Eglouvi to Profitis Ilias (A3)

A justly popular walk from the mountain village of Eglouvi up to a pretty church on the top of a steep peaked mountain. You can see the church from Eglouvi up on the top of the cliff high above. The trail goes around the cliff to the left but it is still steep and rocky. However the views at the top are just heavenly. Take your camera as the summit is so photogenic. Don’t take a drone as the top is a drone-free zone.

If you want to climb Profitis Ilias from Elgouvi a good alternative to this trail is to loop around via Karya. Take the Eglouvi to Karya monopati route (optionally using the suggested shortcut) and come back on the Lefkada Trail day 3 Karya to Eglouvi. This combination takes you around, up, and back down Profitis Ilias without retracing your path. It is 9km and 500m total ascent if you take the suggested shortcut, 200m more if you go all the way down to Karya. This combined trail is one of the best in Lefkada.

Start in Eglouvi in the main square with the tavernas. If you haven’t got water fill up now – there will be no more drinking water until you get back down. I suggest at least a litre a person minimum. There is a tap next to the plane tree or buy from the tavernas.

Walk a little downhill from the tavernas back towards Karya. On your left is a turning with a yellow A3 sign. Take this turning and follow the next yellow A3 signs left, right and right again through the footways of Eglouvi village. The last footway takes you back onto a road heading rightwards up the hill.

At the top of the road (just as it turns a hairpin left) another yellow A3 sign points up a monopati heading up a steep valley. Follow up that monopati as it climbs right up to the top on the left side of the steep valley (almost a gorge).

The going is pretty steep so take care. You follow yellow and red painted marks on the rocks all the way up.

As you come to the top you start to enter a large quarry area. Keep going up the dry stream bed until you get to a trail junction with the A3 marked going off right. Go right and head over the quarry heading towards the mountain up on the right (your destination). If you did go straight on you would get to Karya.

The junction of the A3 (going to Profitis Ilias) and M4 (going to Karya)

Head up the mountain ahead until you meet a short track heading from a road on your left. It is possible to take that road up to the top, but the A3 trail keeps right along the short track passing a small field. The track then turns back into a monopati climbing further up the mountain. Finally it reaches that road again further up. Walk a short way up the road to the church of Profitis Ilias at the top of the mountain.

Many describe this spot as being close to heaven. You can see all of the Inland Sea from here – on a clear day to the entrance of the Gulf of Corinth. Gaze back down the cliff to Eglouvi where you started this climb.

Retrace your steps back down to Eglouvi. Alternatively head down to Karya using the Karya to Profitis Ilias (M4) in reverse (note you keep on down the road up to the church until the M4 goes off right – you are joining the M4 higher up than you met it on the way up).

Note that there is a narrow road going all the way to the top of Profitis Ilias. But the road is starting to collapse into the quarry so much safer and nicer to walk.