Κάτω Βέργα - Άνω Βέργα - Προφήτης Ηλίας (κυκλική) / Kato Verga- Ano Verga - Profitis Ilias (circular)

A classic trail, a tough up and down, largely based on the ancient cobbled path which connected Kato Verga to Ano Verga and beyond.

This is a difficult path, not because of its fast elevation during the ascend, but mainly because of its difficult cobbled terrain. This can be very heavy on the feet, especially during the descend, which requires extra care. It is hugely diverse, starting from the maquis vegetation and the olive fields of Kato Verga, and culminating at the fir forests at the top of Kalathion Oros. In between you will experience (among others), some AMAZING VIEWS of the Kalamata bay, the ancient cobbled path, (partly destroyed, partly intact), beautiful byzantine churches, some herds of goats, all types of natural herbs (their smell is fantastic), ancient threshing areas, the ancient dry rubble walls everywhere, plus the odd donkey making a show at Ano Verga (nice village!!)

The path is not maintained by anyone (apart from the goats crossing it!), although it does have lots of red navigation signs at various locations. So you need to pay special attention at some points:

1. Follow my ascend AS IS until Ano Verga. There is a parallel path which I tried to follow in my descend but the path there is ruined! (There is a clear dead end in my recording), so DON'T follow it, despite the red marks appearing there.

2. At the 3.8 km I faced some sheep dogs (only barking, not violent), so I had to divert a bit. The proper path is the one which appears for the descend. But DO make the diversion and visit the ancient threshing field, you will remember me.

3. At 4.4 kms you get two options to ascend to Profitis Ilias. The left one is longer, but (relatively) smoother. The right one is shorter, narrower, and much steeper. It is difficult for the ascend, but it is especially tricky for the descend. I used it for the descend only, but I would only recommend it for people with hiking abilities and good hiking shoes.

4. When you reach Profitis Ilias, don't forget to take the small southern path which leads (after 50 metres) towards the edge of the cliff. There you will get by far the BEST view of this trail!

5. At 11:30 I took the paved road detour, because I judged the descend to be risky due to loose stones and unstable soil.

Apologies for other small detours during the recording!

Overall a very enjoyable experience. With a bit of maintenance and some trail information panels (unlike Cyprus, this is not something you expect to find in Greek trails), this could have been an EPIC 🙂👍