The stunning road with overhanging cliffs to Langada Pass in the Peloponnese
Langada Pass is a mountain pass at an elevation of 1.316m (4,317ft) above the sea level, located in the Peloponnese region of Greece. The road to the summit is one of the most scenic routes in the region.
Set high in the Taÿgetos Mountains, the road to the summit is totally paved but not for the sissies. It’s called Route 82. The road has very narrow parts and unlit tunnels carved in the rock. It’s said to be one of the most breathtaking roads in Greece.
The road is 56km (34.79 miles) long, running east-west from Sparta to Kalamáta. The most dramatic segment begins about 20km (12 miles) west of Sparta, where the road clings to the cliffs of the Langada Gorge. The road is a series of tight squiggles alongside the harrowingly deep gorge of the same name, here and there even burrowing under gravity-defiant, nearly horizontal ledges.
Tucked away on the southern part of the country, the drive has hundreds of hairpin turns and overhanging cliffs. As you steadily climb the dips and inclines of the mountain road you can readily enjoy a great view of the mountain and the landscape and seascape below. Swerving along curves that have the contours of ribbon candy, tires screech feistily.
Pic: George Voutsas