Konstantinos Vasilakakos is a 32-year-old Greek turned adventurer and photographer who has managed to make a name for himself by capturing the breathtaking beauty of the most beautiful Greek mountains.
Born in 1992 in Amfikleia, a town in the Phthiotis region of Central Greece, Vasilakakos has always been connected to the mountains of Greece and their beautiful natural surroundings.
Since he was a child, he visited Vasilades, a small yet charming settlement in the region of Karditsa in Thessaly. Vasilades is part of a cluster of settlements that include Petrilo, Harris, and Chalkiopoulo and is located in the southern Pindus mountains at an altitude of around 3,600 feet (1,100 meters). These charming villages are surrounded by the spectacular Alpine landscape of Greece’s longest mountain range.
This became the backdrop of what Vasilakakos called—in speaking to Greek Reporter—his “beautiful childhood memories,” which greatly inspired him.
The backstory of a Greek man who loves the mountains
The journey of this young man who became one of the greatest amateur astrophotographers of Greece’s night skies is proof that once one finds his or her passion in life, nothing is impossible.
Vasilakakos moved to Vasilades many years ago. When asked how he manages to balance his lifestyle with the pressing needs of adult life in such a remote area, Vasilakakos told Greek Reporter he makes his living from taking on “various roles, from assisting [his] father, an experienced builder, to giving tours and performing odd jobs typical of a mountainous village like cutting wood or even clearing fields.”
Vasilakakos has engaged with just about anything that might provide his household with the necessary means to survive. At the same time, he pursues his passion for the beauty of Greece’s most fascinating mountain tops.
The young Greek aims to sleep on a mountaintop at least once every month, but it all depends on his schedule at any particular time frame, he explains.
Growing up surrounded by the virgin beauty of the Greek mountains, Vasilakakos always felt that was where he would like to spend most of his time, living, feeling, and experiencing all that the Greek wilderness has to offer.
Asked why he chose this lifestyle over a successful career in a large city, Vasilakakos said he preferred the serene life of his beautiful village, with its forests, mountains, and star-filled skies, over the hustle and bustle of all the large Greek cities.
“Here, I have my friends, my co-villagers, we meet up every night in our little traditional cafe, we share a drink or two, we share the news of the day, [and] this is my community here,” he explains in a way that shows how much he values the lifestyle he has chosen.
“Living here doesn’t mean that you are alone, [and] it doesn’t mean that you do it because you hate society,” he explained. “You do it because you have found your inner peace and decided to live as close to nature and the mountains as possible; not to replace human interaction, but to live a better, more fulfilling life”
He added that, obviously, every time he needs something, he does go to the city, whether for shopping or anything else. “It’s all about finding the right balance,” he explained.
His first hike on a Greek mountain
Vasilakakos’ first ascent to a mountain top left him with a profound and deep connection to the universe in general.
This was a life-changing moment. It was an experience that was both humbling, as it made him feel small in comparison to the world around us, but also exceptionally uplifting.
“I was at the top of the world…on Mitikas many years ago. This is the top of Greece and the place that so many people have dreamed of visiting,” Vasilakakos said adding, “and yet here I was, not just visiting to take a picture or two and go, but to stay there, see the sunset and the sunrise, gaze at the stars and the galaxies, connect with the moment, away from the distractions of the city and technology.”
A passion for photography
Vasilakakos’ love for photography began with his mother, who frequently took photos of their family when he was a child. Although he hasn’t formally studied photography, he began documenting village life over a decade ago. This was what deepened his interest in photography and videography and allowed him to engage with the world around him more so as an amateur who wanted to document a simple way of life so as to show it to the world.
“Some people are good with words, others with speech, [but] I speak to the world through photography and my videos,” he said with humility.
In 2009, he decided to go on a journey simply to capture the night sky from a higher vantage point than that of his village. This was meant to become the starting point that sparked his passion for astrophotography. Despite lacking proper hiking preparation, Vasilakakos went to the top of the mountain above his village and captured his surroundings, the stars, and the sunset. He realized this was his life’s calling.
His first night spent sleeping on a mountaintop was a few years later, in 2013. This was again in the mountains near his village at the heart of mainland Greece.
Since theat time, the 32-year old explorer has paid a visit to most of Greece’s mountains. He has managed to sleep at the top of several of them, including the summits of Parnassus, Ossa (Kissavos), the mountains around the Acheloos River. Of course, he has also spent the night on Olympus, Greece’s tallest mountain and mythical home of the ancient Greek gods.
“Do you want to start doing the same more often abroad? The Alps or maybe Mount Everest?” Greek Reporter asked him.
“Of course, I do, but it’s not very easy. I would need a sponsor since this is not a task you can complete overnight,” he explains.
It hasn’t always been easy, Vasilakakos added, reminiscing on his experiences on Greece’s mountaintops.
Challenges of sleeping on the Greek mountains
The fact that there are challenges to his quests of sleeping on Greece’s mountaintops is what is “beautiful about it. It’s not like some of the videos you might watch, with the same copy-paste footage and music that presents hiking as merely an amazing and beautiful experience without any challenges,” he notes.
Vasilakakos has faced challenging weather conditions with harsh temperatures and extreme thunderstorms quite a few times. However, he took advantage of these opportunities to capture stunning photos of the raw power of nature at these high altitudes rather than allowing the challenges of the moment to overwhelm him.
“I normally go to sleep up there in the summer, but it’s not like the summer we know. The temperature on Mitikas, Olympus’ highest peak, was around 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit) when I slept there recently,” he explained.
Tips for those who wish to explore Greek mountaintops
When asked about those who wish to experience and live a life that is similarly adventurous, Vasilakakos recommends authenticity and genuine love and respect for nature.
“You don’t do that to escape society and live on your own. You do that after you find out what the meaning of life is and what brings you inner peace,” he said. He also cautions people against pursuing such adventures merely because they might be trendy or help in one’s pursuit for more social media exposure.
Vasilakakos deeply believes humans should spend more time in nature rather than concrete buildings in metropolitan areas where they are disconnected from nature and consistently trapped in a loop of digital reality. He says people should be closer to what he calls the “analog version,” meaning the real version, of life.
His YouTube channel currently has over 16,000 subscribers, who can see the products of his passion. The channel inspires people to explore and appreciate the natural world and particularly the diverse environment of his native land, Greece.
Through his amateur but talented eyes, Konstantinos invites us to see the world from a different perspective removed from our everyday challenges and worries. Instead, he shows us a place where the stars shine brighter and the air is purer.
