#vikos

[draculiza]

vikos (βίκος), ioánnina, greece

[gemsofgreece]

A view to Vikos gorge, Ioannina, Greece by George Vagenas.

[incoherrant]

he sit

[ioannisdg]

Vikos, Zagori - Greece

[jkrikis]

zagori

© 2002  Yiannis Krikis

[elladastinkardiamou]

Vikos Gorge: Greece's Grand Canyon (video)

It is known as “Greece’s Grand Canyon,” and its dizzying cliffs are a wonder of the natural world in Greece. Although in depth it does not rival the American canyon, which is more than six thousand feet deep, Vikos Gorge is one of the most lovely and verdant ravines in the country, with a depth exceeding 490 meters (1,500 feet).

Part of the Pindus Mountains of Epirus in northern Greece, the gorge lies on the southern slopes of Mount Tymfi, with a length of about 20 kilometers (12.5 miles), a depth ranging from 120 to 490 meters, and width ranging from 400 meters to only a few meters at its narrowest point.

It has many impressive vertical geological formations with a wide variety of different microecosystems, as well as an abundance of flora and fauna which live in one of the few remaining natural wildlife sanctuaries in Europe.

The calcareous formations of Vikos, which formed 37 to 150 million years ago, now cover most of the gorge at an altitude of between 550 (1,659 feet) and 1777 meters (5,700 feet). The Voidomatis River, which for millennia has carved its path along the bottom of the gorge, has running water from November through June.

[superbnature]

The Cloud by valx0q

[alluneedissunshine]

Vikos Gorge Beloi Sunset - Greece Photography by James Grant