Wild species that lived freely in the Greek nature, in the past, are now hosted in the “Environmental Park Bourazani” in a natural forest extent of 2050 acres.

The Tassos family achieved what seemed almost impossible. After a number of intelligent and coordinated energies and naturally abundant work, a distant and rather forgotten end of Greek province began to come out from the oblivion.

More and more visitors from Greece, as well as from Europe classify Bourazani in the most favorite destinations.

“The Environmental Park Bourazani” is a prototypeunit where the visitor can observe the animals in their natural environment and afterwards be informed in the modern installations with the help of audiovisual means for the circle of their life.

I really watch the region and the development of Environmental Park since 1993 and I can express only positive comments. If the ecological conscience of the Greeks and specifically of the younger begun to arise it is certain that in this has contributed also the Environmental Park Bourazani – Those who have visited Bourazani know.
Thodoris Athanasiadis, photographer-travel reporter
www.viewsofgreece.gr

Being a contracts manager for XL Leisure Group (UK based Tour Operator) I have had the opportunity to visit hundreds of hotels in Greece, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.
Bourazani Resort has caught my attention. The hotel’s theme is its advantage. It combines a friendly atmosphere with an excellent restaurant perfectly located in the natural environment.
Having the opportunity to talk with the owners (the Tassos family) I have realized that their project is not just a business, it is a way of life. Through their lives they communicate to the visitors the idea of preserving the environment and educating people in that purpose
Through organized excursions in the natural park and the environmental museum at Bourazani Resort, the owners attempt to engage visitors in a life long process of understanding the eco system and its correlation to our well being.
Nowadays the environment is destroyed by our ignorance and attitude towards it.(greenhouse effect / climate change, ice bergs melting, extinction of rare species) Therefore any attempt to combine tourism with the training of people, especially the young, that will alter their attitude towards the environment is really worth mentioning it. Additionally we should be giving our support and credit in such properties like Bourazani Resort in continuing their efforts.

Bourazani Resort in Bourazani Valley, a well-known attraction in a place of exceptional beauty. People and nature, a close interactive relation seeking for balance.
Aoos river, one of the cleanest rivers in Europe,flowing through, travelling from history to the future.
I visited the place with my students during an educational field trip. We all felt it was a very good experience, an excellent example of how economic and social development can go together with environmental preservation and sustainability.
It's highly recommended to make some holiday there, having always in mind the importance of preserving it as it is. As Bourazani Resort people trying to do, working with great love and respect for the place and the people. So, to keep the original character of Bourazani region with all its natural and cultural heritage.

Dalas Dimitris

If you like the feel of traditional European hunting lodges and you have your own trasport, this retreat 15km west of Konitsa is an ideal get-away-from-it-all option. Made with wood and stone, the hotel is by the Aoos River, very close to the local Mertziani border post with Albania. Its well-stocked restaurant meat from selected culled animals is served as game from the Bourazani Environmental Park.
The Bourazani Environmental Park started out many years ago as a game park for local hunters, but has since been turned into a model of fauna conservation. Encompassing a whole mountain close to the Albanian border, the Park boasts an impressive Conference Hall for Environmental Education, workshops for the production of antler souvenirs and handmaking hiking sticks, and feeding areas for boar, deer, kri-kri and moufflon. Bus tours from the Hotel Bourazani take small groups to see animals feeding at dusk, and there's a star-gazing platform.

e –Train: Awareness Guidance and Training Support for the SMEs

“Bourazani” operates as an environmental park while, at the same time, it includes
hotel facilities. The Environmental Park, which started operating in 1974, covers an
area of 1200 square meters.
Initially, the owners, in order to make the place attractive to visitors, aimed at their
desired target with the assistance of European Programs, self-allocation, a great
amount of personal work and insistence. Today, the visiting place can keep house
open to people of different ages, sensitive, or not yet, in ecological issues. Their main
aim is the animal's hospitality that it is offered, the reservation of the animal's
population balance, the animal's observation in their natural environment and the
information that can be derived, in terms of their biological cycles. The Bourazani
Environmental Park operates parallel to the Hotel Bourazani all over the year.
Its website, http://www.bourazani.gr provides all the necessary information on the
facilities offered in the hotel and on the activities in the environmental park.
Moreover, the option for on-line bookings is offered. The information is offered in
five languages: Greek, English, Italian, French and German.

