Akramítis Mountain - the Easy Route
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Monday, 15 January 2024
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Akramítis Mountain and St Johns Chapel
A hike up the Akramítis mountain
This is probably the less demanding route to scale Mount Akramítis. The hike offers panoramic views, varying terrains, and historical sites. The return trip can take around 5 hours to cover approximately 8 km, allowing for time to admire the sites and rest.
Akramítis Mountain and St Johns Chapel - Essential Information
Walk Statistics (calculated from GPX):
- Start location: Monolithos
- End location: Akramítis Mountain
- Distance: km ( miles)
- Total Gain: metre ( ft)
- Total Descent: metre ( ft)
- Min Height: metre ( ft)
- Max Height: metre ( ft)
- Walk Time:
- Walk Grade: Moderate
- Terrain: Mountain paths
Maps:
The following maps and services can assist in navigating this route. There are links to printed maps and links to downloadable GPX route data for importing into navigational software and apps.
- GPX Route File
Route Verification Details
- Date of Walk: 05/10/2023
- Walk Time: 08:00:00 to 13:00:00
- Walkers: Griff, Kat
- Weather Conditions: Hot, clear blue skies
Walk Notes
NOTE: The distance listed for this walk is only for one way. The journey back takes the identical route in reverse, totalling approximately 14 kilometres (8.6 miles).
At 825m above sea level, Mount Akramítis is the second-largest mountain on the island of Rhodes. There are three routes to the summit that vary in terrain and difficulty. Each route offers something different for all ranges of ability, from the casual walker to the more ardent climber. For the purpose of this description, they are classified as Options 1, 2, and 3.
- Option 1 (the red route): This route leads around to the western side of the mountain. It is by far the easiest option, although probably not the simplest in navigation, as it is easy to miss the path up to the chapel. It is also the longest route but offers different panoramas and landscapes. Certainly the route for those who want to explore rather than simply reach the summit or for those who prefer an easier ascent.
- Option 2 (the blue route): Signposted from the road, this is a steep climb directly up to the chapel, navigating around a much more rugged landscape. This route can be used in conjunction with Option 1 to make a circular walk, where most walkers will use this as the ascent.
- Option 3 (the green route): This is a direct route to the top that begins on the road close to Siana. I have found little information about this route but suspect that it is a more challenging mountain climb.
As with most mountains, the predominant reason for climbing them is the challenge to reach the summit, and Akramítis is no different. The walking and hiking companies appear to attract many customers with this challenge in mind. However, it should be emphasized that this mountain is for all to enjoy, and you certainly do not need to be intent on achieving the challenge to ascend its heights in the fastest time possible. The mountain should be savoured and admired, and by choosing the longest route, you will see it in its full natural glory with flora, fauna, and wildlife to appreciate along the way. One does not need to go to the very summit, and visiting the chapel can be quite sufficient and provide a fulfilling days exploration.
Before we begin, as with any mountain climb, it always has to be assessed for weather conditions, the abilities of those undertaking it, and the expected time one will be on the mountain. Take enough supplies of food and water secured in a backpack, decent shoes or boots for the rugged terrain, and wear a hat. While the mountainsides are forested, the summit area is quite barren and open.
On this particular occasion, we chose to undertake a simple there-and-back route using the Option 1 route up to the chapel. There were a number of reasons for this choice but primarily this seemed to be the less arduous route, and being nervous of heights, there appeared to be no steep climbs or navigating around sheer drops.
The walk starts at Christos Corner on the main road that skirts around the edge of Monolithos. A short 850m walk along the road towards Siana brings us to two entry points, 100m apart. The first is an initial short zig-zag up to the path and the second entry point is the starting point for both Options 1 and 2. Option 2 has a waymarker at the start, whereas option 1 just leads off to the left.
There is a short gentle climb until the path turns, and a steeper climb is presented. This is the severest climb of the whole walk and needs a little effort but should be achievable by any experienced walker without difficulty. Returning down this was easy and presented no real challenge. In fact, it was not until we had returned to the bottom of this slope that we realized we had done it.
Throughout the initial stages, there are some great panoramic views where gaps in the trees allow sight of the coast down to Apolakkia. The path then starts to turn towards the western side of the mountain. Up to this point, the well-worn path is predominantly on sandy soil and dirt, often littered with stones and rocky rubble but easy to navigate across, with nothing particularly challenging other than the one climb mentioned earlier.
As the western side is approached, the path changes to a much more rugged terrain, where the route negotiates its way around rocks and boulders. The route is clearly defined, and it is just a case of following the well-worn path together with the odd cairn to assure one that the correct path is being followed.
Eventually, the path drops down and then sharply turns back on itself to lead the way in front of a cliff face. This is the only part that I was nervous about with regards to vertigo. At first, the path is a narrow affair that negotiates a route along the cliff base; then, it gives way to a dirt path that traverses a steep slope. This area is littered with fallen trees laying across the slope on either side of the path, and it is the gradient that unnerved me slightly. Fortunately, this is a very short distance, and just taking a slow and steady pace and focusing on the path ahead was enough to get past this. It is curious that on returning, even though conscious that we would have to traverse this once again, I did not notice this section until we got to the rocks when the realization came that we had passed it. Therefore, it cannot be that bad.
