Mountain Retreat – Verliga Dragonlake

Come to the meeting point and get in the van. Another adventure begins! Arrive at the picturesque small village and start the hike towards the cool springs! See nature’s grandeur all around you. Return to the village and visit the local dairy. Learn about the art of cheese-making and taste unique flavors. Head to the camping area. Set up your tent, relax under the stars, and cook in nature. Wake up early in the morning and start a beautiful route towards the plateau. Reach the lake and rest in the embrace of nature. Can you make it to the peak? Take the way back and stop for a refreshing swim in the crystal-clear water pool. Return to the village and relax at the picturesque small café. It’s time to head back.

Learn this too:

Lakmos, also known as Peristeri, is a long, narrow mountain range with a series of many high peaks that divides the geographic regions of Epirus and Thessaly in two.

At the center of the mountain, at an altitude of 2,050 meters, lies the most famous alpine plateau in our country, Verliga.

Its name originates from the Vlach word “Vringa,” which means circle. To the north rises the highest peak of Lakmos, Tsoukarela (2,295 meters), and to the south, it is embraced by the cliffs of the Megas Trapos peak (2,240 meters).

High vertical peaks, alpine lakes, colorful flowering slopes, and meandering waters that are born and flow in the most beautiful alpine landscape in Greece.

The waters running from the peaks form a dragon lake right at the base of Megas Trapos, which dries up by early autumn.

The waters then flow through an incredibly beautiful network of meandering streams, exiting the plateau to the east and forming the Aspropotamos River and subsequently the Acheloos River.

Depending on the season, the waters in the meanders swell and form small lakes, while at other times, they dry up, leaving behind their carved paths.

It is a bare and mountainous landscape with rocky and stony slopes, cliffs, green alpine meadows, mountain springs, and streams. The main rocks of the mountain are limestones, which in some places merge with flysch.

The myth speaks of a dragon that lived in the waters of Verliga. In the form of a snake, it sprang from the rock and, crawling, sank back into the ground at the spot where the waters also exit. From the point where the dragon emerged, water gushed out, following its serpentine course over the meadows. The spot where the dragon lake is located is now called Pharmakolakka, a name given by shepherds, as when their animals grazed there, they would die. A magical place.

The meadows around Verliga are filled with flowers in mid-summer. The bright yellow color of the buttercups mixes with the blue of the crocuses of the species Crocus veluchensis, which appear with the melting of the ice. The variety of plants continues with many rare species, although it will be hard to discover them, not because they are rare, but because you won’t be able to take your eyes off the landscape.

The birdlife in the alpine region is equally rich, especially concerning birds of prey. A few vultures still live in the area, along with golden eagles, booted eagles, short-toed snake eagles, buzzards, and peregrine falcons. Large flocks of yellow-billed choughs “patrol” the area, while the birdlife is complemented by many rare small birds that visit the alpine region when the ice melts.

The reptile fauna includes one of Greece’s rarest snakes, the meadow viper (Vipera ursinii), which prefers to live on bare stones above 1,800 meters. Other species include the alpine newt, salamander, yellow-bellied toad, Greek frog, common toad, green lizard, and common viper.

Occasionally, bears, wolves, and roe deer are present in the area, while other species are more common, such as wildcats, weasels, martens, foxes, and hares.

It is significant that near the high peaks and vertical cliffs, a few wild goats still exist.