Hiking in Cyprus
Things to See and Do in the Great Outdoors

There's plenty of beauty spots for hiking in Cyprus, no doubt about it. Some of the best spots can be found in the Troodos Mountains though. The combination of the challenging mountain pathways, gentle slopes and stunning scenary make the Troodos mountains the ideal place for walking in Cyprus. Perfect for the avid hiker and social walker alike.

Troodos National Forest Park Visitor Centre

This is good place to start off and get your bearings. You can find out history about the park and what trails to conquer. It's open from 10am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. Except July and August, when it's open to 4pm. It's closed on a Saturday, except June, July and August. And it's open on a Sunday, except November to March.

Other facilities to expect:

• Free Parking
• Cafe Restaurant
• Children's Play Ground
• Tennis Courts
• Toilets

And it's a whole 1 Euro for entry.

Nature Trails

If you fancy hiking in Cyprus, there are 14 various nature trails to tackle around the Troodos. Remember, when you're up in the Troodos the temperature drops by roughly half. For example, when I went exploring in December, the temperature dropped from 19 degC to 9 degC. Anyway, here's a list of each one, very brief location and length of trail:

• Artemis - Around Chionistra (7km)
• Atlanti - Post Office of Troodos, Chromium Mine, Troodos Square (12km)
• Persefoni - Troodos, Makria Kontarka (3km)
• Kalidonia - Kryos Potamos, Kalidonia Waterfall, Psilo Denitro (3km)
• Kampos Tou Leivadiou (3km)
• Psilo Denitro - Vryses, Kaminoudia, Pouziaris, Psilo Denitro (8km)
• Myllomeris Waterfall (1.2km)
• Kalopanagiotis - Oikos (1.5km)
• Kampos Tou Leivadiou - Agios Nikolaos Tis Stegis(9km)
• Gerakies - Kavallos (3km)
• Leivadi Philippou (for disabled people) (1.2km)
• Kannoures - Kakopetria (7km)
• Prodromos Dam - Zoumi, Stavroulia (5.6km)
• European Trail "E4"

Artemis Trail

This trail is named after Artemis (Diana), the ancient Godess of Forests. The nature trail is around 7km long. It starts at the crossroads of the Chionistra and Troodos, Prodromos roads and proceeds in a circle around Chionistra. The walk takes around 2-3.5 hours with an altitude of 1850m. You have the chance to view the flora, fauna, the forest and the rocks. As well as the villages of Limassol, Paphos and Nicosia.

An overview of the Troodos and some other nature trails are mentioned in this informative video below:

So...if you're thinking of hiking in Cyprus this summer, please bookmark this page. It may come in useful. Alternatively, if you fancy hiking anywhere outside of Cyprus, visit Go4Hiking for an extensive list of great hiking spots around the globe.