During my involvement in EU co-funded projects about tourism, I came across the work of Hotel Bourazani. It was an exceptionally organised business that ensures that responsible and sustainable tourism is taking place.
Mr Tassos has been working for years to establish a new type of tourism which integrates respect, responsibility, sustainability, ecology, education and tradition and I think the result has fulfiled his high expectations.
Considering all these, I may suggest Hotel Bourazani as an excellent choice for those who seek a strong environmental and cultural conscience!

GX GREECE: ISLANDS, MOUNTAINS, ARCHAEOLOGY

An hour north of Ioannina is Bourazani, a luxury hunting lodge only a few kilometers from thr Albanian border. No longer used for hunting, Bourazani is now a wild game preserve of several thousand acres, where we can see wild boar, elk, sheep, and goats in their natural setting.
Bourazani is in the most dramatic scenery in Greece, especially near Konitsa, where the double stream of the Aoos River pours out of the mountains through the Vikos Gorge. Only a few kilometers from the lodge is Molybdoskastos, an 800-year old monastery currently being restored.

GREEK SWITZERLAND: EXPLORING NORTHERN EPIROS
by Dick Caldwell, a retired USC Classics professor who has visited Greece annually for 23 years
After your obligatory 3, 5, or 7-day Greek island cruise (which, unfortunately, still stops at the wrong islands), a 4-day classical tour of the mainland, and a couple of days in Athens, it's time to see a bit of real Greece. And probably the best place to do this is in Epiros, the northwest province of Greece. North of Epiros is Albania, to the west is Corfu and the Ionian Sea, and Thessaly and Macedonia lie to the east.
Perhaps because of its remoteness from Athens and the lack of well-known beach resorts, Epiros is virtually unknown to tourists. The one exception is Parga, a gem of a town on the coast a few miles south of Corfu, but for the last dozen years Parga has been overrun during the summer by Europeans arriving daily by the hundreds on low-cost package tours (any place now in Greece that has a good beach and an airport within forty miles is to be avoided).
The chief attraction of Epiros is its mountain scenery. The Pindos Mountains, largest range in Greece, arc through the center of the province and are covered with beautiful meadows and forests, crystal tarns and rivers, and picturesque villages inhabited by people as rugged as the mountains they live in.
For those with limited time, the highlights of north Epiros can be visited in four or five days. Here's a recommended schedule:
After breakfast visit the Ioannina Archaeological Museum on the belvedere. Its half dozen rooms have displays from Paleolithic to Byzantine, and its prize is a large hoard of lead tablets found at Dodoni. On these tablets are etched the questions asked of Zeus by supplicants at the Oracle (and, often, the enigmatic answers). The most commonly asked questions are thinly veiled expresions of anxiety about masculinity; e.g., When will I have a son? or, less subtly, Am I the father of her children? The second most frequent questions ask what god should be worshipped or what cult should be joined in order to have success in business. This rare glimpse into the private concerns of the ancient Greeks strikes modern visitors as, well, rather modern.
After the museum drive north about an hour to Bourazani, a wild game park and luxury hotel only a few miles from the Albanian border. Bourazani is a traditional European hunting lodge and its public rooms are decorated with hundreds of racks of stag and deer antlers, but nowadays most of the hunting that goes on here is with a camera and the antlers come from the animals' annual molting. Every evening around 5 PM guests are taken to a secluded place in the forest, where wild boar, wild goats, elk, and deer come for dinner. And for your dinner too, it seems, since the hotel's menu features venison, boar, and wild sheep.
This morning investigate the environs of Bourazani. Natural water pressure from nearby springs provides a laundry where people from the area come to wash their flokati rugs and handmade carpets, and the same springs power an antique grain mill. Five minutes away is the 800-year-old Orthodox monastery Molybdoskepastou, currently being restored. The only other people there besides you will be the monks and two young Greek soldiers; they're there because the Albanian border is just across the river and they're very bored and anxious to talk with foreign visitors.
From Bourazani it's a 15-minute drive to Konitsa and the picturesque packhorse bridge over the Aoos River at the entrance to Vikos Gorge, one of the premier natural wonders of Greece. Another half hour brings you to the village of Monodendri, the best place from which to view the gorge. The town (current population about 70) is an architectural national monument; houses are built entirely of stone with slate roofs and carved wooden ceilings. The gorge itself is in the Guinness Book of Records; over 3000 feet deep and 3000 feet wide, it is the world's deepest gorge in proportion to width. A 600 yard walk from the village center leads to an abandoned 15th century monastery with a spectacular view of the gorge, and for the brave acrophiliac there's a narrow walk along the side of the gorge with breathtaking views. The bottom of the gorge is a favorite site for hikers and campers, but that would require adding several days to an Epiros stay.

