Kamáres - Panagía tósou Neroú

Evaluation: Only a few out of the many hikes on Sífnos depart from Kamáres: because the harbour is situated in between two high mountain ridges there are only a couple of ancient trails – the slopes were simply too steep. This hike is a nice alternative for the hike from Apollonía to Panagía tósou Neroú. The view on the bay of Kamáres and surroundings is magnificent and the descend to the monastery of Panagía tósou Neroú is quite an experience. It is possible to go further down to the rocky beach of Vlasi, underneath Panagía tósou Neroú. Although the trail is often difficult to find when climbing up to Panagía tósou Neroú – until you get to the path to Agios Elefthérios -, this hike is highly recommended, especially since you will discover how one of the most beautiful kalderími's on the Cycladic isles has been turned into a difficult and overgrown path because of landslides and the roughness of the terrain. In any case, the hike is definitely a must and gets an evaluation of **.
[The way back straight to Kamáres is even more difficult to find and we only advise this for experienced hikers. A great alternative is to climb up from Kamáres, but to descend back to Apollonía via the monastery of Agios Elefthérios, which is also very worthwhile. When arriving back in Apollonía you then have to take the bus to Kamáres.]

Estimated time: The climb till the summit of the hill above Kamáres does not take that long, about one hour. Having reached the top, there are many possibilities – the hike to Panagía tósou Neroú will take another 40 minutes, and to descend to the beach of Vlasi another 20 minutes. To go back along the same path to Kamáres you will need a little over two hours (always actual walking time). The best thing to do, though, is to spend about one hour having a picnic at Panagía tósou Neroú, and then to descend to the beach to have a swim. This also means that you will have to climb all the way back up, which is a difference in altitude of 400 metres, so quite an extension of the hike!

Route description: From the harbour of Kamáres you follow the road in the direction of Apollonía until you have passed the turn off the left to Agia Marína, past the bridge. Just before the hotels Kamári and Kili you see a road going up on the right. Past the highest houses, after some three minutes, this road turns into a cobbled road, going in the direction of a water tank with a white building in front. In the meanwhile you should have a look around: towards the left in front of you you can see the farthest hill – later on you will have to keep an eye on the protruding rock point of this hill. When you will leave the water tower you will have to watch the apparent highest point on the right of this rock point: when climbing in that direction you will find the kalderími.

After a twist in the road you walk until you are only five metres away from the building before the water tower. At this point you have to go left, taking a vague and steep path that goes up steeply. You have to keep an eye on the left-hand of two high rock points in front of you – that is the right direction. Once in a while a good observer will actually notice the remnants of a little wall: this used to be the retaining wall of the ancient trail. After climbing up for about five minutes you find the first stone figure. Now you have to take a right, in the direction of the right corner of the rocky ridge, on the left of a small tree. Some metres further you walk on the vague remnants of an ancient kalderími for a short while. You have to walk until you are two metres away from the corner of the rock ridge (not until you are actually there!) and then you have to go left and continue up the slope. Some minutes later you will again discover the remnants of a beautiful kalderími; it is destroyed, but sometimes you can still see parts of the retaining wall. In this way you go up rather smoothly, in the direction of the highest protruding point of the most left-hand rock ridge. This rock ridge descends into the valley, already deep beneath you. After ten minutes you arrive at a part with lots of loose stones and some 100 metres further on you have to go right sharply, straight to the south, and going up the mountain steeply. A couple of minutes later you walk on the right hand side of and just under a grey rock ridge and you continue up on the right hill. Underneath you already have a great view on the complete bay.
Again four minutes further on you go up the hill by following some steep zigzag curves, until you almost get underneath a grey rock ridge with holes. You pass this ridge on the right hand side and again you can discern some clear remnants of the kalderími. Immediately next of the rock there are also some steps – this is definitely the correct route.

Some minutes later you have to take a left, going up steeply against the mountain slope; at this point you can clearly see how land slides and earthquakes have had an impact on the ancient path. Do not go too much to the left, because after five minutes you pass underneath a high rock cliff, again on a clear and rather rocky piece of the path. You walk again straight to the south now and you come across wonderful remnants of the kalderími and of some large steps – you have now been hiking for about half an hour.

After a beautiful part you have sometimes to climb through bushes and trees, which block the path. And then you go up again by following a couple of meandering curves. High bushes overgrow the ancient trail quite often, but the retaining walls are visible all the time – once you lose track of these walls, you better return in order to re-orient. In this way you go through a kind of breach in the grey hill, which is covered with green bushes. Finally you will get to a stony and sloping plateau, covered with juniperus bushes.

You now walk slightly up and to the left, in south-eastern direction. You follow a broad open space in between bushes and once in a while you see stone figures. A couple of minutes later you reach the base of a tower and now you can also see the remnants of two towers and some mine exploitation on the next hill. You walk in that direction until you get to a tall stone figure. During the next ten minutes you continue steadily, by selecting the best open spaces. At a pile of mine debris you keep to the right – sometimes you will see stone figures, but not all the time. Once you have got to the right of this debris you bend a little further to the right and you walk on top of a rocky elevation. You will now notice another tower, which you pass on the right hand side.

