Katara Pass is an epic road trip in Greece

Katara Pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1.705m (5,594ft) above the sea level, located on the boundary of Epirus and Thessaly, in Greece. It's one of the highest roads of the country.

Can you drive to Katara Pass?

Tucked away on the northern part of the country, the road to the summit, also known as Metsovo Pass, is totally paved. It’s called Greek National Road 6 (old road E92). The traffic was at its peak between the 1960s and the 1980s, notably in the early 2000s. With the opening of Metsovo Tunnel in the 1980s and since 2004 and 2005 connected with the rest of the Egnatia Odos, traffic sharply declined. On November 2011, the road to the summit was closed. At some points the asphalt dropped more than 30 centimeters across its whole width. On the east side of the pass the road was blocked with a piece of concrete and the other is marked with a label “Caution, crossing at your own risk. Only local residents allowed”. But on November 2022, due the celebration of ΔΕΗ International Tour of Hellas, the road was fixed and opened to public again.

Is Katara Pass open?

Set high in the Pindus mountain range, the road to the summit is seasonally closed due the snow, usually from January to March.

Is Katara Pass worth it?

To drive the road without stopping will take most people between 30 and 40 minutes. The road is surrounded with pine and spruce trees. It is one of several passes that has lamp posts along the highway and offers great views of the Aoos and the Pineios valleys as well as the surrounding mountains.

How long is Katara Pass?

The pass is 22.6 km (14.04 miles) long, running east-west from Panagia to Metsovo Ski Center. 

Is Katara Pass challenging?

The road can become extremely dangerous in winter when there is snow so drivers should be way too careful and alert. At some points the road is quite narrow so overpassing is quite difficult and if travelling by truck it is even harder. The road has steep parts, hitting a 7.5% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps.

Road suggested by: Dimitrios Alexiou