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47-541: The massif of Tymphe includes in its southern part the Vikos Gorge , while they both form part of the Vikos–Aoös National Park which accepts over 100,000 visitors per year. The former municipality of Tymfi owed its name to the mountain. The exact meaning of the name is not known but has been in use since ancient times. The name "Tymphe" or "Stymphe" is mentioned by ancient geographer Strabo , Book 7, Ch. 7, and

94-589: A stratum from the Campanian era, while below 700 m (2,300 ft) they consist of Jurassic and Cretaceous limestone. In the deepest layers, grey Jurassic dolomite is dominant. Sedimentary and lithological investigation in the Voidomatis basin revealed that the innermost alluvial deposits consist of limestone-derived material, carried by the Voidomatis river from higher elevations by glacial action about 30,000 years ago. The subsequent (middle) deposits are

141-417: A direction from east to west and its width is approximately 15 km from north to south. The southern and southeastern slopes of the mountain are comparatively smooth. The north side, however, forms cliffs reaching 400 m (1,312 ft), whereas the western side is equally steep since the mountain is fragmented by Vikos Gorge . The massif includes several peaks that stand above 2400m. From west to east

188-469: A few meters at its narrowest part, is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the deepest canyon in the world in proportion to its width, though some gorge lobbyists contest that claim. The main part of the gorge stretches from the village of Vikos to Monodendri , and attains a depth of about 1,350 m (4,429 ft). The landscape of the 32 km long gorge, 12 km of which belongs to

235-416: A sequence of shales rhythmically interbedded with thin, hard, graywacke -like sandstones. Typically the shales do not contain many fossils , while the coarser sandstones often have fractions of micas and glauconite . In a continental collision , a subducting tectonic plate pushes on the plate above it, making the rock fold , often to the point where thrust faults form, and a mountain chain rises. On

282-476: Is a gorge in the Pindus Mountains of north-western Greece . It lies on the southern slopes of Mount Tymphe with a length of about 32 km, depth ranging from 120 to 1350 m, and a width ranging from 2500 m to only a few meters at its narrowest part. Vikos is listed as the world's "deepest relative to its width" gorge by the Guinness Book of Records among others. There are a number of views regarding

329-645: Is also the reason why the water is scarce. Only when an impenetrable stratum is met, does water appear on the surface. Many herbs of the Vikos Gorge and adjacent areas within the Vikos-Aoos National park were regarded to have medicinal properties and were once harvested by local healers, colloquially referred to as " Vikos doctors " ( Greek : Βικογιατροί , " Vikoiatri "). These herbal healers used special recipes that were often copies of ancient Greek recipes of Hippocrates or Dioscorides and became famous beyond

376-486: Is associated with the ancient land of Tymphaea and the Tymphaeans, one of the tribes of Ancient Epirus . Despite its ancient use, the name does not appear in any descriptions of the area by Greek or foreign geographers of the 19th century. In du Bocage's map of the region, made in 1820, the mountain is referred to as "Paleo-Vouni" (Greek for Old-Mountain) and Pouqueville mentions the name "Lazaris" in 1826. The etymology of

423-700: Is deposited when a deep basin forms rapidly on the continental side of a mountain building episode. Examples are found near the North American Cordillera , the Alps , the Pyrenees and the Carpathians . Flysch consists of repeated sedimentary cycles with upwards fining of the sediments. There are sometimes coarse conglomerates or breccias at the bottom of each cycle, which gradually evolve upwards into sandstone and shale/mudstone . Flysch typically consists of

470-468: Is exhibited in the local natural history museum in the village of Koukouli . One of the special local attractions is the existence of the chamois ( Rupicapra rupicapra ), a rare species that lives at higher altitudes far from human activity, especially at the rocky cliffs, for example in Megas Lakos , a secondary ravine of the Vikos Gorge. There is a natural viewing platform over the deepest part of

517-468: Is steep enough at the edge of the basin, it will shed material in rapidly moving sedimentary flows called turbidity currents , resulting in turbidite deposits. As the basin fills up, shallow-water sandstones and continental deposits form. Most of the resulting rocks have little deformation, but near the edge of the mountain chain they can be subject to folding and thrusting. After the basin fills up, continental sediments ( molasse ) are deposited on top of

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564-606: Is the Greek word for sorrel ; the name for the mountain's third highest peak Goúra ( Γκούρα , [gura] ) is from a common modern Greek word derived from the Latin gula also related to Aromanian gură: a mountain spring; Tsoúka Róssa ( Τσούκα Ρόσσα , [ˈt͡suka ˈrosa] ) means "red peak" in Aromanian . The mountain is surrounded by various massifs that also form part of the northern Pindus mountain range. Northeast of Tymphe lies

