Hiking in the Southern Peloponnesos of Greece

Mt Taygetos, Mani, Peloponnesos, Greece, May 2013. In the darkness under a full moon we climb in the predawn from the mountain hut to the summit of Mt Taygetus and the Profitis Ilias holy site to see the sunrise. The Peloponnese peninsula offers beautiful hikes along the bays and capes of the Mani and Monemvasia and the interior Taygetos. Venture inland, away from the crowds, and there are some surprises in store: snow-capped mountains, limestone gorges, shady rivers, crumbling castles, tower-villages, fir forests, frescoed chapels, and solated monasteries. Ancient mountain villages interrupt the olive groves that line the rugged coastline that is surrounded by deep blue and turquoise waters of the Mediterranean. Photo by Frits Meyst / MeystPhoto.com