Hiking the Lousios Gorge in the Peloponnese

It was a chilled morning in the Greek Peloponnese. The itinerary called for a half-day hike, and I was thrilled.

Being active makes me happy. There’s the introvert in me, who needs time in quiet spaces, preferably surrounded by books. And then there’s the part of me that needs to be constantly exploring, walking, biking, breathing in the big world. An hours-long trek through an Arcadian gorge sounded like just the right thing.

Autumn in the Peloponnese is wet and cold; on the day we set out for our lengthy trek, the lush greenness of Louisos Valley was tempered by the gray sky and hanging humidity. Over the years, I have grown to love long hikes, and though I am not averse to just going alone, it is far more joyful (and less stressful) to go with friends. This hike was part of my TBEX trip in the Peloponnese, and so we had a real range of enthusiasm for the prospect of hiking for hours through damp valleys and steep hills. Our guide gave us the option to sit it out and rejoin the group later, but I never considered it—I was ready to hike, to sweat, to explore.

The Lousios Gorge is deep and thickly forested, and contains many monasteries delicately hidden from any but the most intrepid seekers. A turquoise river rushes steadily through the bottom of the gorge and the churn underfoot can sound ominous, sending up echoes through the deep distance of the valley. I’m exceptionally grateful for abundant nature now that I live in Istanbul—that lush, hushed green is such a luxury. The air was crisp and bright as we maneuvered wet leaves underfoot and gaped in awe at the scenery.

We visited two monasteries tucked into the sheer rock faces. The Philosophou Monastery actually has two iterations, old and new. The original is the oldest in this part of Greece, and the ruins are open for the exploring. The new one is still active, full of ornately frescoed walls.

The Prodromou Monastery has the best view—part of it hangs precariously off the side of the gorge—and history is etched into its walls; the door to the monastery is still bullet-riddled from the Greek War of Independence. After hours of hiking, we were treated to well-earned Greek coffee and lokoumi (which is the same as Turkish coffee and Turkish Delight, or lokum) by the monks.

Finally we descended to the Lousios River itself for a post-hike picnic, complete with feta and olives and fresh bread and red wine. The calm turquoise river looks like it would be a dream in the summer; had it not been so cold, I might have been tempted to go for a quick swim.

The drama of overcast skies and striking landscapes, combined with the hours of gleeful physical activity, made this one of the most memorable days on my Peloponnese trip. For the hours afterwards, we all kept turning to each other and saying in hushed voices, “That was amazing.”

I went to the Peloponnese with Discover Peloponnese, in conjunction with the TBEX Athens conference. All opinions are my own, naturally.