I recently visited and walked part 5 of Menalon Trail, starting from Vytina to Nymfasia..but we also walked all the way to Kernitsa monastery...I am an experience and professional guide... read more myself from Evia island..My visit was part of the the 1st Panhellenic Meeting on Hiking Networks and the 3rd European Conference of Representatives of Certified LQT (Leading Quality Trails) paths. In my opinion this trail network does serve the purpose it was initially created for..to revive small mountain villages through outdoor and hiking activities, also promoting the landscape, culture and gastronomy. The trails are reasonably well maintained, and the marking are sufficient to keep you going..i wish the team good luck with their trail projects, as their future goal is to connect all ancient sites of Peloponnese, such as Mycenes and Ancient Olympia with the same walking path, which i find really fascinating..

  We spent an enjoyable day walking from Stemnitsa- we had a map but didn’t need it as the route was well signed all the way. We walked for about... read more 5 hours including stops at the monasteries and a dip in the river but didn’t make it to Dimitsana in that time. We then decided to return by taxi as the kids were tired in the August heat. We got help from the hotel to call a taxi to take us back which cost about 20 Euros. At times it was a bit unstable under foot so you definitely need trainers. The views were stunning!

  i traveld whit giannis. a nice guid. he took us for a nice wallk over the melnia wallk. He knows all the trails in the area. It's worth a stroll... read more through the villages along the river that connects them. On the way to see monasteries hanging. You can also ask him for a bike ride. jonh942003@gmail.com. ‏

  Half way walk in the lovely Lousious river and amazing hidden gems. Not too adventurous if you are in reasonable physical shape. Try to depart early before the heat and... read more the crowds.

  This is a bit of an undiscovered gem and one of the best walks I have done. We walked four sections of the trail with rest days in between. One... read more section is probably a day's walking although some sections you could do 2 in one day. Firstly it says the walk is moderate difficulty. I would agree but would clarify it: there are some steep uphill climbs and some long ones. You really do need a good level of fitness. Some sections there have been landslides and the paths are a little treacherous. Most of the paths we walked was well marked, but we did go wrong a few times and the section from Dimitsana to Filosophus we lost the trail completely. Lots of people walked Stemnitsa to Filosophus Monastery and it is really well marked but steep. All the other sections we walked we barely saw anyone. It is extraordinarily beautiful. I would say you need a good level of fitness. My biggest disappointment is that you can't easily hike with your things and then stay a night as some of the villages don't even have hostels. I had to stay in larger villages, get a taxi to the start point of a section, and then get a taxi back.

  I have lots in four continents, and I find that the Menalon trail was well designed, with changing landscape, connection to culture and people, and ease of navigation/logistic. If you... read more have the time to do the whole thing I highly recommend doing the whole thing but if you just do a part then the Stemnitsana-Dimitsana section was really nice for the monasteries.

I did it in 5 days in July. The heat was bearable since I left early morning, stopped mid-day, and walked again from 2-3 pm until the next village.

I did (1) Stemnitsa-Dimitsana, (2) Dimitsana- Zygovisti -Elati, (3) Elati - Vytina - Nymphasia ; (4) Nymphasia - Magouliana - Valtesiniko; (5) Valtesiniko - Lagkadia.

Day 1: Stemnista is a cute village, Dimitsana has everything you need. In Stemnista I asked the B&B owner and he helped me arrange transfer of my stuff to Lagkadia. Lots of culture in the trail with several monasteries. Really interesting! A monk explained the history of the monastery to me (in perfect French). I had snacks for that day

Day 2: Long day, I ran out of water. I usually carry 2 liters and refill during the day but on that day 3 liters would have been necessary since some water streams/sources are dry in July. I did not stop in Vytina. In Elati there is no guesthouse, so I rented an apartment from a local person. I got the contact by emailing the Menalon trail people. Elati has one taverna - shout out to John the 13 years old son of the owner for speaking good English! Great, hard hiking day, beer tasted great!

Day 3: Nice walk in the valley. In Nymphasia I stayed at the Nymphasia Resort Hotel, 20 minutes from the village. I stayed 2 nights, did not do much, ate a burger, went to the swimming pool, and had a massage because I'm worth it haha! The staff is great and will work hard to make you happy (including yogurt for supper brought to your room). Shout out to the receptionist guy who seems to work every day from 7 am until midnight, and still found the energy to worry that I was "relaxed ok"!

Day 4: Great hike in forest and open scrub. Stopped at the ermitage and was able to toll the bell several times as I was the only one. Neat experience! Had lunch in Magouliana before the main square. The taverna was busy and people all said hi and smiling. Nice, welcoming experience! That day was particularly hot as the afternoon walk is in open land (not forest) so take you time. Valtesiniko is my favorite village: small, authentic, beautiful, clean, well organized. The priest kind of walks around the village entering cafés and tavernas saying hi! Moussaka was great! From the top of the village you can see the mountains stretching and the churches down below lighted in blue and white. Shout out to the owners of Thea Valtesiniko who were super welcoming and caring.

Day 5: Wonderful walk in varied fir forest. Felt elated walking and stopping in the deep forest moss. I had snacks as this day there is no village between start and end. The weather was nice and the walk easy. Towards the end of the walk I was sad it was already over! There was a bus back to Tripoli at 8 am the day after. (Check schedule at your hotel).

  We have just finished the full 8 sections of the trail. Like many of the reviewers we enjoyed the fir forests, the rock perched monasteries, the picturesque villages and the... read more hospitality of the villagers.
The late season had its effect so some villages were practically vacant. This includes Zygovitsi, Elati, and Magouliana, with Nymphasia just a bit more lively. So when preparing accommodation better check availability beforehand. Luckily you can always call for a taxi from a neighboring village. People are very friendly - one time we were offered a ride to the guesthouse in the larger village, and in another the guesthouse owner took us to the next village to continue the trail.
Autumn proved to be very welcome for hiking. Except for few raindrops in the first two days the weather was shiny, with few clouds, and with just the right temperature, around 20c. The autumn also offers the special golden colors of the poplars and plane trees in the river beds.
Other memorable pictures are the great plane tree in the village square of Magouliana, and the clear quiet stream with moss-covered stones in the narrow shady creek before Elati.
Transportation from Athens should not be a problem. For access to and from the area we used KTEL Arcadia bus service. They have a quite regular line between Athens and Tripoli, few times a day from Tripoli to Stemnitsa and twice a day from Lagkadia back to Tripoli.

  We were looking for a 3 hour (ish) hike to explore the Louisos Gorge and see the Monasteries.
We were recommended to take the car to Ancient... read more Gortys, walk along to Prodomos Monastery, follow on to the old Filosofu Monastery and then to the 'new' Filosofu Monastery.
It took around 1.5 hours one way, although depends how long you spend at the Monasteries/ taking photos etc. You then need to return the same way, which while it's always nice to have a round trip we thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing and you always see things differently coming back.
If you do intend to visit the Monasteries please remember they have dress requirements and it's important to be respectful. Men and women need to have legs covered and women need to have shoulders covered. Both Monasteries we visited had clothes/sarongs you could borrow, which was fine.
Prodomos also has refreshments and you can refill water bottles at both too.
We loved it and would recommend!