611-449: Is the one beginning at the village of Mikro Papingo , located at the western side of the mountain at an altitude of 980 m (3,215 ft). The trail that leads to the Astraka mountain hut , is approximately 6 km long. It is part of the Greek national trail O3 and is generally well marked with signs (red diamond on white) and red dots and arrows on rocks and tree trunks. From the hut,

658-496: The Cambridge University Caving Club , and has since then been surveyed by a large number of expeditions. The nearby Chasm of Epos , with a depth of 451 m (1,480 ft), drains the water coming from the surrounding plateaus. There is no meteorological station at the mountain itself and the closest one is located at the village of Papingo . The overall climate of the Vikos–Aoös National Park which includes

705-555: The Hellenic Ornithological Society mount Tymphe along with the neighbouring mountain Smolikas are important regions for breeding birds of prey, alpine and forest dwelling bird species. The Egyptian vulture , short-toed snake eagle , rufous-tailed rock-thrush breed in the region, whereas species such as the golden eagle , red-billed chough , rock partridge , alpine chough , wallcreeper , white-winged snowfinch and

752-472: The Last Glacial Maximum , between 22,000 and 20,000 ago. During the large Middle Pleistocene glaciations, surface runoff from glacial meltwaters would have fed directly into the river channel network because much of the upland limestone terrain was covered by ice, and many conduits in the karst would have been choked with sediment or permanently frozen. As a result, the glacier snouts came close to

799-523: The alpine accentor are sedentary. Alpine reptilian and amphibian species are also present. Vipera ursinii lives in the mountain's subalpine meadows and is considered a threatened taxon. The amphibian alpine newts ( Triturus alpestris ), living in the alpine lakes of the mountain, mostly in and around Drakolimni, are associated with local folktales of dragons and dragon battles. Yellow-bellied toads ( Bombina variegata ) are also common in that same area. The simplest and most commonly used route of ascent

846-458: The Astraka-Gamila plateau, and in the upland terrain above the villages of Skamneli and Tsepelovo , where lateral and terminal moraines form major landscape features. Additional forms of glacial deposits, which extend down to 850 m (2,789 ft) above sea level, include rock glaciers and limestone pavements . A number of vertical caves and precipices are found in the area around

893-455: The Karteros Pass. From the village of Vradeto to the south of the mountain the trail to the peak is approximately 14.9 km. Trails that lead to the mountain can also be followed from Konitsa and Tsepelovo . Those routes are poorly and scarcely marked, mostly by dots of red paint on rocks, and are in some cases unclear and covered by vegetation. The first recorded climb of the mountain

940-579: The Vikos Stream and its continuation, the Voidomatis River, a tributary of the Aoös (Vjosa). As the Vikos Gorge is a deep cross section of the mountain, its slopes expose a series of rock formations of various ages. The upper layers, at a depth of 0–200 m (660 ft), consist of relatively young Eocene limestone , at a depth of 200 m (660 ft)–700 m (2,300 ft) they consist of

987-503: The Vikos gorge stream is only seasonal, and is permanent only at the lowest part of the gorge. Vikos is also a site of major scientific interest, because it is in almost virgin condition, it is a haven for endangered species and contains many and varied ecosystems. The Vikos Gorge, with a length of 32 km (20 mi), walls that range from 120–1,350 m (390–4,400 ft) deep, and a width ranging from 2,500 m (8,202 ft) to just

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1034-532: The area during the winter months. Compared to Mediterranean bioclimatic divisions, the area belongs to the humid zone with cold winters. Conditions in the mountain might be significantly different from those of lower regions in the same area. Winters are particularly harsh and the mountain is covered in snow from autumn until late May. The mountain is located at the Zagori region and the nearest settlements are mainly villages. Iliochori , Vrysochori and Laista lie to

1081-637: The borders of Greece. The plants used in these recipes include the lemon balm Melissa officinalis , Tilia tomentosa , the spearmint Mentha spicata , the gas-plant Dictamnus albus , St John’s Wort Hypericum perforatum , absinth Artemisia absinthium , the very popular Sideritis raeseri , known colloquially in Greece as “mountain tea”, and the elder bush Sambucus nigra . A chemical screening of these native plant species has shown that many are characterized by biologically active ingredients. A collection of 2,500 dried species of local plants and herbs

