Agios Konstantinos
1,200 m
Greece
Also known as Άγιος Κωνσταντίνος, Aigaleo (Aigaleon) mountains; Kyparissia mountains, +1Also known as
Άγιος Κωνσταντίνος · Aigaleo (Aigaleon) mountains; Kyparissia mountains · Агиос Константинос
- Elevation
- 1,200 m
- Prominence
- 1,007 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Apr–May
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1An unofficial ascent of the highest top of the Aigaleo (Kyparissia) mountains: from the villages of Perdikoneri and Plati on the western foothills up the old cobbled mule path, or the longer dirt road, that once linked them with the upland settlement of Mali, then off-path to the summit (about 1,200 m). Thinly documented; navigation skills needed.
About 65% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 4 check notes
- 65% approximate geometry
- low confidence 0.3
- Perdikoneri → Mali: dem (detour, 4.3 km)
- Mali → Agios Konstantinos: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 3.4 km)
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 7.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +974 m
- −143 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 1,209 m
- Time Up
- 4h 29m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 23m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
The Aigaleo range rises steeply behind the Messinian coast south of Kyparissia. On the western side, the villages of Perdikoneri (formerly Podogora) and Plati (formerly Kanaloupou) are linked to the hamlet of Mali, on a forested plateau behind the main ridge, by an old stone-paved mule path through holm oak and low trees, and by a longer but easy dirt road. A Kalamata mountaineering club party in 2015 climbed the old path and left it to reach the nearby Agia Varvara top directly, on somewhat difficult ground; others took the dirt road. Agios Konstantinos lies about 1.5 km north of Mali, so the same approach can be continued from the Mali plateau to the summit. From the east, a damaged cobbled path that starts about 8 km above the village of Christianoupoli climbs steeply to a summit at about 1,200 m and continues to the Mali plateau past the abandoned chapel of Agia Varvara and a grove of ancient strawberry trees. Which summit that party reached was not stated. There is no waymarked route to the top, the forest is dense and easy to get lost in, and no published walking time exists; treat this as an exploratory day with a GPS and a good map.
Start
Perdikoneri370 m
- Buses serve Kyparissia; no public transport to Perdikoneri or Plati was confirmed.
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Perdikoneri370 m
- Feature: Mali947 m
Upland hamlet on the forested Mali plateau behind the main ridge
- Summit: Agios Konstantinos1,200 m
Key Passages
- Steep off-path climb from the old mule path to the ridge
- Dense forest between the ridge and the Mali plateau
Equipment
0/4 packedDownloads
Route confidence 30%Overview
Agios Konstantinos (about 1,200–1,255 m) is the highest top of the Aigaleo, or Kyparissia, mountains, the coastal range of western Messinia. It is a little-visited forested ridge above Kyparissia, reached by old mule paths and dirt roads, with views over the Ionian Sea.
The Aigaleo range (Aigaleon in ancient sources, not to be confused with Mount Aigaleo in Attica) runs south-east from above Kyparissia towards Pylos, forming the western edge of the wider Kontovounia massif. Its main tops, from north-west to south-east, are Psychro (1,115 m) directly above Kyparissia, Sechi or Agia Varvara (1,238 m), Agios Konstantinos, the highest, Rodia (1,210 m), Agios Georgios above Christianoupoli (1,050 m) and Agia (1,090 m).
The slopes are covered in holm oak, scrub and dense forest, with old cobbled mule paths that linked the coastal villages with the upland settlement of Mali on a forested plateau behind the ridge. Dirt roads now reach much of the mountain. From the top the views extend over the Messinian countryside to the Ionian Sea.
This is not a walking destination with marked trails or published routes. Local clubs occasionally walk the old paths, but anyone heading for the summit should expect route-finding in forest and no facilities.
Climbing Notes
Expect a full exploratory day. Use the old mule path or the dirt road from Perdikoneri or Plati towards Mali, or the damaged cobbled path from above Christianoupoli on the east, and complete the ascent with a GPS track you have prepared from a topographic map. The forest is dense and easy to get lost in, and parts of the climb are steep and off-path. Carry all your water.
Spring and autumn are the best seasons: summers are hot at these low elevations, and winter snow is occasional and short-lived. There are no huts; stay in Kyparissia or the coastal villages.
History
Strabo describes Aigaleon as lying above Kyparissia and the sea, and Linear B tablets from Mycenaean Pylos divide the kingdom into provinces on either side of 'Aigoleon'. In the War of Independence, before the battle of Maniaki in 1825, Papaflessas lit night fires on the Agia summit at the south-eastern end of the range to exaggerate the size of his force before Ibrahim Pasha's army.
Season
Best Apr–May- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Good
- April: Best (best window)
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Good
- July: Possible
- August: Possible
- September: Good
- October: Best
- November: Good
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Cold, wet; occasional snow on the ridge
- Feb
- Cold, wet
- Mar
- Spring
- Apr
- Flowers; good walking weather
- May
- Good walking weather
- Jun
- Getting hot
- Jul
- Hot; fire risk
- Aug
- Hot; fire risk
- Sep
- Still warm
- Oct
- Good walking weather
- Nov
- Cooler, wetter
- Dec
- Wet; short days
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- No huts.
- Getting There
Kyparissia
Kalamata (KLX)
- Drive from Kyparissia to Perdikoneri or Plati on the western foothills, or to Christianoupoli on the east
- No public transport to the trailheads was confirmed
Hazards
- Remoteness