Walk 1B: Kambos - Kardamyli
Kambos – Kardamyli
Route: Kambos – Stavropigio – Zarnata Castle – Malta – Kardamyli
Timing: approx. 3 hours including detour to Zarnata Castle
Difficulty: 3/5
Description: This walk gets a 3-star rating as it is longer than the previous walk and has steeper gradients up to the castle and on the path just before the descent to Kardamyli. The castle isn’t the only historical building on the route- a Mycenaean Tomb and tower house once owned by a former Greek PM also feature. There are great views both from the castle, where you can trace your footsteps from Walk 1, and later down to the sea and Kardamyli. The bus to Kalamata stops in the High Street in Kambos.
- At the very beginning of the walk, once you have taken the sharp right turn, lies a late Byzantine church called Agii Theodori. It is usually open and is worth a look inside to see its wonderful frescoes. The frescoes are more recent than the actual church and depict some vivid and gruesome executions of martyrs, various scenes from the life of Christ and Christ in a Zodiac flanked by mythical beasts. The latter comes from The Praises, Psalm 148- “Praise him ye sun and moon…..Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons and all deeps…..beasts and all cattle; creeping things and flying foul…”
- Refer to the map below to get off the main road and take the detour to the Mycaeanean Tomb and the Koumoundouros Tower (3). The path continues on the opposite side of the main road.
- The dirt road climbs up to Stavropigio. Refer to the second map below to walk through the village.
- Once you pass the church of the Koimisis, you will soon arrive at a signpost for Zarnata Castle. The path up to the crest of the hill looks initially as if it leads only to a private house- don’t be put off. Zarnata has not been accurately dated and the present fortified building was once the seat of a local Mani chieftain. The views are stunning.
Detour off main road to get to Stavropigio
Continued detour through Stavropigio to Zarnata Castle
Once back down from the castle, follow the road through Malta to the main road, passing the isolated Mavrikos Tower on your right. Turn right, cross the road and take the next left. Following the map from here is very straight forward until you reach….
- It is very easy to miss this point so be wary. If you do miss it you will carry on down to the sea and to a dead-end. Once you have identified the waymarks on the rocks, head up the path, turn right almost immediately and then left again. The narrow dirt path then opens up to reveal a well-built kalderimi.
At the crest of the hill the views down to Kardamyli and beyond are fantastic. 7. As the dirt road snakes down to sea-level, there are a couple of points where you have the option to hop back on to the kalderimi- again, way marks indicate where this is possible. As you near the sea, the kalderimi runs parallel to the road, crosses a stone bridge and then ends.
Once you hit the beach road, it is 20 minutes to the centre of Kardamyli.
The Kalamata walking/mountaineering group have done afurther clean of the route in December 2025