Manikia – Mpougazi · Manikia (Evia) · Greece
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium
A varied route in two tiers: two pitches of pocketed wall and sculpted slab, a walk across a big ledge, then four longer pitches up the main wall. The upper wall holds the 6c and a superb 40 m pitch of continuous vertical climbing. A quiet valley with a gentle walk down through meadow.
The route
The name means 'the path of the tortoises'. The route climbs the Mpougazi wall near Vrysi in two parts separated by a large ledge that you walk across. The lower pitches are 6a to 6a+ on very grippy pocketed rock; the upper wall is steeper, with a traverse left on small holds, the 6c pitch and a long 6b+ to finish. The only detailed trip report rates the whole route as homogeneous 6a to 6b and puts the hardest pitch at 6b+, so the 6c is not a stopper. camptocamp gives 6a obligatory.
In pictures
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a+ | 30 m | Pocketed wall and sculpted slab. The difficulty is concentrated in the first 10 m; very grippy rock. |
| P2 | 6a | 30 m | A fine wall pitch. Above it, walk across the big ledge to the foot of the upper wall. |
| P3 | 6a | 30 m | Wall. Felt like 5+/6a to a 2026 party. |
| P4 | 6a+ | 30 m | Sculpted slab, easy at first, then a definite traverse left on small holds. 6a by the 2026 party. |
| P5 | 6c | 30 m | Wall. A vertical first section (about 6b), an easy traverse left, then two moves over a bulge that need good positioning, and a finish on good holds. The 2026 party thought it no harder than 6b+. |
| P6 | 6b+ | 40 m | A superb long wall pitch with a continuous vertical section in its second half. The 2026 party describes a further short 5a step to exit; take care not to dislodge the large blocks at the top. |
Getting there
Vrysi, near Manikia, on the island of Evia, about 160 km and 2.5 to 3 hours by car from Athens via Chalkida. A car is needed. For Mpougazi there is a designated parking area; a 2026 party met a wild boar bedding down there.
About 20 min from the parking according to the camptocamp crag record. The route page only says 'see topo', so carry the Manikia guidebook. The start is marked: 'To monopáti' is painted in red on the rock at the foot.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from camptocamp waypoint 1903829
Contains the route point. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 38.54838, 24.03061 (crag)
Getting down
Either walk off by the path that leaves from the top, which the 2026 party found pleasant, through meadow. Or abseil: 40 m, 50 m and 50 m bring you to the ledge, and you walk down the last tier (see the guidebook topo).
Retreat
Bail with caveats
The route has a published abseil descent (40, 50 and 50 m to the big ledge), so the upper wall can be retreated from with two 50 m ropes. The ledge between pitches 2 and 3 is a walk-off point according to the description of the abseil descent, which finishes on foot.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-east facing, between about 80 and 400 m altitude. The crag record gives October to May. The one report, from 9 May 2026, had fine weather with some cloud. After heavy rain the Mpougazi crags can seep the next day (reported for the neighbouring route).
Sun on the wall · SE-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Greek time), for the 15th of each month.
| Measure | Jan (usual season) | Feb (usual season) | Mar (usual season) | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec (usual season) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 9 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 19 | 15 | 11 |
| Mean daily low °C | 4 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 6 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 11 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 11 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 432 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
Quickdraws only; the number is not published and the last pitch is 40 m. Two 50 m ropes if you plan to abseil; a single rope is enough if you walk off. Helmet.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to To monopáti ton Chelonón.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Greece · Manikia (Evia)
An even-graded route in a beautiful gorge setting: pocketed and sculpted slabs below, steeper walls above, with one athletic 6a+ move on P5. There are short walking transitions between the lower tiers.
6a+6 pitches200 m
Around 6c · about 6 pitches
Greece · Leonidio & Kyparissi
Six sustained pitches up the red wall above Leonidio, four of them 6c. The climbing is steep and on good holds, with a 3 m boulder problem on the last pitch and a long 6a+ to start. The bolts are close enough to let you concentrate on the moves.
6c6 pitches200 m
Morocco · Todra Gorge (Todgha)
Six pitches of technical wall and corner climbing one minute from the gorge-entrance guesthouses. Easy pitches alternate with three hard ones, and the 6b+ fourth pitch and the 6c last pitch are precise, footwork-heavy climbing on very rough rock. The route stops in the middle of the wall and you abseil off.
6c6 pitches160 m
Morocco · Taghia
A less-travelled neighbour of Au nom de la Réforme: a sustained 6b crack pitch, an unusual 6c that climbs through a hole and out left with one bouldery move, then three long pitches of 6a to 6a+ up a pillar. Getting off cleanly means either the sparsely bolted summit pitches or a short traverse to the Réforme abseils.
6c6 pitches190 m
Read the cautions
Spain · El Chorro
Seven pitches up a steep south face at Frontales, sustained, physical and technical on very rough, unpolished limestone. The fifth pitch (6b+) is a thin slab and the sixth (6c) has a strenuous start and a crux on grey rock. It is one of the few 6c multipitch lines here with a clean abseil descent.
6c7 pitches195 m
Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.
