and baskets hauled by winch.

Today the area is crossed by a dense network of walking routes, and the Meteora-Pyli Geopark publishes several of them. Kastraki, the village between Kalambaka and Meteora that sits in the shadow of the rocks, is a natural place to start. From its square a short climb, about 20 minutes according to the Geopark, leads to the ruins of the little church of Agios Pnevma on top of a rock. On the way you see the conglomerate rock up close, along with large fallen blocks, part of a weathering process that never stops.

Oaks, scrub and plane trees

The rocks are surrounded by meadows and woodland. Heat-loving species such as kermes oak dominate the lower ground, higher up in the Antichasia mountains there are oaks and beeches, and the ravines are lined with dense rows of plane trees. On stretches of some routes you walk beneath oaks. The whole area is part of the Natura 2000 network.

Two species of knapweed grow here and nowhere else. One of them, Centaurea kalambakensis, is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. That is reason enough to leave the flowers along the path exactly where they are.

Walking without a trace

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics sums up in seven principles how to move through the outdoors without wearing it down. At a site that receives around two million visitors a year, according to the IUCN’s 2025 assessment, small habits add up.

First, stay on the path. Walk single file in the middle of it, even when it is muddy, and do not cut corners on the bends. When everyone treads the same line, no second and third paths open up to scar the slope.

Whatever you carry in, you carry out, food scraps included. Leave stones and plants where you find them: take photos, not souvenirs. Watch animals from a distance and never feed them, keep your voice down, and make room for people coming the other way.

When a path brings you to a monastery, you are entering a place of worship. The Monastery of Great Meteoron asks visitors to respect its rules and the sanctity of the place; it does not admit women in trousers or sleeveless tops, or men in Bermuda shorts, shorts or sleeveless shirts. For any other monastery, check what it asks before you set out.

Good to know

• Water: carry plenty. In a heatwave, Greece’s Civil Protection advises drinking plenty of fluids.
• Heat: the same guidance says to avoid long walks in the sun and to wear light, pale clothing and a hat.
• Footwear: the ground is rough going, so wear shoes with a firm grip. If it rains, it is better to postpone.
• Rubbish: everything that goes up in your rucksack comes back down in it.
• Monasteries: if you plan to go inside, bring clothing that meets the monastery’s rules, and no sleeveless tops.