We’re in Edipsos, exploring the surrounding area, when a police officer suddenly appears at the guesthouse where we’re staying and asks to speak with us privately. A police officer? Did we park illegally? But why in private? We head to the guesthouse’s living room, and there, in a corner, the police officer pulls out of his bag—instead of an arrest warrant or a summons for a defendant or witness—an issue of ELLINIKO PANORAMA and places it on the table, waiting for our reaction. Anna and I are speechless. What does the police officer want from us with the PANORAMA?

He quickly loosens up and reveals that he is a reader and fan of the magazine, and that he hasn’t just come to meet us, but to suggest one of his favorite routes in the surrounding area of Edipsos—a spectacular water-filled landscape. The next moment, with all ears pricked, we watch Fotis traverse landscapes of transcendent beauty and rave with descriptions of the wonders of an unknown micro-region in Northern Euboea, an area he is passionate about and wants to introduce to us. His words flow like a waterfall, and his nostalgia for this waterfall he describes never ceases, as he enriches it with his imaginative and vivid narration. As we leave, he says, from the Baths of Edipsos heading toward Ilia, Rovies and Limni, and passing through the seaside fishing village of Ilia, we have another three kilometers to go before we come across a sign on the left indicating a massive waterfall. He has convinced us. And so tomorrow, we’ll follow it to lead us to this magnificent natural landscape, which is a beautiful and unique route on the western slope of the mountain known as Telethro.

The next morning, however, our friend is busy with work and is unable to accompany us to the waterfall. So he gives us directions over the phone on how to start the route, where we’ll come across the first waterfall, where to leave the main dirt road, and how to navigate the difficult passages leading to the second and larger waterfall, deep within the rugged body of Mount Telethrios.

Indeed, about three kilometers past Ilia, we find a large photographic sign nailed to the rocks pointing to the deep ravine and the Daphnokouki waterfalls. At first, we descend into the ravine, cross it, and continue uphill on a dirt road that soon turns south toward the Evian Sea. Shortly after this turn, we find a trail and leave the road that winds through the ravine to approach the first small waterfall at the bottom of the emerging gorge.

Returning to the starting point of the detour, we continue along the gentle, but uphill dirt road that will take us to the next major bend, which we’ll follow for a while until the main road veers off to our right while we take the smaller path, which continues into the interior of the ravine.

This narrow lane eventually ends, and we are forced to take a trail that initially descends until it reaches a hollow plane tree, half-burnt, the famous “Hollow Plane Tree” — an exceptionally idyllic spot where we’ll linger for a while, admiring both the large hollowed-out plane tree and the beautiful nature around us, dotted with oleanders, from which the Daphnokouki Gorge takes its name.

Above the Hollow Plane Tree, a narrow, rugged path begins—steep in places—traversing the eastern slope of the ravine through tunnels and dense vegetation, ending at the “square,” we might say—a large rock formation with greenish-blue hues, where the abundant waters of the great Daphnokouki waterfall plunge from a height of about 35 meters. We descend carefully because the rocks are slippery, and approach the pool, aiming to take in the most beautiful view of this large, impressive waterfall that plunges into successive basins, creating stunning pools and cascades.

The Daphnokouki Gorge is one of the countless similar gorges formed by Mount Telethrion on its western side. This lush, green zone of the mountain consists of impermeable rock, which is why all the ravines have a permanent flow of water. This particular gorge with its waterfalls, called Dafnokouki, drains the folds between Gymno and Petromagoula, yet it is called Xerakore, despite the constant flow of water. In particular, the lower course of the ravine that interests us here winds through narrow, deep gorges called “misgangies”—that is, through steps of serpentinite, which are essentially the source of these waterfalls.

The entire route will take us no more than an hour and a half, not counting stops and sightseeing.