7 must-try outdoors adventures on mainland Greece

One of the best ways to explore mainland Greece is under your own steam, through the myriad activities on offer here. There are opportunities to don a mask and flippers and snorkel over an ancient submerged city; to climb Mount Olympus, the fabled home of Zeus, king of the gods; to leap into a boat and whitewater-raft down a 7.5-mile-long gorge; and to ski through the quiet backcountry of its Peloponnese mountain range.

1. Kayak on Lake Kremasta

Created during a 1960s hydroelectric project to dam four rivers, Greece’s biggest artificial lake is a fjord-like, island-speckled beauty that twists and turns over 50sq miles. While you can admire the alpine loveliness of the Agrafa Mountains from its pine-fringed shores, there’s nothing like kayaking in quiet exhilaration across its glass-calm, cerulean-blue waters in summer, pausing every so often for a refreshing dip. Choose a quiet time of day, such as early morning or evening, and keep your eyes peeled for wildlife including golden eagles, otters and wolves. Finix Adventures runs three-hour guided kayaking tours on the lake year-round.

2. Climb Mount Olympus

Ruled by Zeus, Greece’s highest mountain is a living legend. The topmost of its peaks is cloud-wreathed 9,573ft Mytikas, a holy grail to hikers. Scaling its gnarly heights is a two-day challenge: you’ll hike up to seven hours a day on exposed terrain, with rocky scrambles and steep slopes to negotiate. It’s best to join a guided walk, such as those arranged by Trekking Hellas. Helmets, harnesses and ropes are provided for the final climb, where you’ll be rewarded with views over peaks and valleys to the Aegean. A night at a mountain refuge on the Muses Plateau is special, too, as you’ll awake to a fiery sunrise befitting the gods.

3. Hiking the Menalon Trail

Imagine the burbling streams, glassy rivers, moss-cloaked forests and towering peaks that poet Virgil so eloquently captured 2,000 years ago when evoking the idyll of Arcadia in Eclogue 10, then lace up your boots for this five-day hike through the Central Peloponnese. Carving an enchanting path through the real-life Arcadia, the Menalon Trail is a glimpse of pre-dawn of tourism Greece. Leading from Stemnitsa to Lagkadia, the well-signposted 47-mile, eight-stage trail tiptoes through wild and remote landscapes, taking in silent pine woods, wooden bridges and old mule paths from stone-built village to stone-built village. You’re bound to be smitten by the deep, sheer-walled Lousios Gorge, where nymphs bathed an infant Zeus in the fast-flowing river, and by fresco-adorned Prodromos Monastery, which clings to a cliff. It’s best to hike the trail from April to November, staying overnight in family-run guesthouses.

4. Snorkel in Pavlopetri

Pop on a snorkel ordinarily and you might expect to see fish — or perhaps the odd wreck — but Pavlopetri, off the coast of southern Laconia in the Peloponnese, is unique. Twelve feet down, these crystal-clear waters hide a real-life Atlantis — a sunken Minoan city 5,000 years old yet still extraordinarily intact. Flipper past Bronze Age streets, mansions, courtyards and rock-carved tombs. No experience is needed — simply follow the underwater signs detailing three swimming routes and providing background on the ruins. Epos Travel organises tours to the area, or grab a snorkel and go it alone.

5. Ski in Kalavryta

Picture Greece and you’re likely thinking sun-kissed islands not snowy ski slopes. But the country has the latter, too. The mythical home of the Muses, Mount Parnassos near Athens gets all the fuss for its downhill, but for quieter days and tons of fresh, downy powder, make for the mountain resort of Kalavryta in the northern Peloponnese, where the slopes spread between 5,575ft and 7,675ft high. From December to April, the real joy here is skiing into the crowd-free backcountry, with phenomenal views of the Gulf of Corinth. It’s wise to hook up with a guide, such as Orias’s experts, to explore the undiscovered slopes of the Helmos mountain range.

6. White-water rafting in Vikos Gorge

Who needs the Grand Canyon for drama? Mother nature pulled out just as many stops to create the Vikos Gorge in Greece’s mountain-rippled Vikos-Aoös National Park. One of the world’s deepest gorges, the 7.5mile-long, 2,953ft-deep ravine is spectacular enough from the hiking trails threading deep into it, especially in the rose-gold glow of sunrise or sunset. But it’s even more so when you take a white-water raft along the river’s glassy green waters and gentle rapids, shaded by centuries-old plane trees. Trekking Hellas organises three-hour excursions for beginners. Bring swimming togs and a towel.

7. Mountain biking in Zagori

Snowcapped during the cooler months, the thickly forested, canyon-riven Pindus Mountains rise sheer and rugged above the wilds of Epirus in northwestern Greece. This is a terrific region to jump into a bike saddle for a two-wheel, go-slow adventure. Perhaps the prettiest stretch of all is Zagori, where you can tick off 46 traditional, grey-stone-built, slate-roofed villages like rosary beads. Here the largely car-free routes send you rattling over old stone paths and humpback bridges to historic chapels and monasteries, mountainside and riverbank villages, and wineries. Zagori Outdoor Activities suggests routes and rents bikes.