During the final ten minutes of your climb you walk in the direction of the large water reservoir, situated next to the trail coming from Agios Elefthérios (see the hike Apollonía - Panagía tósou Neroú). Unfortunately though, this water tank is not visible yet. There is, however, a fairly clear trail, which goes in the direction of some ruins, located high up, in south-southeastern direction. In order to orientate correctly when leaving the tower, this is what you should do: make sure that the left hand wall of the tower and the monastery of Trouláki remain in one line behind you and continue to walk in that direction until you get to a stone figure – which I have left behind... From this point onwards you walk in the direction of the high ruins: at first you go through a shallow valley, by bending to the left slightly; later on you pass a platform and you bend to the right again, until you pass on the right of some ruins and until you see the large water tank in front of you - the main path runs a few metres behind the tank.To reach it, go to the right of the water tank and pick up the path going to the right - this leads to the main path. After a search of about 65 minutes from Kamáres you will thus reach the very clear path from Agios Elefthérios.

Here you have to take a right and you follow this nice trail for about 10 minutes; the panoramic view on the bay of Kamáres will get more and more beautiful all the time.

When the dam of the harbour starts to disappear behind a protruding rock, the trail goes up to the left against the rocky slope. Some five minutes after the most beautiful view on Kamáres you will easily get to a rocky pass, on the left of a big rock peak. Kamáres disappears and in front of you you will discover another coastline, the sea, and the islands of Kímolos and Mílos. You are now at an altitude of 410 metres and there is often a lot of wind here.

The path zigzags down now, at first not too fast. Once in a while you see goats and you will get a beautiful view on Panagía tósou Neroú and on the coastline.

Suddenly the trail descends much faster and you have to watch out not to slip on the stony path. Some 30 minutes after the pass you will arrive at the fairly large monastery, another 150 metres higher up. There is a well (but no bucket), there is a tap with water, there is a kitchen with cutlery and a fridge, there is a large dining hall with a table for 40-50 persons, there are four beds and the church is cool – there is even a lavatory. Everything seems to wait for a large group of pilgrims, but at this moment everything is quiet and peaceful. 

There is a trail descending further to the coast and the bay of Vlási, where it is possible to have a swim. At first the staircase goes down in southern direction. After descending steeply for about five minutes, and immediately past a large, square and rust-coloured rock, you get to a trail: to the left a the path returns in the direction of Kouní and the Profítis Ilías – a route nearly impossible to find! We have to go to to the right further down to the sea. You then descend for another fifteen minutes. During the last minutes you follow a zigzaging flight of steps (there are 176 of them), which starts immediately to the left of a valley full of oleanders – they are marvellous when flowering. In this way you get to the picturesque pebble beach of Vlási – the clear water is very inviting for a swim.

To go back, there are two possibilities.

One possibility is to climb up until you reach the pass, from where you can walk back to Apollonía, following the second part of the hike Apollonía - Panagía tósou Neroú.

And obviously, you can also go back down via the direct route to Kamáres, although this path as well is sometimes difficult to find. These are some guidelines for the most critical places.
Of course, you first have to climb up steeply for about 25 minutes until you reach Panagía tósou Neroú – at the rust-coloured rock mentioned earlier you have to take the left hand path. From this monastery onwards it takes another 35 minutes until you get to the rocky pass. Guided by the stone figures you cross this pass until you again discern the bay of Kamáres. You now continue steadily on a fairly flat trail: the beach and the dam of the harbour disappear behind the first hill, and also the second hill will pass underneath of you (there are some ruins of towers on this second hill, which you will pass later on). Gradually, Artemónas and the other villages will appear in front of you.
About fifteen minutes past the pass you have to watch out when you get at the third hill with some remnants of mine exploitation. On the left in front of you you see the large water reservoir and 150 metres BEFORE this tank, close to a small, crumbled away wall, there is the beginning of a path going down to the left. You arrive on the left of the wall of the water reservoir and over there it is not that easy to discover the trail. In between bushes this trail leads in the direction of the top of Agios Simeoón – the most right hand of the two monasteries on the other side of the bay. Some 100 metres further on you have to take care again; just above the ruins of a small house the trail splits up: to the right it goes to the mines underneath of you. You have to take a left, going flatly and in the direction of the ruins of the towers. You aim a little to the left of these towers, which you reach after some ten minutes.
Leaving from the left of these towers you now go in the direction of the hill with the monastery of Troulaki on top of it (this is the left-hand of the two monasteries), until you get to the left of the pile of debris. At this point you have to go slightly more to the left, now in western direction – towards the right-hand of the two tops above Kamáres. You cross a shallow valley, on the left of the first tower. You have to keep an eye on this tower, and when you have reached this tower you have to walk straight in the direction of the top above Kamáres again. You thus get to the rim of the plateau where some difficult moments are waiting you: do not descend, but go to the left until you see the kalderimi down and in south western direction. You can now follow this kalderimi for about twenty minutes; at first it is very beautiful, but then it becomes totally destroyed. Later on there is a better stretch again, but finally, when approaching the water tower, the remnants of the trail are again difficult to find.