Transformational Hiking & Wellness Retreat in Greece

Upon arrival, you'll do a “test” hike to check your hiking capacity and receive useful tips for the days to follow. All hikes are different, starting right outside of the hotel with a constant, smooth uphill direction. There is no specific pace to follow, and each person can take their own time to reach the finishing point. The return to the hotel is by minivans.

The approximate daily hiking time is 3.5-5 hours. There are at least three mountain guides along the route, following you discretely, making sure that the trails are well marked, and ready to help if needed. Every guest is equipped with a high-capacity radio transmitter, enough water and nutritional snacks.

There are several brief stops along the routes for water refills and snacks.

Example routes:

• Vertical -Prastio -Saidona -Ai Giorgis
• Diapori -Viros -Sotira –Ayios Petros -Hotel Faraggi
• Vertical -Prastio –Kastania
• Diapori -A. Sofia -Kalyves -Pedino -Tseria -Hotel Faragi
• Diapori -A. Sofia -Hotel Faragi –Tseria
• Diapori -Exochori -Kitriniaris –Vaidenitsa
• Diapori -Elies –Prosilio

There are two daily yoga sessions. One to start your day and one just prior to dinner. Each one serves a different purpose. The morning session will help you start your day in a calm way and the evening session will help ease your body and mind after a challenging day. Different yoga types are offered.

Every day, between 3 and 6 pm, there will be a variety of fitness sessions to choose from such as stretching, Pilates, high and low impact training, empowerment programs and more. The fitness sessions are between 20 and 55 minutes long. These will help your body recover from the challenging hikes and gain back its energy and flexibility.

We have our own gourmet chef, Emilios, who will be preparing locally inspired recipes using the freshest of ingredients packed with nutritional value. The emphasis is on vegetarian/ vegan menus. At The Root, guests enjoy seasonal menus centered around healthy, delicious and inspired dishes. Our culinary approach is to use only organic garden fresh, high-quality ingredients, infusing them with natural flavors. All fruits and vegetables are sourced from small local organic producers.

We can't hike if we suffer from blisters or swollen feet. Therefore, each morning, the retreat expert associates will inspect your feet and take care of them with healing lotion, special tapes and bandages—making sure you are good to go for hours in the wilderness.

Yes, there is Wi-Fi in your room. However, we ask you to minimize the use of technology during the hikes and in all public spaces. For planning purposes, we suggest you make any necessary calls in the privacy of your room.

These are the necessary items you'll need: 

• 1 pair of trail-running shoes with an aggressive sole. Buy these in time and break them in, wear them a few times before our trip—a sturdy sole is very important as all trails are rocky
• 1 Camel pack with bladder - at least 50 lb (1.5l, ideally 67lb (2l)
• 1 Walking/trekking stick (preferably telescopic)
• 3 Long-sleeved, light-colored, quick-dry shirt
• 1 Swimsuit
• 1 Buff (neck protection)
• 3 Hiking socks (smart wool or similar)
• 1 Sunhat
• 2 Long pants
• 1 Warm fleece jacket
• 1 Pair of sandals for walking around the property
• 1 Lightweight rain jacket
• 3 T-shirts (dry-fit)
• 1-2 Yoga attire

Good to have with you:

• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Shorts
• Sweat clothes/comfortable clothes
• Sleeping attire

* The agency can assist you in specialized shops where you can buy your equipment. The list is available upon request