The Pindhos Mountains of northwestern Greece offer some of the most beautiful and dramatic scenery in Europe from snow-capped peaks and vertiginous limestone cliffs to beautiful wooded hillsides and deep gorges.

The flora provides both spectacle and a rich diversity. Tens of thousands of purple-pink Crocus veluchensis and blue Scilla bifolia colour the slopes of snowy Smolikas and near Aoos Lake carpets of yellow Cowslips and blue Muscaris are at times swamped by the many-hued Fritillaria montana. The liquid notes of migrant Golden Orioles cascade through oakwoods next to the lovely Bourazani, a hotel worth coming for alone. Here are magnificent shows of deep red Peonies and a wonderful array of Orchids - expect forty-five or more species on this holiday! There's the unique claret-coloured Ophrys helenae, rare Ophrys epirotica and beautiful stands of Monkey and Four-spotted Orchids.

A cultural post next to the boarders.
I loved the romantic Papigo village through the novel of Christos Chomenides “The wise child”. I loved the real Papigo like a star in Zagorochoria galaxy of the wise mother Epirus.
A walk to the frontier post of Molyvdoskepasto is enough to convince even the most mistrustful that life does not ends in what we have used to say in the means of “Greek Albanian boarders”.
Aoos River comes from Pindos Mountain, from the area of Vovousa and Samarina. Just outside Konitsa it joins with Voidomatis River, coming from Vikos gorge. The two rivers together travel to the Holy Monastery of The Virgin of Molyvdoskepastos and then they join Sarantaporos River.
The Batt;le of Konitsa, the Battle of Sarantaporos, the “Wolves of Toscana” who are trapped and defeated, the select Italian force who follow the same fate in the 2nd World War, since The Virgin of Molyvdoskepastos –as a miracle- swollen Aoos river after a sudden heavy rain and forbidden the crossing of Aoos…
In ancient times, during Byzantine period, the area was crossed by Via Egnatia, which connected Rome to Constantinople. This was the road which connected modern South Albania with Konitsa, Ioannina, Igoumenitsa and the rest South Greece.
In this valley, where the three rivers meet, just a few meters from the Greek Albanian boarders, there is a cultural post-to use the international Unesco language-in development.
In the watermill, where carpets, rugs and tapestries are washed, there is a Museum for the Use of Water, while a few kilometers away, in Aetopetra village there is a workshop of waving. The term of cultural post is relatively new and it was activated by “Melina Merekouri” award. This award was established for the election of those places that serve culture in connection with the natives.
So, it is within the spirit the try to develop this area by the boarders into a cultural spot, since it combines the beauty, the history and the “meraki” (ardent wish) of the Local Authority and the narives.
From great-grandfather to grandfather and the parents now to their children the Tassos family is the owners of a domain of 1.200 m2, which was transformed into an “Environmental Park”, with a magnificent Center of Environmental Education. Within this area they live free, but under the scientific superintendence of the Veterinarian and instigator of the idea George Tassos, 450 small deer (platoni), 25 large deer, 200 wild boars, 35 kri-kri and 120 wild sheep.
The European Community supported financially the project, but the existence of the Park owes its success to the endless will of George who lived in the spirit of the 3rd millennium time ago. Agro tourism is the future, as the progress is the return to Mother Nature…

To my opinion Bourazani and Mr Tassos and his family is an perfect example of local development using tourism as a vehicle.

The family's interest is not only on providing high level accommodation and local cuisine services, but also on enjoying the nature and being educated on the species (animals, plants) of the region. They realy love what they are doing, and this is obvious to what they offer to their clients.

I admire them for the way they are trying to involve all residents, by supporting local products (tsipouro, wine, fruits, etc.) They are always thinking of new ways to involve more of the local people and provide the best of the region to the people visiting the place.

Hope you have the strength to continue working like this.

My best wishes for further success.