1128-560: The east, Skamneli and Tsepelovo to the south, and Papingo and Vikos to the west and southwest respectively. Facilities in the aforementioned villages vary, but most of them offer restaurants and accommodation. The nearest town is Konitsa to the northwest. The closest city with an airport is Ioannina , approximately 60 km south of Papingo . The coach service from Ioannina offers seven daily coaches to Konitsa and two weekly services to Papingo (on Fridays) as of 2011. The GR-20 ( Kozani - Siatista - Ioannina ) passes close to

1175-474: The etymology of the name: The gorge is found in the core zone of the Vikos–Aoös National Park , in the Zagori region. Its main part begins between the villages of Vitsa and Koukouli and ends near the village of Vikos (or Vitsiko). The gorge collects the waters of small, mostly seasonal streams and leads them into the Voidomatis River which forms in the end part of the main gorge. The major part of

1222-565: The flysch. The name flysch was introduced in geologic literature by the Swiss geologist Bernhard Studer in 1827. Studer used the term for the typical alternations of sandstone and shale in the foreland of the Alps. The name comes from the German word fliessen , which means to flow , because Studer thought flysch was deposited by rivers. The insight that flysch is actually a deep marine sediment typical for

1269-410: The gorge at Oxia, a location 8 km by a newly constructed road from the village of Monodendri . Another viewpoint over the gorge is at Beloi, on the eastern side of the gorge, accessible from the village of Vradeto . A hiking trail descends into the gorge from Monodendri. The trail then leads north through the gorge to the springs of the Voidomatis river, from where paths lead out of the gorge to

1316-409: The highest mountain of Pindus, Smolikas . The mountain of Trapezitsa lies to the north, Lyngos to the east and Mitsikeli to the south. The Aoos river flows to the north of Mt Tymphe while its tributary Voidomatis has its sources in the mountain. Vikos Gorge is formed by the Voidomatis on the southwestern side of the mountain. The length of the mountain is approximately 20 to 25 km with

1363-399: The hikers might either head northeast to the drakolimni alpine lake for another 2.8 km or southeast to reach Gamila peak, which is the highest peak of the mountain at 2,497 m (8,192 ft) for another 6 km. In both cases there are no signposts and the hikers should solely rely on red dots marked on rocks or scarce small signs attached to wooden poles. The hike from Papingo to

1410-478: The historical period the local population in the nearby villages was sparse. The land adjacent of the Vikos gorge, as well as the gorge itself, was mainly used for pastoralism and supplying firewood. [REDACTED] Media related to Vikos Gorge at Wikimedia Commons Flysch Flysch ( / f l ɪ ʃ / ) is a sequence of sedimentary rock layers that progress from deep-water and turbidity flow deposits to shallow-water shales and sandstones . It

1457-405: The hut lasts between 2–3 hours and the round-trip from the hut to drakolimni another 2 hours. The mountain is also accessible from other surrounding villages but the trails are longer and the terrain rougher and steeper. Therefore, they are suggested for more experienced hikers. From the village of Vrysochori at the eastern side of the mountain, a trail of 12.8 km leads to Gamila peak through

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1504-501: The largest recorded population of the Balkan chamois goat ( Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica ) in Greece, with a population between 120-130 individuals out of an estimated national population between 477–750. Although chamois is registered as least concern in IUCN 's red list, the subspecies balcanica numbers some thousands of individuals and its population is believed to be declining. According to

1551-436: The latter 19 routes. Potential climbers should take into account that several of the routes were first ascended several years ago and thus pitons might be compromised if present at all. Furthermore, some locations in the mountain are isolated and rescue services might find it particularly challenging to access the area in case of emergency. Vikos Gorge The Vikos Gorge or Vikos Canyon ( Greek : Φαράγγι του Βίκου )

1598-456: The modern valley bottoms. In contrast, during interglacial and interstadial periods, more effective coupling occurred between the surface drainage network and the internal karst drainage system. Since limestone dissolves as the water percolates through its pores, an extended underground drainage system has developed, with caves and channels that enlarge with time when their roofs collapse, producing rocky exposures and perpendicular slopes, which

1645-415: The most prominent are the following: Astraka, 2,436 m (7,992 ft), Ploskos, 2,377 m (7,799 ft), Gamila, 2,497 m (8,192 ft), Gamila ΙΙ, 2,480 m (8,136 ft), Karteros, 2,478 m (8,130 ft), Megala Litharia, 2,467 m (8,094 ft), Tsouka Rossa, 2,379 m (7,805 ft), and Goura, 2,466 m (8,091 ft). The peaks form a plateau. Astraka, dominates

1692-519: The mountain is Mediterranean , transitioning to continental . The Mediterranean character is characterized by the annual distribution of precipitation , high in the winter months and experiencing a drought period of two to three months in summer. The continental climatic element is attributed to the high amplitude of annual temperature variation, to such a degree that the difference between mean maximum and mean minimum annual temperature, exceeds 40 °C (104 °F). Extremely low temperatures occur in

