Cyprus Walking Friends

Cyprus - A Unique Walking Experience

A spectacular and diverse choice of location for walking, with the longest summer walking season in Europe, and thousands of kilometres of tracks and trails within an hours travel. This is Cyprus, let us tell you more...

Our Environment...

One-third fertile coastal plain, one-third high chalk uplands, and one-third pine-clad mountains, with a unique geology and natural history, overlaid by 10,000 years of human activity. No wonder Cyprus has been declared one of Europe's 13 Bio-diversity Hotspots.

Our People...

Tourism development has largely ignored the ancient, pretty villages of the Cyprus hinterland. In these hillside communities, with their many churches and spectacular monasteries, life goes on much as before, and visitors are still treated as guests. Holiday accommodation does exist but it is always tastefully woven into the fabric of its surroundings. Eating is a leisurely affair a mix of Greek and Turkish. Coffee in the local kafenio watching people come and go can become addictive.

Our Forests...

Cyprus is rightly proud of its 100 year history of forest management, its many miles of forest tracks and trails cannot, by law, be surfaced in any way. Visitor numbers are still relatively low, so you can walk all day and probably not meet anyone other than a smiling forestry officer in his green uniform. The stark High Forest of Black Pine, Cedar and Juniper, many examples over 500 years old, contrasts with the lush undergrowth of wild olive carob and wild roses that surround the Calabrian Pine and Cyprees Pine of the lower Maque Forest. In deep river valleys Planes, Alders, and other deciduous trees abound.

Our Vineyards and Orchards...

The scenery of the chalk uplands is timeless. Ancient olive, carob and almond trees side-by-side with low cut vineyards, and in the river valleys at higher elevations plums, pears, cherries and apples abound. The number of tracks and donkey paths that wander between the vineyards and orchards, going from village to village defies counting. Other than the odd stone wall, enclosure of fields is rare and as long as you respect growing crops, access to the countryside is unlimited and welcomed.

Our Climate...

Cyprus for the visitor has only one walking season, and it is nine months long, with sunny mild weather even at high altitudes. Rain-showers and storms are rare and spectacular, but short-lived. Of course the passing of the seasons brings changes to the countryside that may influence your choice of a time to visit. We describe the differences in "The Walking Seasons in Cyprus".

Our International Connections...

With year round direct flights from many UK regional airports, taking around 4.5 hours, and then only 1.5 hours to the heart of the Troodos mountains, in terms of overall journey time and travel cost, Cyprus compares favourably with many walking areas which are, at first sight, closer to the UK.
The availability of holiday packages year round is also much greater than many other walking areas.

Your Safety and Security...

English is the second language spoken by most people, health services are provided to European standards, crime is virtually unknown in the countryside, and it is safe to walk anywhere.

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