Mount Kantili (1,246 meters) in northwestern Euboea is a rugged mountain rising above the North Euboean Gulf. Its steep slopes are covered with plane trees, pines, and fir forests that begin as low as 500 meters.
Don’t be fooled by the modest height of Mount Kantili, though—this hike was tough! The trail was only partially marked, almost nonexistent near the top, and the rugged ridge required a bit of scrambling, too.
That said, we really enjoyed wandering through Kantili’s oregano-covered slopes, soaking up the vast sea views, and spotting goats—and even a wild boar—roaming across this remote and slightly wild mountain.
How to get there
The 135 kilometers long drive from Athens to the beginning of the trail at a small village called Troupi took us around two hours and was easy to navigate.
We followed the highway until Chalkida, where we turned north and drove along the coast through Nea Artaki joining the regional road Chalkida — Edipsos here.
As soon as we passed the village of Psachna, the road started its climb across the mountains through a series of sharp turns. This section of the drive was the most challenging but also very beautiful thanks to the amazing views and forests all around.
We stopped at the top section of the road for a quick lunch in a tavern called “H Korifi” for a budget friendly yet tasty meal before continuing down to Prokopi.
Right after we passed the entrance to the Prokopi village, we turned left towards Dafnoussa and Troupi. From here, the road climbed towards the foot of Mount Kantili passing the small settlement of Dafnoussa before reaching our destination, Troupi.
Once in Troupi we drove to the upper part of the village and parked our car in front of the Agia Triáda church.
You can find the driving directions on Google Maps HERE.
Signposting & difficulty
With a length of 16 kilometers and 1000 meters of elevation gain this trail may not look very difficult on paper but in reality it was hard!
The trail was marked by red signs at the lower sections of the mountain, but the signs disappeared near the top and at the ridge.
We didn’t find any map for Mount Kantili and relied on Wikiloc recording instead. I must say, it would be very challenging (if not impossible) to find the path without it! You can find ours HERE.
We followed a combination of dirt roads and faint trails, often disappearing altogether in thick vegetation or a rocky terrain.
At the ridge, there was no trail whatsoever, and it took us quite a long time to get through this rocky section.
We decided to camp overnight at the Zoodochou Pigi church, mainly to be able to spend more time on the mountain.
This meant that we have to carry all our camping gear the next day, which only added to the challenges of this hike.
On the plus side, we met two springs with fresh water during our ascent, one at Zoodochou Pigi and another one about one hour earlier. Make sure to fill your water bottle there as there are no more springs later on.
Day 1: Troupi to Zoodochou Pigi Church (4 km, +500 meters)
We started our hike at the upper edge of Troupi near a church called Agia Triáda. We found a parking spot right in front of church next to a spring.
From Agia Triáda, we followed an unsurfaced road uphill towards the mountains. After about 200 meters we spotted the first red sign pinned to a tree and soon after our dirt road turned into a faint path.
For the next approximately 2 kilometers, we followed the hardly visible trail uphill, making our way through tall, bright green ferns and other vegetation. We crossed the forest road twice before we finally reached the first spring of this hike.
We took a short break in the shade of large plane trees and refilled our water bottles before continuing our climb.
Shortly after the spring we come out onto the forest road once again, but in the first right hand turn we spotted another trail branching off to the left.
The next 400 meters were steep and slippery but also very beautiful thanks to the amazing views opening up all around us and abundance of fragrant oregano covering the slopes of the mountain.
Once we reached another forest road, we turned left and continue along the road all the way to the Zoodochou Pigi church. The church, shaded by lush vegetation, sits in a beautiful location overlooking the sea and there is a spring with fresh water nearby. This makes it an ideal location for overnight stay.
As soon as we arrived, we set up our tents under the trees behind the church and spent a quiet evening enjoying the peaceful wilderness and beautiful sea views from the nearby rocky viewpoint.
To our (unpleasant) surprise, we were woken at around two in the morning by sudden wind gusts tugging at the tent. Even though the location was sheltered by thick vegetation, it didn’t protect us from the wind, and we spent the rest of the night trying to keep our tents up.
I must admit, I didn’t pay a lot of attention to anchoring my tent, fooled by the calm evening and sheltered location. Don’t make the same mistake if you decide to stay here, you never know how will the night turn out!
Day 2: Strouggitsa Summit,Drakotourla Saddle & Troupi (11 km, +500 meters, -1000 meters)
After the restless, windy night, we woke up into an even windier and unseasonably cold morning. We enjoyed breakfast in the sheltered entrance to the church and refilled our water bottles from the spring well hidden under a large plane tree on the slopes below the churches.
Once ready, we started our ascent to one of the rugged summits of Mount Kantili, Strouggitsa. From the church we followed a dirt road running slightly uphill along the slopes. After about 250 meters, we left the road and joined an almost invisible trail branching off to the right.
For the next kilometer — and almost 400 meters of elevation gain — we climbed straight up through the forested slopes, enjoying the beautiful views opening up all around us, the fragrant oregano covering the slopes and the occasional agile goat giving us a masterclass in navigating the steep terrain.
Towards the end of our climb, we reached a rock wall. We walked to the left underneath the rocks until we saw the red markings leading up. From here, we embarked on a short yet fun scramble.
Once at the top of the rocks, we continued uphill towards the summit column, some 200 meters away. We enjoyed a lunch at the surprisingly windless summit of Mount Kantili taking in the stunning views of the dramatic, rocky western slopes of the mountain and the sea.
More from Euboea:
- FOREST OF STENI & XEROVOUNI HIKE AT CENTRAL EUBOEA
- SOUTH EVIA ROAD TRIP: 3 DAYS AT CAVO D’ORO
- COLORFUL AUTUMN HIKING AT MOUNT OLYMPUS
- AGALI GORGE HIKE
- WINTER ASCENT OF MOUNT DIRFI
- ATTALI HIKE: AGIOS KONSTANTINOS AND ELENI CHURCH AT APOKREMNOS & THE SUMMIT OF TOURLA
After we left the summit, we continued along the ridge for about one kilometer. At this point, the trail was almost non-existent, and we had to make our way through the rocky terrain with a couple of easy scrambles along the way.
Even if challenging, this section of the hike was a lot of fun and the amazing views from the ridge repaid us for our efforts.
At the end of the ridge we descended to a saddle of Drakotourla, carpeted with bright green ferns, where our trail become slightly more visible. We turned left here and after a while we merged into a narrow ravine descending to the valley.
After about 200 meters, we left the ravine and turned left, following a faint trail running horizontally across the steep slope.
We passed a couple of scree fields here, requiring a lot of caution and steady footing. A slip here would mean a long fall!
Once we left the scree fields behind, we embarked on the last descend of the hike. This section of the trail descending among the trees was steep, slippery, and confusingly marked. Combined with rising temperatures and our already tired legs, it proved to be the most challenging section for me.
When we finally reached a forest road, we turned left and started our return to Troupi. For the next 6 kilometers, we followed the road descending gently across the wooded slopes of the mountain, with a few slightly confusing shortcuts through the forest.
We reach the village, weary and sore, but full of amazing memories from this remote and wild mountain.
What a vivid and honest reflection of your Mount Kantili adventure!.
I especially appreciated how you highlighted the scenic yet winding climb past Psachna, and your lunch stop at The Summit!
Thanks for sharing such a nice post.