Shelter & Bike - Athens & Mount Parnitha Wildlife Tour: Just 20 kilometers from the city center yet we are so far away! Parnitha is the highest mountain in the surroundings of Athens and a mountain biking paradise! This program aims on bikers who are willing to sacrifice little of their comfort in return for a unique experience. The shelter of Bafi, located at 1161 meters above sea level on the eastern side of Parnitha, is fully equipped for overnight stays. The paths around it have quite a history to tell:  they were in ancient and medieval times often frequented by wandering flocks since Parnitha was a forage area, in the 19th century they became the domicile of fugitives and robbers. Today Mount Parnitha is a popular place of excursions for the Athenians, but more and more also for bike lovers from all over the world.

Nevertheless, our journeys will start from the city center. This 3-day tour is also a journey through Greek history. Starting from the Acropolis and the places where the ancient philosophers walked, before we head to Mount Parnitha, which played an equally important role in shaping ideas. Staying overnight in Bafis mountain shelter gives us the chance of a true experience of the mountain, a morning awakening with freshly fallen dew and a contrasts with the city below us that couldn’t be any bigger.

The trails on our bike rides have a great variety. High up around the shelter and the peaks of Mt. Parnitha we find to the left and right of the technically demanding paths black firs, which grow only on the Ionian Island of Cephalonia and here on Mount Parnitha. Losing altitude we will access some paths that proof the excellent work by local trail builders and we will have some great trail experiences on the tracks which are used by all kinds of mountain bikers.

Good to know

If you are interested in this bike adventure, please send us an email request with your preferred tour date at least two weeks before your desired date: moustakasbikes@gmail.gr. The price of 345 Euro per person applies from a minimum of 5 participants. The tour is also possible with fewer participants, but at a higher price per person, which you will receive upon request. High-quality rental bikes are available on request at a daily rental fee of 35 euro/bike.

HIGHLIGHTS

• A visit of the park of the souls opposite the old sanatorium
• A night walk through the historical city center
• Meeting a lot of friendly deer at Mt. Parnitha
• Get in touch with the local trail builders and mountain bike community

ACCOMMODATION

Your accommodation on this trip will be the mountain shelter of Bafi, located at 1161 meters above sea level on the eastern side of Mount Parnitha, which is fully equipped for overnight stays. It is not a luxury accommodation, but perfect for nature lovers who are willing to sacrifice little of their comfort in return for a unique experience.

DURATION: 3 days / 2 nights

START: Athens

OBJECTIVE: Athens

PERIOD: All year

PRICE FROM: 345 Euro