High on the slopes of Mount Tymfi in the Zagori mountains, the Drakolimni ("dragon lake") sits at 2,050 metres above sea level. The lake is small — only 100 metres across — and a deep blue, with bare rock and a fringe of grass around it. The classic approach is a long day hike from the village of Mikro Papigko, climbing about 1,000 metres through the Pindos forests to the alpine zone.
Allow 7–9 hours for the round trip, take plenty of water, and start early — afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer. The lake's resident alpine newts (a relict species of the last ice age) give the place its name. It is one of the great hikes of mainland Greece.