2-day Hiking at Taygetos Mountain on Aug. 2-3

On its paths wander myths and legends that envelop its slopes with a mysterious aura. The highest mountain of Moria stands tall to remind everyone who is the king of southern mainland Greece. A title that rightfully belongs to it since it is the highest mountain range in the Peloponnese.

Its peak is 2,407 meters high and is called Prophet Ilias and is the highest point of the Peloponnese, while its majesty covers an area of 2,500 square kilometers between Megalopolis, Evrotas and Messinia. A characteristic feature of the mountain range is its five peaks (because of them it was called Pentadaktylos during Byzantine times).

With coniferous forests, ravines, plane trees, crystalline springs and a dense network of paths, the proud giant invites you to cross it to reveal its symbolism. To whisper to you the stories woven in its peaks and ravines. To reveal its secret passages and take you on a mental journey through the ages.

The imposing massif, according to ancient Greek tradition, took its name from the nymph Taygetis, daughter of Atlas. Taygete was a local deity of the mountain range and belonged to the retinue of the Artemis view. The myth has two variants. According to the first, Lacedaemon, who was born from the union of Zeus and Taygetis and became a hero of the region, gave the mountain the name of his mother. According to the second, Lacedaemon was the husband of Taygetes and their child was Eurotas, from whom the river that flows into Taygetos was named.

The majestic term is mentioned for the first time in Rhapsody VII of Homer's Odyssey, in verse 103.

In ancient times its highest peak was then called Taleton. Like all mountain tops it was considered a sacred location because it was the closest point to the sun and people believed that it was the most suitable place for their prayers to God to be better heard.

If you wait until dawn, just before sunrise you will experience a miracle. The perfect shadow of the pyramid, as the researchers call it, is a natural phenomenon that can only be seen from the top of the mountain. The shadow of the mountain creates, when the weather permits, in the mornings, an equilateral triangle in the Messinian gulf. It is caused by the refraction of the sunlight that is about to grace this place.

According to another myth, Lycurgus challenged them to solve a riddle in exchange for the queen's hand. The riddle asked the young people to find the time the sun rises. The candidates climbed to the top of Taygetus but no one answered. All except the one who equated the time of sunrise with the time when the pyramid phenomenon occurs.

In its entire extent, from the north at the borders with Arcadia to its center above Sparta, but also in its southern extensions, the Taygetus mountain range reveals at every step areas of special natural beauty. Well-maintained cobblestone roads, such as the one leading to the settlement of Anavryti, combine easy access with exploring the wonderful surroundings. The large gorges attract every summer a multitude of hikers and climbers, as crossing them offers many thrills in sports activities in the wild mountain nature. The winter ascent to the top is included in the annual programs of all mountaineering clubs in Taygetos, moreover, pan-Hellenic mountaineering gatherings have also taken place.

Costas Ouranis, a poet, prose writer and journalist, wrote about Taygetos: "No mountain that I have seen in my life, from Mont Blanc with its eternal unspoiled snows to the wildest Spanish sierras, has ever made the impression I felt, which I accepted, became I should say, when from a high bend of the carriage road to Sparta I saw Taygetus in all its imposing height..."

1st day

Our meeting will take place in the village of Lefki and from there we will continue to the source of Magganiari at an altitude of 980m from where our hiking excursion will begin.

We prepare our backpacks and start our hike towards the EOS mountain refuge and Varvara position at an altitude of 1550m.

Our path crosses a mountain forest of fir and black pine, able to protect us from the hot sun in the summer months. On the way we will meet two springs where we will rest until our arrival at the shelter.

Here we can stay either in tents or in the rooms of the refuge and both are a special experience with the surrounding nature giving us a feeling of peace and freedom.

2 hours of hiking

2nd day

Our day today will start very early in the morning, around 03:00 because it is very interesting during the Sunrise the Pyramid Phenomenon that should find us at the top to enjoy it.

Breakfast at the top for a to recover our strength after our night hike and return to the refuge to collect our things to continue our descent to the parking area at the Magganiari spring.

7 – 8 hours of hiking

Cost 145 euros / person