The Heritage Strategy developed by the Entrepreneur aims to promote an understanding and celebration of the rich diversity of cultural heritage in the region of Epirus as a whole. It provides a basis for a wide range of organisations at national, regional, city and local level to work together with the aim of discovering, conserving, learning from and celebrating the past to inspire a better future for Konitsa and its people. The implementation of the Strategy strive to create value-added tourism products in the region of Konitsa by encouraging effective co-ordination and communication of heritage initiatives and the promotion of good practice through training and advice. The Heritage Strategy suggests the networking and presentation of all significant natural peculiarities, effective management and sensitive conservation and presentation of archaeological sites, townscapes, landscapes and historic buildings, ranging from country houses to factories and groups of houses. The Heritage Strategy’s main objectives are to:
• Make the region’s heritage accessible to all as a means of education, inspiration and understanding.
• Attract visitor flows on the basis of the Park’s image, which is considered to be one of the indispensable assets of the broader area
• Use the distinctive and diverse built environment of the region to create powerful visitor attractions and consequently stimulate economic regeneration at local level
• Use the region’s heritage potential to stimulate pride in the city of Konitsa and local communities by encouraging local people to become involved in heritage activities and tourism.
• Conserve, in an appropriate way, key aspects in the life of the broader region which make for its distinctiveness and tell the story of its development.
An important contribution of heritage entrepreneurship at local level is to (g)local approach: how to construct a place’s image and export it globally by overcoming the digital divide. The ‘g-local’ approach implies the construction of avplace’s image at local level and its global export through print and e-media in situ, electronically, at major exhibitions and through travel agencies.The Heritage Entrepreneur thinks globally, acts both locally and globally. He strives to export the Park’s and the place’s image by bridging the spatiotemporal gap between consumers and the tourism goods offered by him. He secures significant lifts in performance through the application of technology since increasingly potential visitors are surfing the internet before they decide where to go and what to do. He offers consistent and reliable web information in order to meet the requirements of the demand side.Park hotel, restaurant, coffeshop, interpretive guided visit, composed heritage trails and a variety of activities constitute an excellent example, how heritage is communicated to visitors, protected, marketed and finally “sold” with ecological, economical and social profit. The Park Management has set an example for creating and sustaining a Local Heritage Strategy through specific measures, which derives from a strong environmental and cultural conscience. Highlighting past actions that rendered an unknown place to a well visited tourism destination, the Park Management achieved to create a heritage network including major fame monuments within the geographical area of Konitsa – Bourazani - Molyvdoskepasti.

BOURAZANI Resort focuses on volunteering, personal growth, and learning new ways to live on the planet; typically involving travel to destinations where flora, fauna, and cultural heritage are the primary attractions. It includes programs that minimize the negative aspects of conventional tourism on the environment, and enhance the cultural integrity of local people. Through the Environmental Educational Park it satisfies several ecotourism criteria concerning conservation of biological diversity and cultural diversity through ecosystem protection , promotion of sustainable use of biodiversity, by providing jobs to local populations, sharing of socio-economic benefits with local communities and indigenous people by having their informed consent and participation in the management of ecotourism enterprises, local culture, flora and fauna being the main attractions.
In addition, the owners of Bourazani Resort are not foreign investors and corporations, but locals who love and respect their country and reinvest into the local economy and environmental protection.

The route from Konitsa to Bourazani (13km), in Aoos gorge, lasts 20’. “Bourazani” is a modern Hotel with intense hunting atmosphere, which once used to be a hunters’ shelter. Its owners, who know everything about the wild fauna of the Balkans, established The Environmental Park Bourazani in 1974.

Traveling with the company of a river.
Bourazani is located in the north westernmost end of Epirus and forms part of Konitsa region. The water presence of Aoos River and the huge masses of Grammos, Gamila and Nemertzika-on the boarders- “embrace” the valley and define the mountainous nature of the area. Small villages, farmhouses and plenty Byzantine monuments are scattered in the area. This is the place of the unique Environmental Park “Bourazani”, which covers an area of 3.000 m2. Within magnificent oak woodland live free 6 kinds of mammal species which some time ago lived and prospered in the Balkans: the big deer (Chervus Elaphus), the small deer (platoni), the kri-kri (wild goat), the roe, the wild sheep and the wild boar.
You sleep and wake up listening to the sound of river. You feel the invigorating power of the water to drift you alongside its own journey, through rocks, roots, dark-sunless ravines and full of sun fields. You live moments of peace and adventure, you breathe the air of the forest and you gain power by the spirit of the water… Well, weekend by the river, in mountainous and wooded landscapes.You will find Hotel Bourazani in the heart of Aoos riverside ecosystem, in one of the most magnificent locations of Epirus. The “River House”, ideal for large companies, is an elegant stone-made structure, literary in the riverside of Aoos. Special mention must be done for Hotel’s Restaurant, where you must try cooked meals in traditional recipes of Tassos Family, who owns the Resort.