1739-456: The mountain's peaks are mainly of Greek origin. The highest peak Gamíla ( Γκαμήλα , [gaˈmila] ) means camel in Greek; Karterós ( Καρτερός , [karteros] ) means mighty or powerful; Megála Lithária ( Μεγάλα Λιθάρια , [meˈɣala liˈθarja] ) means big rocks in modern Greek; Astráka ( Αστράκα , [astraka] ) is a Greek word for a roof's eaves derived from Slavic стреха; Lápato ( Λάπατο , [lapato] )

1786-457: The northern scarp. The lower slopes are dominated by younger flysch rocks, which consist of thin beds of graded sandstones intercalated with softer, fissile siltstones . Extended glacial conditions prevailed on the uplands of Mount Tymphe during the Late Quaternary period, ca. 28,000 years ago. The glacial landscape is well-developed, especially on the southern slopes of Mount Tymphe, across

1833-426: The park's core zone, presents a diverse relief and is characterized by abrupt altitudinal changes. Steep slopes and precipitous rocky cliffs dominate in the middle and higher zones respectively. Numerous gullies dissect both sides of the gorge and the movement of water detaching various rocky materials creates extended screes . The gorge, with a northwest-southeast direction, has been carved over millions of years by

1880-450: The plateau on its northern face. A mountain hut named D. Georgoulis, which operates during the summer months, is located at the mountain pass between the peaks of Astraka and Lapatos at 1930m of altitude. There are several lakes on the mountain, some of which dry out during the summer. The most famous of those that have water year-round is Drakolimni (lit. "Dragon lake" in Greek), formed after

1927-516: The product of de-glaciation and the extended run-off from the uplands about 20,000 years ago, while the outer unit is attributed to human activities associated with pastoralism , which caused extended deforestation and soil erosion. The Voidomatis basin contains evidence for three major phases of glaciation , with the two largest and earliest taking place during the Middle Pleistocene . The final phase of glacial activity probably occurred during

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1974-421: The retreat of the glaciers . It is located at a height of 2,000 m (6,562 ft) northwest of Ploskos. Its maximum depth is 4.95 m (16 ft), while its surface covers 1 ha (2 acres). Mount Tymphe represents a series of uplifted fault blocks and faulted escarpments and is largely composed of Palaeocene - Eocene limestone, with some exposures of Campanian - Jurassic dolomite and limestone on

2021-409: The upper plate, the land between the mountains and the undeformed continent bends downward, forming a foreland basin . If the basin forms slowly, as in the northern Appalachians , it fills with shallow-water sediments. If it forms rapidly, as in the east side of the North American Cordillera , then sea water may rush in, and the first sedimentary deposits are deep water deposits. If the mountain slope

2068-617: The village of Papingo on the north side of the gorge, or to the village of Vikos on the south side of the gorge. It is also possible to hike south through the gorge from Monodendri to the 18th century stone bridges near Kipi . Important epipaleolithic artifacts have been unearthed from the Kleithi rock shelter on the banks of the Voidomatis. During the 9th–4th centuries B.C., a small Molossian settlement existed between Monodendri and Vitsa , including stone houses and two cemeteries that have yielded important findings. However, for most of

2115-527: The village of Papingo , in the vicinity of the Gamila and Astraka peaks. Some of them have been given names inspired from mythology , such as the Hole of Odysseus and Chasm of Epos . They are being studied and explored by caving enthusiasts. The cave of "Provatina" (Lit. "Ewe's Cave"), with a depth of 408 m (1,339 ft), one of the deepest in the world, was first discovered in 1965 by British speleologists of

2162-434: The western, northwestern and north sides of the mountain. Most of the mountain, with the exception of its southernmost part around the peak of Astraka, forms part of the Vikos–Aoös National Park . The park is a designated protected area and visitors should be aware of the limitations to activities imposed by the law. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) runs an information centre in the village of Papingo . Tymphe holds

2209-617: Was made on 7–8 June 1956 by Giorgos Michailidis and Giorgos Xanthopoulos who climbed the face of Gamila. Four years later, on 25–26 August 1960, Guido Magnone and Spyros Antypas climbed the northeastern face of Gamila. Currently there are 17 climbing fields on the mountain, covering most of the major peaks and other geological features of the mountain. From the aforementioned fields, the northeastern face of Gamila counts 8 climbing routes, and Gamila II 6. The fields of Astraka and Tsouka Rossa have several climbing routes each. The former counts 30 routes in both its northwestern and northeastern faces, and

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