We’re heading towards Igoumenitsa from Ioannina, on the Egnatia national road, with Paramithia, in Thesprotia, as our destination. However, we’re making a stop to Elataria first.
Today, Elataria is an abandoned settlement, but even so, it manages to charm visitors due to its natural beauty.
Hidden in the mountains of Paramithia, inside the largest fir forest of Thesprotia, Elataria whispers stories of the past, bringing unknown aspects of daily life of the past to the limelight. At the same time, it becomes a meeting point for nature lovers.
The village and its history
Going back in time, the village was founded in the 16th century, and used to be called Lambanitsa, while its history resembles, more or less, that of similar places: wars, revolutions, disasters, and, of course, hardships, that in some cases were unconquerable.
The villagers were livestock farmers, while with the passage of time they became known as great lumberjacks, with their reputation spreading in the whole region. The village was blooming, and at one time even had a population of 1.000. However, the WWII, and the difficult access to the village, as well as the local hardships, made the villagers migrate in search of a better life, mainly to Parapotamos.
A group of inspired people
And we get to today, when a group of inspired people, who truly love and care about their land, are trying to create the conditions for Elataria to continue existing. And they do it in a unique way.
The founded the Elataria Cultural Association, named it Lambanitsa (from Elataria’s old name) and they got to work. Their focus is the fir trees, as the firs were always the driving force of the local community, in a different way this time. The association’s aim is to make the area a destination for alternative tourism.
Paths from the past
The members of the cultural association searched the area and found the paths people used in their daily life in the past, they then cleaned and marked those paths, and recorded them, and have now created a complete trail network catering to the needs of all sorts of hikers, from beginners to experienced hikers.
The impressive firs, the verdant slopes, the view of Chionistra mountain top, and also the calmness of the forest, make you feel that the deeper meaning of things is hidden in the nature of Paramithia. The starting point for all these excursions for hiking, climbing and other activities – including educational hikes to gather mushrooms and herbs – is the old primary school of Elataria that has been included in the association’s plans from the very beginning.
The association reconstructed the building in order to make it an environmental information centre that will also host cultural events, and, at the same time, be the first refuge in Thesprotia. Today, after a lot of hard work, the project is close to completion.
Elataria trail network
The trails have been designed to provide hiking and climbing routes of varying difficulty, where visitors can enjoy amazing paths in the fir forest. And on the trails they can reach mountain tops over 1,000 m high in the surrounding area. For example, Chionistra, just above the village, is the third highest peak in Thesprotia, at 1,644 m altitude.
Vrisi – Seloma Livadiou – Chionistra (Yellow trail) Distance: 4,190 metres Duration: 2 hours and 40 minutes
This trail was one of the main paths used by the old residents, connecting the location Seloma with the area of Livadi, where the crops were. Today it has been utilised as the main road giving access to the top of Chionistra.
Agios Athanasios – Laspoula – Evga (Marotes) – Agia Paraskevi (Red trail) Distance: 2,550 metres Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes
It was the main road south in the past, towards the village Selliani (Agia Mavra), and then towards Paramithia, where the villagers went to trade. On this trail you can also reach the Paganion monastery, towards the north, and further up, the location Metaxa where the old country road connecting Igoumenitsa to Ioannina used to be.
Molokopio – Kalaeraki – Pano Zoi – Chionistra (Green trail) Distance: 5,000 metres Duration: 3 hours
In the past, this trail gave access to the small fields in the north slope of mount Anemorachi, as well as to one of the best-known springs in the area, Kalaeraki. Today it is used as an alternative road to Chionistra, and also to Seloma Anemorachis. If you walk on the mountain range to the west, you’ll come across the trail that links Elataria and Chionistra.
The climbing field
A brand-new climbing field was recently completed in Elataria, built according to modern safety regulations. In total, it offers 5 routes of varying difficulty, with trails for children, beginners, as well as more experienced climbers. All of them in the fir forest, just 600 m from the village of Elataria.
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