The area of the Municipality of Monemvasia is renowned for its unique hiking routes, as well as its signaled paths that unquestionably make the effort of hiking fans easier. The route leading to Kavomalias is utterly enticing and totally rewarding.
The area lies at the far end of the peninsula of Epidaurus Limera, at the southeastern part of the Peloponnese, in Laconia Prefecture. Kavomalias has had a nodal (as well as symbolic) commercial significance, since ancient times, as the ships travelling from the West Mediterranean sea to Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Dardanelle, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Georgia, Armenia (and vice versa) changed their route at this particular place.
The consolation light
Circumnavigating Kavomalias (Cape Maleas) has always been a “dangerous mission” for sailors. Over the years, Kavomalias was given a lot of names, one of which is “Xylochaftis” (wood eater), because of the strong winds and currents that raged in the area and “swallowed” numerous ships. “If you sail around Maleas, forget your home”, Strabo wrote, when he referred to probably the most legendary cape of Greece. The cape stands terrifying (at a precipice of 600 m) among the Aegean, the Cretan and the Myrtoan archipelagos.
It was in 1860 that a stony Lighthouse was built in the area. It was, therefore, first set in operation in 1833. The lighthouse rises at a height of 15 meters (40 meters above sea level) and is visible at a distance of 40 kilometers. In 206, it was identified as a listed building. In 2010, Aikaterini Laskaridi’s foundation, in collaboration with the Navy and the Lighthouse Service reconstructed the monument, which has since constituted a notable landmark, recalling a glorified past.
To visit the Lighthouse of Kavomalias, you should follow a beautiful hiking route that sets out from the exquisite village Velanidia, constitutes the last part of the national path 33 and leads to the lighthouse. It is definitely the most typical, well known and utterly rewarding hiking route of the area, especially for those who choose to cross it.