This section also reveals panoramic views of the west coast behind the mountain. This is certainly something to take a little time out and admire.
Further along this section, there is another path that branches off up the mountainside, with a way marker at the junction pointing up the incline. This leads to a cave that has great historical significance and has come to be known as The Lair of Spies.
The area is known as Limeri, and during the latter stages of WWII, a group of Greek resistance fighters used the cave as a hideout. It is not only difficult to get to the cave but also the entrance is low and narrow, with access only gained by crawling through the restricted opening. This provided a perfect place to secrete radio apparatus for communicating with allied command who were based across the water in Cairo. The operation entailed spies throughout the island garnering information of German and Italian troop movements which were passed on to a young shepherdess named Maria Malandri. She then relayed the information to the spies holed up in the cave in addition to keeping them supplied with food and water.
This operation carried on from late 1943 until the end of the war in May 1945, and despite the Germans once coming to the mouth of the cave, the spies remained undiscovered. It is said that their information exchanges contributed to the Allied victory.
There is a plaque on the rock by the cave entrance, and the spies are also honoured with a memorial in Monolithos village, close to the church.
The path now passes through an undulating section of woodland where there are many fallen trees to negotiate. In most cases, obstructing trunks have been conveniently chainsawed to allow passage, and more recent falls are easy to overcome.
Eventually this section ends and the path drops down into a long, wide, flat area bounded on either side by rocky mountains. This was about 300m wide, with grassland interspersed with trees, which can only be described as parkland. I am not sure how else to characterise this landform, perhaps a graben, but that is a geological slip to create a depressed area between higher regions, and I am not sure that is the case here. It is a valley, but certainly not one that descends to the lowest point, and there is no watercourse at the bottom. This landscape was completely unexpected and made the decision to take this route all the more satisfying. Being in such a sheltered position, protected from the elements by the rocky sides, it looked like a worthwhile place to take shelter if the weather turned against you, and there was evidence of makeshift frames that could have been field tents.
This part of the walk was a sheer pleasure to wander through, with plentiful herbs and flowering shrubs such as oregano, sage, thyme, and even pretty little yellow flowers poking out of the scrub. Pine cones were numerous from the cypress trees that are scattered around, and rocky rubble gave clues that they may have once been walls or even small buildings.
It was such a pleasant amble that we just followed the well-worn track that meandered around the trees without checking how far we had gone. When we did check, we found we had missed the turn to the chapel and had to retrace our steps a little. I am not sure where the path ends up if we had carried on further; it is not on any of the maps, and the satellite images do not give a clear enough definition beyond this plateaued area. The path that leads up to the chapel and beyond to the summit diverges off of the main path and it is easy to miss. This navigates to the rocky side where a well worn route negotiates a way to the top. This climb is in no way steep.
Once at the top, there is a landscape of rugged rocks where hardy herbs eke out an existence, together interspersed with small trees. Once again, the route is fairly obvious as it twists and turns through this rocky area for some 500m until it reaches a point where a less-used path branches off to the chapel of St John. This was the objective of our expedition on this specific day, and it did not disappoint.
This is a typical small Greek chapel that is placed in the corner of a courtyard. I can find little information about its history, but judging by the fading paintwork within its confines, it is many centuries old.
After taking time out to admire the icons and paintings, we emerged back into the bright sunlight, rang the bell to announce our presence, and then sat down for a well-deserved rest in the courtyard. Earlier, we had purchased supplies for the day, which included a packet of biscuits. Unbeknownst to us, we had inadvertently purchased dry cracker-type wafers rather than more energy-giving sweet baked biscuits. It was a bit of a let-down, and after a couple, we resorted to just drinking the water. Lesson learned: always spend a little more time reading and translating labels or just ask the shopkeeper!
Whilst relaxing in the chapel courtyard, we encountered two walkers coming up from route 2, the only other people we saw throughout this expedition. Armed with walking poles, they continued onwards with no acknowledgment of our presence and no stopping to view the chapel. They were probably the first of many of the day's hikers choosing to undertake the circular route in a challenge to reach the summit.
To continue to the summit, the path leads onwards through a more wooded area and then across a barren landscape, climbing another 150m in the process. We left that for another day content that the aim of the hike was to experience the chapel and nothing more.
Returning back along the same route was easy and certainly a lot quicker than the ascent. The whole return journey was no more than 8km (5 mile), and taking time to admire the scenery and rest at the chapel we achieved this in just under 5 hours.
Directions
The basic instructions are in the main notes. The entry point is 10 minutes walk from Christos Corner and is easily seen by the side of the road. The GPX download is for the Option 1 route and does mark the whole path to the summit
Summary of Document Changes
Last Updated: 2024-01-15
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