The main loop trail connecting all six monasteries is about 12 kilometres and can be done in three to four hours at a relaxed pace. The path winds up through the rock formations, crosses the high plateau between the monasteries, and descends back to Kastraki or Kalambaka. You pass between the rocks on foot in a way that is impossible by car, and the scale of the formations becomes clear only when you are standing among them.
The trail is well-marked and mostly good underfoot, but involves significant ascent and descent on stone steps cut into the cliff sides. Start early in summer to avoid the midday heat. The stretch between the Monastery of Varlaam and the Holy Trinity is the most scenic, with views in all directions across the plain. Many people walk to the monasteries in the morning, visit one or two, and return to town for lunch.