Climbing Profitis Ilias
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From the West or the East
Travelling south from Kalamata into the Mani the road ascends into the foothils of the Taygetos mountains. After passing through the villages of Kambos and Stavropigio the road begins a winding descent to the coast at Kardamyli. Just before entering the village of Kardamyli you have a clear view up the Virou Gorge to the imposing pyramidal, often snow covered, peak of Profitis Ilias the highest mountain in the Taygetos range. Variously described as 2404-7 m it is the 12th highest mountain in Greece, but part of its impact is that it so close to the coast, about 14 km as the crow flies. Some people when they see a mountain like Profitis Ilias have an urge to climb to the top, either through a sense of adventure or, as in my case, to discover the unique alpine flora. I have climbed the mountain in different seasons and from both sides and I hope my experience will help any with the motivation to attempt the ascent to plan an expedition and carry it out successfully and safely.
The mountain can be climbed starting on the western or eastern side. The climb from the western side is the more difficult, less used and should not be attempted without a guide. The starting point for the climb is reached by driving along a rough mountain track, the King’s Forest Road (Vasiliki), which starts just above the village of Saidona. Instead of following the road along to Panagia Iatrissa you turn off left and go along to the end of the road at Agios Dimetrios. This route is more difficult because there is no obvious track and there are no signposts. The first part of the ascent is through the upper part of the forest before emerging into the open grassland. The most difficult part of the climb is the final part up to the summit which is along a narrow ridge with steep drops on either side. I attempted this climb with a guide as a relatively fit, experienced walker in my 60’s but my guide refused to take me on the final part along the ridge citing that it was not safe for me. As a result we traversed onto the slope just below the peak of Xalasmeno, the peak next to Profitis Ilias. I think this clearly indicates that the western ascent is not to be attempted without a guide and not by inexperienced climbers.
The climb from the eastern side is much easier, follows a definite track and is signposted. The starting point for this climb is approached from the main road between Gythion and Sparta with a turn off in a westerly direction at the village of Trapezondi. A paved road then leads to the village of Paleopanaghia and then on via a winding, steeply ascending road to Maganiari Spring, which marks the end of the paved road. It is possible to start the ascent of Profitis Ilias from this point via a track up to the EOS mountain refuge. I have not attempted this part of the climb, but it would probably make the whole trip a 2 day excursion. It is reported that by arrangement with Hellenic Mountaineering Club of Sparta you can stay overnight in the refuge. The alternative is to drive up a rough mountain track to the refuge and use this as the starting point for the climb.(photo 3 near here) The drive can be completed using an ordinary vehicle taken quite slowly but it takes some considerable time. The refuge is located at about 1500 m, so there is still quite a lot of climbing to do.
“A fall on the sharp rock is likely to be painful!”
The route from the refuge is quite obvious since the peak of Profitis is clearly visible and remains so throughout the climb. The first part of the route takes you through the upper part of the tree line and is quite easy. As you emerge from the trees you encounter the first slightly tricky section, which is over a rough, jagged limestone outcrop without a clear path. This area is no more than 100m and providing care is taken is not too difficult. A fall on the sharp rock is likely to be painful!
After this section the track takes a wide sweep across the mountain grassland seemingly away from the peak, but after some time a fingerpost directs you back towards the peak. This section of the climb is not too steep because of the diagonal route across the slope. The next change in terrain is provided by an area of flat, horizontal rocks designated Plakes (Tiles), an easy section. This leads on to an area called Portes (Doors). This is a steep climb (about 100 m) up to an opening in a ridge. The climb is no more than a scramble and does not require any equipment. Once over the ridge the track drops down into a shallow bowl, which leads to the final pyramidal cone of the peak. This final cone is another section requiring scrambling since it is composed of scree made up of quite large rocks. Again there is no visible track but it is not difficult to plot a route to the summit. On the summit there is a small church, Profitis Ilias, without a roof and some small stone niches where you could rest. On a clear day there is a view to the west down to Kardamyli the reverse of the view up the Virou Gorge. In my experience the climb takes about 4 hours and about the same to descend back to the refuge. This means that a departure from West Mani at about 0600h will get you to the refuge at about 0830h and back home after the climb at around 1900h.
The climb is well within the capability of reasonably fit 70-year olds, as I can personally testify. I did meet a man on one climb who claimed he could reach the peak from the refuge in an hour and a half, but that was running. A most important point is to choose the right time for the climb. Too early in the year, around Easter, there is still snow lying on the mountain and it is very easy to lose the track and finish up having to climb over large rocks. June is a very good time to observe the mountain flora and September to enjoy the climb. Even if the temperature is high at the coast it will be much lower on the mountain. The other factor to take into account is the weather. You do not want to get caught on the mountain in bad weather since you can’t descend quickly and cloud cover will obscure the route as well as destroying the view. I hope this account of my personal experiences over a number of climbs will help you to have an enjoyable and safe excursion up Profitis Ilias.
Roger Marchant
Roger Marchant has had a long standing association with Greece, having worked in Athens and Patras and owned a house for nearly 40 years in Stoupa. He is a botanist and has published the only two books dedicated to the Flora of the Mani – Wildflowers of the Mani and Pictorial Flora of the Mani (3 volumes). Both books are locally available in retail outlets in Kardamyli, Aghios Nikolaos and Areopolis or directly by post from the author at maniatis@btinternet.com.
The climb from the west, starting from Agios Dimitrios is beautiful but indeed more challenging as it includes some exposed parts near the so called Spanakaki ridge. Don’t do this without a guide. Going from the east also gives the opportunity of hiking up to the summit of Athanati Rachi – the second highest peak (not difficult), which gives an unparalleled view of the Pentadaktylo ridge including Siderokastro and (the other) Spanakaki peak (somewhat confusing that there are 2 places with the same name very close by…), as well as the profitis Ilias pyramid from another direction.