AFRICANA

Pitch Description

Pitch 1 (30 m):
Begins up a water groove (IV), then follows an easy dihedral (IV+) trending up and right, leading to a ledge with belays also used by nearby routes.

Pitch 2 (40 m):
Start with a rightward traverse on a ledge, climb straight up for a few meters, then make a delicate rightward balance traverse (V+). Continue straight toward the dihedral; after overcoming the crux at its start (V+), follow it up to the belay.

Pitch 3 (30 m):
Begins with a move (VI) just above the belay, crossing the arête to the right and reaching a slab. Continue up a dihedral that takes good nuts and slings. A delicate leftward exit (V+) leads to the belay ledge.

Pitch 4 (25 m):
Start up and right, but immediately after the bolt (about 5 m above the belay), move left to the base of a water groove that gradually steepens (VI–) and leads to the next belay.

Pitch 5 (20 m):
Continue straight on a slab (V), then into an easier dihedral leading to the belay, which is shared with the route “Christoforos Agnoglou.”

Pitch 6 (30 m):
Climb up and slightly right over easy ground (IV) to reach a dihedral (V), which you follow to a distinctive tree. The belay is at the base of this tree.

Pitch 7 (25 m):
Climb behind the tree and up large broken rocks (IV+), then continue easily (IV) to a ledge left of another tree, where you’ll find the belay shared with “Ellinomania.”

Descent

Descent can be made by abseil using the anchors of Afrikana, or via those of Christoforos Agnoglou or Ellinomania.
Alternatively (though not recommended), a short rightward traverse (4 m) from R7 leads to the large ledge, from where red marks guide you right and down to the abseil stations of Pyrgos and Kalidonische.

Since the route faces west, even on hot summer days a fast team can complete it by starting early in the morning, before the wall comes into the sun around midday.