Hiking in the ancient Greek Castle in Elliniko of Kynouria

In Greece, almost everywhere there are sites of archaeological interest. Some are well known and have many visitors. Some remain “hidden” even though they are next to us. The ancient Greek castle in the area Elliniko of Kynouria and the ancient city of Thyrea is a place with a history of 3.000 years that waits, in the tranquility of Arcadian nature and its life-giving sun, to whisper its secrets to us. 

We will reach the area after a 30-minute drive from Paralio Astros. We will walk for a while on a dirt road and then we will enter an easy path. We will quickly reach the top of the hill and walk for a while until we see the remains of the ancient wall suddenly rise in front of us. This is the western tower of the fortification. From there we will enter the castle. The view to all parts of the horizon is amazing and we will be able to talk to you about the borders of ancient Kynouria and tell you about its history. Then we will walk inside the castle and look for traces of the ancient settlement. From a downhill path, we will exit from the East Gate and we will meet an abandoned shepherds’ settlement. Very close to there a new surprise awaits us. An ancient sanctuary, which saved because the shepherds of the area turned it into a house and barn for their animals. From there, following a short dirt road, we will meet the van that will take us to Paralio Astros.

General Information:

•  Hiking: 2-3 hrs
• Max altitude: 670m
• Distance: 4km (one-way)
• The activity may be canceled or modified due to bad weather conditions or any other reason.
• Mandatory use of high respiratory protection mask (FFP2 or N95) or alternatively double mask (surgical and fabric) during transport. • In case the participants wish to use their own vehicle, please inform us in advance.