Evaluation: A very beautiful hike through one of the most peaceful parts of Sífnos. You climb up the highest summit of the island, with a marvellous view, and you hike through the untouched interior of the island and the perfect silence. Another hike with an evaluation of ***!

Estimated time: It is a good idea not to leave too late, especially in Summer. The beginning of the hike and the climb up the Profítis Ilías take about 1h35 – it is best to do this in the morning, when it is not too hot. The descent and the trip to Agia Marína take 55 minutes and for the hike back to Apollonía you have to count on another 1h30. All together this means an actual hiking time of some 4 hours. There is no possibility to swim along the way, unless you decide to continue to Vathý from Agia Marína. You will then go via Agios Nikólaos T' Aeriná and this extension will take another 1h25 – which is quite an attractive alternative. 

Route description: The bus from Kamáres stops in Apollonía on the Platia Iroöon (Square of Heroes) – you are now at an altitude of 150 m. On a bench in the shade you can take some time to have a look around: on this square you can find the Folk Museum (closed on Sunday mornings), the war monument and the post office. 
The hike to Katavatí so to the Profítis Ilías starts on the right, in between the bar I Gonía and a pay phone. After 10 metres this street curves to the right and it continues past the beautiful little churches of Stavrós and Taxiárchoon; about 5 minutes later you get to the Mitrópoli, the main church.

The little church of Stavrós, on our way to Katavatí.

You then go straight, up the long staircase, and after another five minutes you get to the gymnásio, the secondary school. You continue up this street, you walk on the right hand side of a curve in the asphalt road for a little while, going further towards Katavatí. (sign post) On the right you pass the street which leads to a church with a white dome and you walk past the hotel Galíni. You continue to go up slightly (you pass another path off the right) until you have passed another little white church with a white dome, the Panagía Angeloktisti – there is a beautiful sarcophagus in front of this church. The street goes further down for a little while, but then you have to take a street off the right with a signpost to the Profítis Ilías – some fifteen minutes after your departure.

You then follow the broad concrete path. You pass a little concrete road on the left, an earth path again on the left, and a little further another earth path on the right. The trail then turns into a typical donkey path. It runs in between walls and after a couple of minutes it reaches the road around Apollonía. You cross this road, slightly going to the right, and there you will find the beautiful monopáti with a big sign to the Profítis Ilías and Mávro Chorió. It has now been almost 20 minutes since you have left Apollonía.

You take this path, which first goes up along a marvellous paved staircase for about five minutes – you just have to ignore the little side roads. Afterwards, the trail continues rather flatly. After ten minutes you pass a path which goes up to the left to Agii Anárgyri, and after some fifteen minutes - you are already right into the magnificent interior Sífnos – you get to the path which goes up to the right towards to the Profítis Ilías – you cannot yet see the monastery on the summit (there is a sign and you are at an altitude of 220 m); the hike straight ahead continues to Vathý (see the hike Apollonía - Vathý).

The following climb up is quite strenuous; sometimes you walk over loose stones and sometimes the trail consists of concrete or steps. On the left-hand side you get a great view on Agios Eustáthios and after about 20 minutes you can finally catch sight of the massive monastery of the Profítis Ilías. A marvellous path starts at an altitude of 400 m, at first it meanders and for the final 15 minutes it continues up in straight line – all the time you have a beautiful view on the large monastery.

The monopáti to the Profítis Ilías.

The impressive monastery of Profítis Ilías.

You go down with a beautiful view on Agios Andréas. The next part zigzags down until you see an ellipse-shaped field surrounded by tall walls to the left in front of you. After 25 minutes you arrive at a signpost and you continue for a short while until you reach the wall. You follow this wall to the right, in the direction of the depression in the hill, the trees and the white building of the farm called Koúni. The trail now runs horizontally and it follows a wall on your left-hand side. Some 5 minutes later you get to the corner, made up of two walls coming from the left and the right. You continue in the same direction and you thus get next to the right-hand wall. A little further down you walk next to another wall and a water pipe on the left – the trail gets clearer now. After 10 minutes you somewhat curve to the right on a stony path. At this point there is a very green valley on your left and a wall with a black water pipe on your right. The trail almost disappears between the bushes twice, but you can still clearly see it on the rocky ground. Another 10 minutes later you can hear grunting pigs and amidst a large flock of sheep you reach a rocky plateau, on the left-hand side of the Koúni farm. If you manage to see the farmer - he is here the whole year round, each and every day! -, then it is quite interesting to have a little talk.

You continue to the edge of the plateau; you can see Agia Marína in front of you and there is an obvious trail leading towards it. You then get to an actual tiled staircase and this brings you to the beautifully located church of Agia Marína in about 7-8 minutes.

The path and the beautifully located Agia Marína.

[According to the hiking maps it should be possible to walk to Panagía tósou Neroú from here onwards, but the farmer of Koúni warned us that the trail is overgrown and difficult to find. Some 20 metres before the church, towards the right, there is the beginning of a trail, indeed. This trail goes into the bushes; it leads to Agios Konstandínos first (you can distinguish the white building from Agia Marína), see our walk Apollonía - Agia Marína - Panagía tósou Neroú.]

You return via the tiled staircase and you walk underneath the terrain of Koúni. You continue straight ahead – the trail is rocky and sometimes fairly large, and it gradually curves to the left. You pass a path off the right and, some 20 minutes past Koúni, at the junction near a wall and a wooden fence - which could look familiar to some of you -, there is a trail to the right sharply (there is a signpost Agios Ioánnis and Mávro Chorió). This trail to the right is the way to go to Vathý, but today you have to go straight ahead.

[If you would follow this trail to the right, in between bushes and indicated by means of a lot of red dots, you would get to another junction after 3 minutes: on the right you can go to Vathý via the Kalamítsi-valley (see the hike Apollonia - Vathý variant 1). All of the old and new signs and a cairn send you to the left, though – by following this trail you could also go to Vathý, but then via the monastery of Agios Nikólaos T' Aeriná (see the hike Apollonia - Vathý variant 2).]

Instead, you have to go straight ahead. For quite a while the trail continues beautifully in between the cliff and a wall; thereafter there is a descent into the valley. The path goes up again and then down and some 17 minutes after the junction you arrive underneath the ruins and the church with the white dome of Taxiárchis tis Skáfis.

The church of Taxiárchis tis Skáfis.

Some 8 minutes further down you get to the corner of a wall; to the right there is a trail to Agios Eustáthios (see for example the hike Apollonía - Agios Andréas - Chryssopigí). You have to go straight ahead and up.

At this point you get to familiar terrain again, because after 3-4 minutes you reach the junction to the Profítis Ilías, which you have taken a couple of hours ago – the circle is closed.

Some 20 minutes later you get to the ring road around Apollonía; you continue towards the right, on the left-hand side of a blue gate, on a trail in between olive trees. After a couple of minutes this trail turns into concrete. You continue up until you arrive at the main street of Katavatí, which you follow to the left. You walk alongside the bend in the asphalt road, but you continue on the main street. Past the school and the main church you thus get to the square of Apollonía.