The river Styx near Parga in Greece

Before travelling to Parga for the first time, I had decided on two things: that I would see Meteora and that I would walk along the mythical river Styx, or Acheron as it is called today. Expectations were high, too high I suspected, but expectations were met. Both as regards Meteora and Styx.

If you don't want to go in the river, you can have lunch at one of the taverns.

The hike up the river turned into a fantastic adventure and an unforgettable memory. The river flows from the Suli Mountains and empties just west of the Necromanteion near the shores of Ammoudia. The most spectacular part of the river is the part that flows through the Glikiravinen, here the theatrical natural scenery is so beautiful and startling that it almost feels unreal.

The water is so cold in the beginning that it hurts the whole body.

To get to the river you drive towards the small village of Gliki, the river runs right through the village so you can't miss it, preferably choose the road along the right side of the river. After a few minutes you reach a parking lot, where you park the car, change into waterproof shoes or sandals and change into swimwear. Then you take a deep breath and step out into the icy water. The adventure has begun!

The river Styx is an adventure for both adults and children.

Boats are available for hire for those who are not afraid to plunge into the cold water.

You must wear good shoes, the river bed is covered with slippery cobblestones and the currents are so strong in places that it is difficult to walk. If you start on the right side of the river, you must first cross the river to proceed. Start by studying how others do it, notice their grimaces, in a while you will grimace yourself in the same way.

A bit further up the river the water gets warmer.

The water is so cold that it hurts the whole body, before you are over, your legs have started to go numb. But don't give up, it will get warmer later. When the feeling in your legs is back, you follow the path until it ends, from here and up the gorge you then walk on the bottom of the river. The water gets warmer the further up you go, eventually it becomes really pleasant and there are no problems to take a swim.

There are those who dare to go far, and who even swim.

How far up you can go depends on the time of year, we went for about an hour, finally we had to give up because it got too deep. If we didn't have backpacks and cameras with us, we would probably still be there today, it hardly gets more beautiful than this.

You don't just get a dose of spectacular nature, it's also terribly exciting. Cold water gushes out of mountain pockets into the river, the currents are sometimes so strong that you walk backwards and sometimes you stumble into a hole, or you slip on the slippery stones. It is important to hold the camera tightly.

We didn't dare go any further than this.

When you get back to the parking lot, you can rest at one of the taverns. Taverns are also found along the river bank in Gliki. The truly adventurous can rent a canoe or go whitewater rafting down the river, the rental offices are on the opposite side of the parking lot.

It certainly looks fantastic!

If you don't want to go up the river, you have to at least dip your feet in the cold water, who knows, you might become invulnerable. Namely, it was in the river Styx that the goddess Thetis dipped her newborn Achilles to make him invulnerable. But she forgot to dip the heel she was holding, which has since been called Achilles' heel. Achilles died from an arrow in his unprotected heel during the Trojan War.

If you live in Parga or Ammoudia, don't miss an excursion to the River Styx.

Read about Parga here »

Read about Ammoudia here »

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