Traveling with the company of a river.
Bourazani is located in the north westernmost end of Epirus and forms part of Konitsa region. The water presence of Aoos River and the huge masses of Grammos, Gamila and Nemertzika-on the boarders- “embrace” the valley and define the mountainous nature of the area. Small villages, farmhouses and plenty Byzantine monuments are scattered in the area. This is the place of the unique Environmental Park “Bourazani”, which covers an area of 3.000 m2. Within magnificent oak woodland live free 6 kinds of mammal species which some time ago lived and prospered in the Balkans: the big deer (Chervus Elaphus), the small deer (platoni), the kri-kri (wild goat), the roe, the wild sheep and the wild boar.
You sleep and wake up listening to the sound of river. You feel the invigorating power of the water to drift you alongside its own journey, through rocks, roots, dark-sunless ravines and full of sun fields. You live moments of peace and adventure, you breathe the air of the forest and you gain power by the spirit of the water… Well, weekend by the river, in mountainous and wooded landscapes.

I will recommend you a hotel in my country which is BOURAZANI HOTEL. You will be speechless when you visit it since this is the only hotel in whole Greece that owns a private Educational Park of total area 2.000 m2where wild animals are raised (such as deers, wild sheep and goats, wild boars). The Hotel is wonderful the services are many and of course the landscape, the area and the decoration of the Hotel requires “special” company! Well, if you want to drive mad your friends you must visit BOURAZANI which is located just a few kilometers from Konitsa of Ioannina Prefecture in Epirus

Molyvdoskepasti sits just below an Albanian border crossing station which reopened last fall after being sealed nearly 60 years ago following World War II and the beginning of Communist rule in Albania. While its neighbour to the north has changed, much of this Greek village is still as it was before the war, with three Byzantine churches, a tsipouro (moonshine) distillery, an 800-year-old monastery, itinerant tinkers shining pots in the main square, and grizzled retirees sipping coffee with young soldiers in open-air cafés. The pristine Voidomatis River, the cleanest in Europe, is not far from Molyvdoskepasti and is perfect for white-water rafting.
Townspeople say that their little village is where Europe begins, pointing to the upscale, clubby Hotel Bourazani as evidence. The hotel's dining room offers wild boar, venison, and other game dishes.

I’ve been there with my wife and my 7 years old daughter. The hospitality was excellent with a very polite yet very "physical" behaviour, the food was traditional with the literal meaning of the word, and the owner, Mr Tassos, offered to my daughter and to us a very detailed educational tour to the Park.
So, I am very glad to offer this comment for Mr Tasos.

Theodore Alexiou

Hotel Bourazani,Greece-An Entrepreneur's Contribution to Sustainable Tourism:
In the author’s opinion, too much of the debate on sustainable tourism focuses on governments and large-scale tourism organizations. Yet, as we know, tourism is an industry dominated by small and medium enterprises, usually family-owned concerns. Many proprietors of these businesses are people with deep roots in the location in which they operate and a genuine interest in its future well-being. They can, therefore, make great contribution to sustainable tourism, at the local level, through their own actions.
An example of this is the Hotel Bourazani, in north-west Greece, based on an estate owned for nearly a century by the Tassos family. One of the authors, john Swarbrooke, has worked with the family which owns the hotel since 1998, when he met them as part of a wider project concerned the developing ecotourism in the Epirus Region of north-west Greece….
In recent years, the Hotel Bourazani has established an excellent reputation, as can be seen from the description of it in the 2002 edition of the “Charming Hotel and Restaurants of Greece” guide...The Hotel Bourazani is an excellent example of what dynamic, visionary entrepreneurs can achieve in terms of sustainable tourism. As the owners and operators of a real business they can actually achieve things that governments can only encourage through policies and funding schemes. It shows what entrepreneurs with a social conscience can do by combining good business sense with commitment to the local community and the physical environment. It is an example of the currently fashionable concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR). However, such entrepreneurs still face envy and distrust, and they also need complementary action to be taken by others throughout the region, otherwise they will be isolated examples of good practice in an inadequately developed tourism region, which could ultimately threaten their own long-term sustainability.

