Kyllini (2,376 m a.s.l.), also known as Ziria, is the second-highest peak of the Peloponnese, surpassed only by Mount Profitis Ilias in the Taygetus range. The summit lies on the border of the historical regions of Arcadia and Achaea, offering a fantastic view over most of the northern Peloponnese, the Gulf of Corinth, the Argolic Gulf, and the mountain ranges of Phocis. In Greek mythology, the mountain was considered the birthplace of the god Hermes, son of Zeus and the nymph Maia. The mischievous infant left his native slopes while still a baby and dashed off to Thessaly, where he stole Apollo’s sacred herd of cattle. An angry Apollo quickly found his younger brother, but Hermes managed to appease him with his characteristic cunning — he gifted him a lyre, which he had fashioned himself from a tortoise shell. As an adult, Hermes became the patron of travelers, merchants, thieves, and shepherds, as well as the messenger of the gods. Pausanias (a Roman writer who traveled through Hellas in the 2nd century CE) wrote about the mountain: “Beyond the tomb of Aepytus you will reach Cyllene, the highest mountain in Arcadia. On the summit of the mountain stands the ruins of a temple of Cyllenian Hermes. It is obvious that the mountain received its name, and the deity his epithet, from Cyllen, the son of Elatus” (Pausanias, Description of Greece).
While reaching the summit of Kyllini might not be physically demanding, it can present quite a few navigational challenges. During my trip, I lost the correct path more than once or twice, unnecessarily adding distance and making the hike significantly more difficult. Despite this, I remember the excursion to the top fantastically, and the views from above will stay with me for a very long time. Welcome to the trip report from conquering the highest peak of the northern Peloponnese!
Table of Contents
- Journey from Corinth to Mount Kyllini
- The Rocky Hike up Kyllini
- The Summit of Kyllini (2,376 m)
- Descent from Kyllini
- A Visit to Hermes Cave
- Trip Map
Journey from Corinth to Mount Kyllini
I start the penultimate day of my driving tour of Greece quite early, shortly after 6:00 AM. A quick cleanup, packing up my bits and pieces, and I am ready to leave my cozy guesthouse in Corinth. As is usually the case at this hour, my first priority is finding a good place for coffee. By a lucky stroke of fortune, an open café is located right next to the ruins of Ancient Corinth (situated a few kilometers from the center of today’s city of the same name). A few dozen minutes later, I feel like I’ve killed two birds with one stone, as I can enjoy both a rich espresso and a morning view of the well-lit Temple of Apollo and the distant ruins of the citadel on the hill of Acrocorinth.
The drive from Corinth to the parking lot below Mount Kyllini takes me about an hour and a half. I deliberately skip the toll highway in favor of the road running directly along the coast of the Gulf of Corinth. I might arrive at the mountain a dozen minutes later, but the sea views are all mine (and it keeps a few euros in my pocket). Roughly halfway there, following the sat-nav’s advice, I turn left. From this moment on, I steadily move away from the coast and gain altitude. Over a distance of a few dozen kilometers, accompanied by wonderful nature, I gain a whopping 1,500 meters of elevation! I leave the car in the parking lot belonging to the small Ziria Ski Center (coordinates: 37.9484767N, 22.4295797E, altitude: 1,500 m a.s.l.). For now, I am completely alone in the large square, but I’ve actually gotten used to that in Greece.
The Rocky Hike up Kyllini
Wasting no time, almost exactly at 9:00 AM, I begin the hike up Mount Kyllini. For this, I use the red trail, which starts out as a reasonably clear path. The trail is marked with distinctive plastic squares featuring a red center and a white border. The first kilometer and a half passes with a gentle ascent among grass, dried bushes, and abandoned structures. The sight of the latter raises some concerns about a potential unpleasant encounter with stray dogs. Fortunately, I don’t experience any problems here. Meanwhile, the gradient increases, forcing me into a more ambitious effort to gain subsequent meters of elevation.
In this way, a few dozen minutes after leaving the parking lot, the trail leads me to the mountain hut of the Greek Mountaineering Association – Corinthian Group, situated at an altitude of 1,680 m a.s.l. The facility offers accommodation for a dozen people and has its own tourist kitchen. From the outside, the building looks rather neglected, but on its concrete veranda, I notice two hikers enjoying coffee. I can’t tell you what it looks like inside, unfortunately. Today I regret it a bit, but back then, I simply didn’t feel like visiting the facility (or perhaps I lacked a bit of courage?).
According to maps, there are two ways to get from the mountain hut to the summit of Kyllini: a marked trail with a length of 3.1 kilometers and an alternative, unmarked path that reduces the distance by a mere 300 meters. The choice seems obvious: why wander along shepherd paths if the distance savings are so minor? The problem is that on the day of my visit to the Ziria massif, the red trail wasn’t yet clearly distinguished on the digital layout. Both options appeared as identical thin lines, and as a result… they seemed equally good to me. Because of that, I chose the shorter one.
Near the hut, I successfully locate my chosen ascent option on the ground. The path does exist and aligns with the trace marked on the map, but it remains very faint the entire time. At an altitude of approx. 1,750 m a.s.l., I realize that there is no longer any trodden track around me, and I decide to continue on instinct. So, I follow the raw, rocky slope, painstakingly gaining over 300 meters of elevation difference over a distance of one kilometer. The climb takes me about 35 minutes, and I remember it as navigationally simple, but at the same time quite arduous and very monotonous. Interestingly, according to my watch data, I was moving almost completely parallel to the line marked on the map — just a few dozen meters away.
