Monodendri is the village from which you see the Vikos Gorge best, and that is reason enough to come. It sits on the lip of the canyon in the Zagori region of Epirus, in north-western Greece, a district of about forty stone villages tucked into the folds of the Pindus mountains. The gorge, cut by the Voidomatis river, is about twelve kilometres long and nearly a thousand metres deep in places, and it is recorded as one of the deepest in the world in proportion to its width. From the Oxya viewpoint, a short walk from the village, you look straight down the grey limestone walls to the green ribbon of river below, with eagles and vultures floating at eye level.
The village itself is a lovely tangle of cobbled lanes, stone houses with slate roofs and wooden balconies, and a small square shaded by a plane tree. Just outside, the monastery of Agia Paraskevi, built in 1413, clings to the cliff edge, with a small chapel and a terrace over the abyss. Zagori's villages were wealthy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, because many of their men emigrated to work as merchants and craftsmen and sent money home, which paid for the mansions, schools and the elegant stone bridges that arch over the streams. The whole district is a cultural landscape and a recognised heritage area.
The riding in Zagori is a joy, with narrow, winding roads that climb and drop through beech and oak woods, past stone bridges and mountain streams, and every bend reveals a new village or view. The surface is generally good but patchy, with some loose gravel, and hairpins on the steep sections. There is almost no traffic, apart from the occasional local pickup truck and a few walkers' cars. Fog can fill the valleys in autumn, and winters are cold, with snow on the high ground, so late spring and early autumn are best. The cobbled streets of the villages themselves can be slippery, especially when wet.
The country is rich in wildlife. Brown bears, wolves and chamois live in the high mountains, though you are unlikely to meet one, and the gorge is a haven for birds of prey. Walking trails of all difficulties run through the area, including the long descent into the gorge.
Ioannina, about forty kilometres away, is the nearest large city with services, so fill your tank there. Try the local pies, filled with wild greens and cheese, which are baked in a wood oven.