A great contribution to your clients and a huge contribution to the environment. Congratulations!!!

A wonderful hotel in an amaging setting. The staff are great-helpful, friently. The perfect place to relax and enjoy the wonderful country of Greece.

Our most warm Congratulations.So simple!!! Most beautiful our country. Its best selection “BOURAZANI” which you have created with love and “meraki’. Thank you.

Very good job. You make all the Epirotes proud. Bravo, Well-done!

"Bourazani" A paradise in earth and the presence of people in absolute harmony with lot of love and above all with a lot of “meraki”!!! Congratulations with what you try to preserve and to sensitize your guests with sensitivity and love. Bravo!!

Your place is great!Your hospitality is fantastically warm! Your try to keep natural and alive this remote part of Greece is remarkable!

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H ??????? ??? ?????? ??’ ?? 1971 ????? ?????? ???? ??? ????????????? ?????? ?? ??????????. ?????????? ?????... 1800 ????????? (??? ????????? ?? ??????????? ?? ????), ??????? ????????? ??? ?? ???, ?????????, ????????, ??????? ??????? ??? ?? ?? ??????????, ???????? ???????, ??????????????? ??? ?????, ?????? ????????? ??? ???? ??’ ??? ???????? ??? ??? ??????? ???????, ???? ?? ??? ?????? ????????? ???? ???????????? ???? ??? ??????????? ??? ?? ??? ??? ???? ??? ???????, ?? ??????? ??? ??????????? ??? ??????? ?? ??????? ?? ?????? ??? ?? ‘??????? ??’ ?? ??????? ??? ???????, ???? ??? ???? ??? ???????, ????? ??? ???? ??????? ???????? ??? ?????? ?? ??????????.

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??????? ?? ???? ??’ ??? ??????? ???? ???? ??? ??’ ??? ????????, ?? ??? ???? ????? ??? ?????????? ??’ ?? ??????! H ?????? ??? ????? ???????, ??? ????? ??? ???????, ??????? ??? ??????????, ??? ?????? ??? ??????????? ??????, ?? ?? ?????? ???? ???????????? ?? ???????, ?? ????? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ????? ??? ????????? ???? ?????????. ?? ?????? ???? ??? ?? ????, ????? ???? ??? ?? ??????????? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ???????? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ????????????? (??? ??? ???????), ???????????? ?? ???, ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ???, ??????? ???? ?? ???? ??? ??????????? -???? ?? ???- ??? ????? ???????? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ????.

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All characterize the area of “exceptional beauty” due to Aoos River, which creates an ideal place running between the river rocks. Most people know Bourazani from the Hotel and its Environmental Park. Indeed, if these people had not invested in this remote-on borders-area there will be very few visitors and the name Bourazani would be unknown… unless maybe to those who fought here during the 2nd World War. Cozy stay. Menu with selected dishes, never-ending walks in the country-side by the boarders…

We were only one night to enjoy the hospitality of this lovely place in Epirus. Its more than just a place to sleep and we will certainly return to meet and enjoy the environment! Kind regards

Bourazani Hotel is located just 58 Km from Ioannina, 12 Km from Konitsa, next to the Aoos River, a few meters from Bourazani Bridge and opposite the Environmental Park Bourazani.
All the buildings are built according to the traditional, local architecture; they are made of stone and are fully integrated with the environment.
The Hotel’s Restaurant offers many traditional, local dishes and for those interested in actually learning how to cook them, there are “Traditional Cooking Classes” available!
More facilities and recreational services for the whole family include Tennis court, Basketball Court, Swimming Pool, Conference Centre, Minibus, Fishing equipment, Mountain bikes and Parking Area.
Well planned excursions on foot or by car/mountain bike as well as river rafting can be arranged; ideal for bird watching, butterfly and flower observation as well as sky watching! In the evening is the best time to visit the Environmental Educational Park
Undoubtedly, the Tassos family welcomes guests warmly and offers unforgettable family hospitality.