The Summit of Kyllini (2 376 m)
At an altitude of approx. 2,050 m a.s.l., I reach a distinct flattening where I spot the red trail markings again. I also notice a black off-road vehicle, and shortly afterwards its owner — a heavily built hunter with a shotgun and two large dogs. Well, he’s not a hiker, but it turns out you can actually meet someone in these mountains.
For a moment, I follow a wide dirt road, only to veer left shortly after for another section of steep climbing. You probably won’t be overly surprised when I write that I manage to stay on the marked path only up to an altitude of approx. 2,250 m a.s.l., and then I lose it again. So, I reach the summit “my own way,” independently picking the most sensible-looking options. This is a fairly easy task because the mountain has a very gentle, bulky topography, completely devoid of any technical difficulties. You just have to head straight up the steep slope.
I arrive at the summit of Kyllini (2,376 m a.s.l.) just after 11:00 AM, following two hours of intensive trekking. At the very top, there is a concrete pillar, and right below it, a large fire pit. And the view? It is absolutely wonderful! From Kyllini, you can see exactly how mountainous a country Greece really is. Everywhere you look, there is a multitude of ranges, hundreds of peaks, dozens of valleys… To the west, the neighboring massif of Psili Korifi (2,355 m a.s.l.) looms in the foreground; to the north is the Gulf of Corinth, and beyond it are the mountains of Phocis, with Parnassus and Giona leading the way. Looking east, I discern the waters of the Argolic Gulf, and to the south, in the distance, the peaks of the highest range of the Peloponnese – the wild Taygetus Mountains (including Mount Profitis Ilias at 2,405 m a.s.l.). One of the finest panoramas in my entire mountain career, I assure you…
Descent from Kyllini
After a few dozen minutes of “oohs” and “aahs,” I begin my descent from Mount Kyllini. Initially, I return exactly the way I came up, using my self-mapped variant (why change something that worked?). Then, at an altitude of 2,250 m a.s.l., I find the path marked with red squares again. I pause for a moment and look up at the upper course of the trail… The path does exist, but it is so faint that it blends heavily into the surroundings. With my tendency to get lost in thought, it’s easy to miss 😉.
Over the course of a dozen minutes, I descend to the familiar flattening at 2,050 m a.s.l. and then continue along the red trail. Trying to maintain the highest level of concentration, I speed along among the dirty-green grass and sun-scorched bushes. The landscape may be harsh, but my fascination persists. This trip to Greece is my first opportunity for trekking in a Mediterranean climate, so all the local plants seem new, unusual, and incredibly interesting to me.
At an altitude of approx. 1,900 m a.s.l., the red trail branches off to the left, heading back towards the mountain hut. Meanwhile, I continue straight, taking the descent option I selected earlier. You might ask — why walk along some strange trails when a marked path exists? Let me remind you that at the time of my trip, all the local paths appeared on digital layouts as simple, identical lines. Besides… my chosen variant is also marked with distinctive red squares. A complete mix-up… And the moral of the story? If you are heading into the mountains of the Peloponnese for longer, it is absolutely essential to acquire local maps.
Although I stick to the newly chosen path for a while, by the time I reach 1,800 m a.s.l., I end up off-trail once again. So, I continue on instinct, walking in a direction that should let me connect as quickly as possible with a previously established route. My clumsiness today is starting to irritate me a little, but I try to focus on the positives: the beautiful, sunny weather, the surrounding nature, and a very interesting audiobook in my headphones (my entire trip to Greece is spent listening to Andrzej Sapkowski’s “The Witcher Saga”!).
A Visit to Hermes Cave
In the end, I reach a wide dirt road where I should have been a good few dozen minutes earlier. At an altitude of approx. 1,650 m a.s.l., the path narrows and forks in two directions. To the left is the option that joins the section of the trail from which I started today’s escapade. Instead, I choose the path running to the right, which according to the map should lead me to the lower buildings of the Ziria ski complex.
At this stage of the trip, I notice a bent signpost by the path with the inscription “Hermes Cave”. Intrigued, I follow a narrow path which, after a few minutes, indeed leads me to a sizable hole in the ground. The name suggests that I am standing before the famous cave on the slopes of Kyllini where the nymph Maia once gave birth to one of the cleverest gods of Olympus. Brave souls can explore the interior of the cave on their own using a rope placed there. Since I don’t feel ready for such a challenge today, I turn on my heel and head back the way I came.
At the beginning of the section from Hermes Cave to the Ziria complex, I also notice distinctive red trail markings (though this time in the shape of a circle). However, continuing today’s tradition, I lose this path as well, quickly becoming immersed in steep and inhospitable terrain. After a few dozen minutes of pushing through the thicket, I finally emerge onto an open ski slope. Shortly afterwards, I reach the asphalt road and, after almost five hours of hiking, close the loop. Could it have been done faster? Absolutely, but you’d have to avoid getting lost so much :D. Whatever the case, I am moving on with my Greek road trip. So, I start the engine and set a course for the east. Epidaurus won’t visit itself!
Date of the trip: October 25, 2025
Trip statistics: 12.5 kilometers; 1,060 meters of elevation gain
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