Routes in Meteora

Getting there - Accomodation | Mountaineering in Meteora | Climate and Seasons
Required Climbing Experience and Equipment | Routes

Climate and Seasons

When to climb

If, despite the crowds, you decide to come in mid summer, it is not difficult to find routes to do in the mornings or the late afternoons that are in the shade. Otherwise the best times to come are April to June and late September to early November.

Climate and Seasons

Meteora is at the intersection of latitude 39o 44' north and longtitude 21o 38' east. Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey is on the same latitude and places such as Valencia and Palma de Mallorca in south east Spain, Samarkand in the south of the Soviet Union and Denver, Colorado, in the United States are on similar latitude

Approximate altitude of the sun at Meteora during the following periods:

21th June - just over 74^o

21st May and 21st July - between 70^o and 71^o

21st April and 22nd August - almost 62^o

21st March and 23rd September - almost 50^o

21st February and 22nd October - just over 39^o

21st January and 21 November - almost 30^o

21st December - just over 27^o

Meteora in winter time (Roussanou manasterie),and in spring time (Kastraki village)

Photos: Nikologiannis Stefanos & Andreas Krambeer

Mean Temperatures in degrees Celcius:

January - 5,6^o

February - 7,0^o

March - 9,7^o

April - 14.2^o

May - 19,6^o

June - 24,1^o

July - 27,0^o

August - 26,9^o

September - 22,1^o

October - 16.5^o

November - 12,3^o

December - 8,1^o

WINTER

Conditions can vary greatly in winter. Mountaineers have reported conditions too cold and wet to allow any climbing in winter.

SPRING

Easter has been popular time for climbers to visit Meteora during the last 20 years. This is the time when rainy days are very rare, although occasionally there can be a whole string of them. In general, spring is the best time of the year as far as the climate is concerned.

SUMMER

For a great part of the year it is very hot in Meteora. At this time of the year it hardly ever rains, but the hot, dry climate requires carefull planning of the day. Almost all big climbs can be managed between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m.without the heat becoming unbearable, and all routes on the northern and western sides are in the shade at that time anyway. Between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. is also quite tolerable on faces away from the sun. Late morning and early afternooncan be used for bathing. All camping sites have been equipped with swimming pools.

AUTUMN

The weather is still quite summery and dry at the time of the grape harvest in early and mid October - ideal for climbimg and swimming. These early days of autumnare warm and dry in Meteora, but in late autumn the weather becomes more and more changeable.

Note: in kalampaka there is no artificial climbing wall.