There are not many places where one can wake up to the singing of the birds and go to sleep to the lullaby of the water flowing in the river. “Bourazani” is such a place, as it is a combination of hotel and environmental park.
It all began in 1974, when the Tassos family decided to exploit an estate of 300 acres that grandfather Evangelos Tassos had bought in 1916 as winter fold for the family’s flocks. The initial plan was to import animals from Yugoslavia, Italy and Austria and let them free in a protected area, open to the public. The initial idea turned into action with the help of the European Programs, their own funds but mostly through personal hard work and persistence.
Today, Bourazani is an environmental park whose aim is to shelter the animals, maintain the balance of the animal population, the observation of the animals in their natural environment as well as the informing about their biological circle. There is direct visual contact with the 850 wild animals that live in the park (deer, wild sheep, wild boar, Kri-Kri, roe deer).
The hotel is a short distance away from the Environmental Park and a few meters away from the river Aoos, in the bridge of Bourazani. There are large reception areas as well as a restaurant with wooden-faced walls and decorative objects and lights made with large deer horns. There are 18 rooms and two large suites (60 m2 each). Breakfast is served in the guesthouse’s restaurant by the fireplace and includes local products among other things. Meals are also served there and include local recipes with deer, wild boar, etc.
The hotel has tennis and basketball courts as well as a model conference hall.
Above the riverbed of Aoos, there is the “Spiti tou potamou” (House of the River) with three rooms, a suite, sitting room and dining room. This stone building is a tranquil shelter for those who love nature, reading and fishing. For these reasons the house has its own library and fishing equipment.The area: Bourazani is in the northwest of the prefecture of Ioannina, in an area of rare natural beauty. The Wildlife Park is the main sight, while the scattered Byzantine and post-Byzantine monuments are of particular architectural interest.
Suggested activities: Visit the Monastery of Molyvdhoskepasti, which is the oldest monastery in Epirus and dates back to the 11th century. Visit the Folk Art Museum and the distillery where “tsipouro” is made in Molyvdhoskepasto. Excursion to the village of Aidhonochori and the Monastery of Taxiarches Ghouras, a balcony overlooking the valley of Aoos. Excursion to Papigho and Monodhendri, in the Zaghorochoria, 45 minutes away from Bourazani. Ascent from Ano Klidhonia to Drakolimni. Rafting or kayak in river Aoos from Bourazani to Molyvdhoskepasto. Mountain biking and short 4x4 trips to the nearby villages and the mountain routes of the region. Paragliding at the stations of the area.

An extraordinaire place of unique beauty and warm hospitality.

A combination of environmental sensitivity and warm hospitality. Keep Walking.

“BOURAZANI” a place sentimentally warm. Congratulations and always with the “meraki” that characterizes you.

Our warmest congratulations for what you have achieved. The future generations must continue and preserve this for the good of the area and our Greece.

I always like Bourazani and it is a favorite place for me. The people who own it are of exceptional behavior, kind and hospital. They have managed to create an interesting place, like no other place elsewhere, very well organized and extremely important for all of us. I wish them to have always the strength and the same “meraki” to do worth mentioning things for which first they will be happy and then their visitors.
Congratulations!

Bourazani, for us, was a unique, special experience. What can we say? Your service, your hospitality, your natural kindness, your true smile, your authenticity… The unbelievable landscapes, the Environmental Park… What we clearly understood is that you truly and passionately LOVE your place and this is exactly what makes the difference! We will come back soon! We wish you to stay as pure and pleasant as we met you.

Magnificent nature and service. Unique tranquility. What else can one expect to have nice vacations? Thank you very much

The landscape is impressive, but mostly the people in this remote area of Greece. The atmosphere in Bourazani Hotel is unique for its warmness, nobility, hospitality and tranquility. People with joy, imagination and mostly with passion for nature. They pass to you the love for the animals, the flowers, the rivers… Real Greeks who support noiseless the tradition, their birth place. They deserve full support in all their efforts, especially in their Environmental Park, which is an ideal ecological shelter that must be visited by all. The stay here is a true escape from routine that fills the soul.

Congratulations. Keep on trying. We wish the fullfilness of your dreams. You have already done a lot!

A wonderful visit to a beautiful place with excellent view and admirable service and hospitality. Honestly, Bourazani is worth to be visited and enjoyable.
I wish you are always happy and smiling.