Hiking, Greece, TravelElizabeth Andersonhiking, hike, Mount Zas, Mt Zas, Mount Zues, Zues, mythology, Greek, Greece, Cyclades, Cyclade, Greek mythology, mountain, trek, island, Naxos, sea, Aegean, Aegean Sea, coast, Mount Zeus, ZeusComment

Hiking Mount Zas

Hiking, Greece, TravelElizabeth Andersonhiking, hike, Mount Zas, Mt Zas, Mount Zues, Zues, mythology, Greek, Greece, Cyclades, Cyclade, Greek mythology, mountain, trek, island, Naxos, sea, Aegean, Aegean Sea, coast, Mount Zeus, ZeusComment
Hiking Mount Zas

Mount Zas, also known as Mount Zeus, is the tallest peak in Greece’s Cyclade islands.

Located outside Filoti on the island of Naxos, Mount Zas is known in Greek mythology to be the birthplace of the god Zeus. It stands at 1,003 meters (3,290 feet). We followed the Aria Spring / Zas cave route up, and the Aghia Marina route down and back into Filoti. The Zas cave route is steep and involves a bit of rock scrambling, but is so rewarding. The cave is located near the top of the mountain and opens up to be about 10m tall inside and iis about 100m deep.

We did this hike using the KTEL bus to get from Chora to Filoti, so we were under a little time crunch to get back to Filoti in time for the only bus of the day back to Chora. If we had driven, we would have spent plenty more time up top enjoying the views of Naxos and the surrounding Cyclade islands.

Hike: Mount Zas
Distance: 10 km / 6.2 miles
Elevation Gain/Loss: 600 meters / 1,968 feet
Time: 3-4 hours