DONATE

Apostolis Tsimpanakos

I was born on January 10, 1980 in Volos.

A lover of nature and folk tradition, I worked in the countryside as a craftsman from a young age. Graduate of technical schools (construction, applied arts, design) and member of the sports - mountaineering community until today, I participated since 2000 in training schools and seminars and in exploratory expeditions in the mountains of the country.

Frequent involvement in mountain sports and the exploration bug gradually led me away from the urban environment, orienting me as a person and professionally.

Since 1996 I have participated in dozens of voluntary actions of environmental and social character in Greece and abroad, and since 2008 I have been coordinating volunteer and exploration actions in the mountains of Pindos.

In 2005-2007 I was introduced to accompanying outdoor recreational activities, alongside experienced guides - instructors, while in 2007-2012 I worked providing services as an employee. Since then I continue to work providing escort and support services to Greek and foreign trekkers & researchers.

As a canyoning athlete in 2010 I was elected curator of the Hellenic Canyon Exploration Association, E.S.E.F. and participated in explorations to secure and map canyons & waterfalls in the country. During the expeditions to the gorges of Epirus, I was fascinated by the geological formations of Tzoumerka, where I contributed to the Panhellenic meetings in 2012 & 2014 for the promotion of the gorges and the promotion of the sport.

In 2012 I moved to northern Tzoumerka preparing the network of forest trails in the area and the lease of a lodge for professional activities.

In 2013-2017 I undertook cooperatively the restoration & management of the abandoned shelter of the abandoned shelter of Melissourges, the Municipality of central Tzoumerka. From there and with the support of dozens of friends, partners and volunteers, I contributed to a series of actions, aiming at the protection & promotion of the natural and cultural environment, as well as the promotion of sports/thematic outdoor recreation and education activities.

At the same time, in the spring of 2015, as a member of the Agrotourism Association of Epirus, I stayed in Kalarrites Ioannina in order to promote the international networking of the Association and the coordination of ecotourism activities.

In 2016 I took an active role as a member of the Association in the recommendations and meetings of the Panhellenic Association of Agrotourism Associations of Greece (S.E.AG.E.) around the country, designing agrotourism programs aimed at the preservation & optimization of the primary sector and the fundamental development of ecotourism.

Continuing the exploration in the mountain range for the mapping and maintenance of abandoned trails, in April 2017 I dissolved the partnership with the Bee Shelter and moved from Tzoumerka to the villages of northern Pindos, conducting voluntary actions for the care & signposting of a forgotten section of the E6 international hiking trail.

In the same year I founded, with my partner Stavroula, a new hiking tour office with the aim of promoting multi-day crossings in the mountains of the country, focusing on Pindos.

At the beginning of 2018, with the help of Greek and foreign partners, I put in place the blueprint for the creation of the Pindos cross-country hiking trail - Pindus Trail - and its networking with the aim of preserving the natural and cultural heritage of the mountain range.

Husband and father of two children, I am working on a long-term plan, focusing on restoring abandoned trails - infrastructure of Pindus and reviving outdoor life.