Agios Ioannis (919m) [P-46]

Overview

Agios Ioannis (919m) [P-43] is a tiny but prominent foothill of Varnous (2,332m) [P-404] with great views of the Small & Great Prespa Lakes in Florina, Greece. Situated just South of the village of Laimos (”Λαιμός“) where we were staying, the route offers a pleasant mix of pleasant views of the area along with an approach to the border between Greece & North Macedonia. While I had visited Prespes many times before, the experience of a solo morning hike is quite dear to me and enables me to feel home wherever I am.

Agios Ioannis (919m) [P-43] from the military camp.

The choice of this route was a last minute decision which later seemed validated, since my original objective was the dramatic peak of Oxia (1,170m) from which Agios Ioannis (919m) is formed, but the name clued me in to the potential presence of vipers. Reaching my decision point near the Col. below Agios Ioannis (919) I realized my alternative route would include a long open country ascent within tall grass, so I opted out. Later I found out that in fact, vipers are a real problem in the open country areas around the village.

Route

Leaving the guesthouse at dawn pleasantly surprised by the low temperature I set off, inevitably triggering one of the dogs into barking. Then passing through the village at that nice time of dawn when the light has just began to show but everyone is still deep asleep; except maybe one old fellow who I ran into. Turning downhill past the military camp accompanied by songbirds I enjoyed the splendid view of Gorna Goricë (2,288m), bathed in the soft colors of the morning. Approaching the col. below Agios Ioannis (919m) the sun began to heat up, and after a small detour to inspect the alternative route from below Oxia (1,170m) and opting to avoid it, I turned my sights WSW to the chapel of Agios Ioannis (919m).

Following the dirt road which leads to the chapel was no problem, although it seemed slightly longer than originally expected. In reality it did not take too long to reach the highpoint of my route, where a chapel, gazebo, and fallen trip. point made for a curious sight. Glorious views across Little Prespa opened to the left but the beating sun forced my to sit down at the steps of the chapel. I took my time, enjoying a cigarette and thinking about where to go next as I had more than enough time, taking just 24 minutes to this point. Finally, I decided to continue down the road towards the border.

Golden hour below Agios Ioannis (919m) [P-43].

The chapel of St. John and the fallen Trip. point.

Finding myself back at the small col. I thought about my options, a high and low road, both leading towards the border. Still probably clinging onto a dim hope that I’d run into some more prominent point, I chose the road leading towards the base of Oxia (1,170m) and followed it. The pleasant shaded north aspect was cool and soon the barren slopes were replaced by a lush forest of oaks, while the songbirds reappeared in the accompaniment. Exiting the forested sections a small ridge caught my eye, glistening golden under the morning sun, beyond it Great Prespa Lake.

Eikonostasis of St. John at the Col., road visible to the right above.

A pleasant patch of trees on the route.

Reaching the base of the ridge was a simple affair, just continuing on the road. Then, turning left I continued through the grassy slope for the 50m to the ‘summit’ of this little feature, constantly on watch for snakes. As expected, an amazing view of Great Prespa lake opened up in front of me. Clearly visible were the villages of Northern Macedonia, so close but yet so, so far. Beyond the ridge across standing incredibly high, a border watchtower; the Greek side has nothing of the sort. I took some pictures and headed down, following some faint tracks on the slope below I guessed I’d probably end up on the road below.

Expansive panorama of Great Prespa.

The track here steepened to a notable level but repeated use made route-finding easy even without any marking. Throughout this descent the watchtower was clearly visible and in good humor I could do no less than to smile and wave pleasantly; perhaps a guard may be watching through some binoculars, enjoying his morning coffee. After a few minutes of this rapid descent, the road was reached, and without wanting to test the limit of how close I could get to the border, I turned around. No more than a few minutes later, the Greek border station lay ahead of me, and since this border crossing was long disused, so was this post. Some signs of renovation worried me of the prospect of a zealous guard questioning me as I passed, but alas all went perfectly well. The dirt road would take me straight back to the village, and now, just around 08:30am, the heat started to become serious. My thoughts went to the great breakfast and relaxing day ahead so I picked up my pace to ascend towards the village.

The Greek border station by Laimos, now abandoned.

Interactive Map

Logistics

This was the fifth summit of our 2025 Prespes - Triethnes+ Trip in which we travelled across most of Central Greece. To find out more about our logistical planning for this ascent read the following Trip Report.

📰 Trip Report: Prespes 2025 - Triethnes+