Hiking Mount Zeus in Naxos
June 28, 2017
// Cave of Zeus + Lunch in Filoti \\
The first mile of the journey made me doubt that this hike would be worth it, as we were stumbling up overgrown, poorly marked trail and the warmth of the morning sun was beginning to intensify. Oh! and the creepy ram skulls on the fences didn't help >:o
But then we reached the Aria Spring watering hole (which, I must admit, does look like a toilet...but the nearby sign said "drinking water" so we took our chances) and my hopes for a fun, beautiful hike were revived.
...the graceful spit-out after I mentioned it looked like he was drinking toilet water :)
The Cave of Zeus!
Mount Zas boasts the highest peak (3280 ft.) in the Greek Cyclades...and this picture above is only halfway up! But we had to turn back because lunch was waiting for us in the village below the mountain.
Platanos Cafe in Filoti // Beautifully decorated and served some yummy chicken caesar salads and Nutella crepes!
Real flowers on the table :))) Gets me every time.
A few tips:
1. If you're venturing to places that may not have wifi, make sure to save directions to AND from the place you're going...whether that's using Google maps on your phones or printed versions. We were lucky in that Platanos Cafe had wifi, so we found our route back home with no problem. But if we were trying to travel home from the base of the mountain, we would have had to go out of our way to find directions in town.
2. Bring food and water if you're planning to hike to the summit of Mount Zas. It took us an hour to hike to the cave, and I believe that is only halfway to the top...so be prepared for a long journey.
3. Follow the red markers to Aria Spring if you are hiking from the "parking lot" (basically just an small gravel area to the left of the road) that's about 800 meters after you pass through Filoti. Don't let the wire gates along the trail deter you. It will seem like you're passing onto someone's property, but just untie the ropes and go through each one until you're at the spring. Then, the path is fairly straightforward to the cave.
4. If I had to plan another stay in Naxos, I would book an Airbnb in Naxos town. We stayed at a place about a mile from Agios Prokopios beach and though it was pretty, the host was very accommodating, and the breakfast was yummy/included, we would have saved a lot of money on transportation if we stayed closer to town.
We loved Naxos so much...the food, the adventure, the natural beauty...and I can't wait to share more pictures with you in my upcoming posts! If you have questions or comments, please feel free to post those below // See you back here soon!
A few tips:
1. If you're venturing to places that may not have wifi, make sure to save directions to AND from the place you're going...whether that's using Google maps on your phones or printed versions. We were lucky in that Platanos Cafe had wifi, so we found our route back home with no problem. But if we were trying to travel home from the base of the mountain, we would have had to go out of our way to find directions in town.
2. Bring food and water if you're planning to hike to the summit of Mount Zas. It took us an hour to hike to the cave, and I believe that is only halfway to the top...so be prepared for a long journey.
3. Follow the red markers to Aria Spring if you are hiking from the "parking lot" (basically just an small gravel area to the left of the road) that's about 800 meters after you pass through Filoti. Don't let the wire gates along the trail deter you. It will seem like you're passing onto someone's property, but just untie the ropes and go through each one until you're at the spring. Then, the path is fairly straightforward to the cave.
4. If I had to plan another stay in Naxos, I would book an Airbnb in Naxos town. We stayed at a place about a mile from Agios Prokopios beach and though it was pretty, the host was very accommodating, and the breakfast was yummy/included, we would have saved a lot of money on transportation if we stayed closer to town.
We loved Naxos so much...the food, the adventure, the natural beauty...and I can't wait to share more pictures with you in my upcoming posts! If you have questions or comments, please feel free to post those below // See you back here soon!
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