Mount Zas

Zas tops the Cyclades at 1,004 metres, and on a clear day the summit shows most of the island group laid out below, from Paros and Ios to Amorgos and, in exceptional visibility, Santorini. Two routes climb it from above Filoti: the shorter from the Agia Marina chapel, about ninety minutes up over open rock, and the longer from the Aria spring, which passes the Cave of Zas, a large chamber associated in myth with the god's upbringing and used since the Neolithic, with finds going back millennia. The mountain is bare above the terraces, marked with cairns and paint, with loose limestone underfoot and no water beyond the spring. A marble inscription reading Oros Dios Melosiou stands on the route.

What you actually see

• The summit - the highest point in the Cyclades with island panoramas.
• The Cave of Zas - a large chamber on the longer route, unlit.
• The ancient boundary stone - a marble inscription on the mountainside.
• The terraced lower slopes - dry-stone walls and grazing land.

When to go

Spring and autumn; summer heat on exposed limestone is severe and there is no shade at all. Start early in any season. Cloud and wind can hit the summit even on calm days at sea level.

Honest expectations

The path is rough, steep and loose, and the marking is intermittent, so route-finding needs attention. The cave is unlit and requires a torch, with an uneven floor. Bring all water; the spring is not always flowing.

Nearby

Filoti and Apiranthos villages are below; the Kouros of Flerio and Chalki lie in the valley west.