This is the ultimate three day guide to hiking in Cyprus. We will detail the best trails in Cyprus as well as the standout natural attractions and historical sites. Because Cyprus has more to offer than merely outstanding hiking trails alone. It would certainly be rude to miss out on the ancient historical sites on offer. Our recommended base for this three day trip is in or around Paphos. However, this itinerary could be adapted to those staying in Larnaca or elsewhere on the island.
Cyprus is a stunning destination. It formed part of our brief two week trip to the Middle East which also involved visiting Lebanon and Egypt. Very interestingly, this two week trip would visit the single area of the Middle East, but would, in fact, involve visiting three different continents! Cyprus falling in Europe, Lebanon in Asia and Egypt in Africa.
For more details on these great travel destinations, check out our 5 Day Lebanon itinerary, visiting the Giza Pyramids independently and Luxor bike one day itinerary.
Table of Contents
Hiking in Cyprus: 3 Day Guide
A bit of history for some context. Fascinatingly, Cyprus has been divided since 1974. At that time, Turkey invaded the north. This was in response to a military coup on the island, supported by the Greek government. Consequently, Cyprus was effectively partitioned. The Turkish Cypriot government now occupies the northern 1/3. Whilst the southern 2/3 is governed by a Greek Cypriot government. It’s only the Greek Cypriot occupied land that’s internationally recognised as the Republic of Cyprus. Effectively, Northern Cyprus is a country that for all intents and purposes doesn’t exist!
Despite the interesting history, our goal is to not actually explain the political situation in any great length. From a tourism perspective though, only around 10% of tourists visit the north side. It’s without a doubt that the north side is safe to visit. But it can be a bit more tricky to plan and requires time to cross borders. That’s unless you can fly there directly from Turkey. No other countries fly directly to North Cyprus.
Considering we only had three full days in Cyprus, we didn’t have much time to waste. So we decided to just focus on hiking in the Republic of Cyprus. So for the purposes of hiking in Cyprus, we didn’t venture into the north! It is the south after all which has the best hiking trails! Plus all of the best historical and natural attractions.
STORY TIME: The Cyprus trip was also very special to me as my twin sister came along for the journey. My time in London was coming to an end. We had travelled to Japan together. But we hadn’t travelled together in Europe since we both began living in London. So that added to the enjoyment of the trip. It’s nice when you can travel with a sibling. Shout out to any twins reading!
Other Highlights of Cyprus
Larnaca
Paphos
Hiking in Cyprus – Day One
You’ll need a full day to explore Larnaca and its surrounds. So we recommend an early start. This is because Larnaca and its attractions are a 1.5 hour drive away from Paphos. Because we visited outside of peak season, there wasn’t too much traffic on our way to Larnaca.
First stop is the Church of Saint Lazarus in the town of Larnaca. For convenience, it’s best to park in the town centre. There are various car parks to choose from that all seem to be a flat rate of £1.75 (€2/$2USD).
If you’re up for a coffee, it’ll take only a few minutes to find a nearby cafe to try a Cypriot coffee. We thought the Cyrpiot coffee was delicious. But be aware that a thick layer of coffee ground sits at the bottom. So don’t drink the final sip as we did! It was a rather unpleasant sandy texture mouthfeel. Expect a coffee to set you back around £2.50 (€3/$3.50USD).
Church of Saint Lazarus
You’ll then explore the town of Larnaca starting with the Church of Saint Lazarus. The magnificent stone church was built in the late ninth century. The stonework of the church is mainly comprised of square limestone block, about one metre in thickness. It’s a remarkable example of Byzantine architecture which lies over the tomb of the saint. The church’s tall bell tower is easily noticeable in the town centre. Entry is free. So make sure you go inside.
As you enter the church, you’ll immediately notice that it’s quite extravagant. Intricate golden wood carvings line the walls. The interior structure is divided into three aisles with large double pillars. These pillars take the weight of the domes which forms a central aisle. The aisles either side bear a semi-cylindrical roof, intersected by cross-vaults. There’s also access to the small underground room of tombs. This room is more modest in appearance with the bare stonework on display with colourful portraits lining the tombs.
You’ll probably only need 15-20 minutes here. Whilst you’re in Larnaca, the church is certainly worth checking out before the day’s hiking begins. It’s actually because of the hiking planned, that we didn’t have time to visit anywhere else specifically in the Larnaca town centre.
Larnaca Salt Lake
After checking out the town, you should head to the Larnaca Salt Lake. It took around 25 minutes to walk from the church. We value staying active even when travelling. So even though we had the car, we wanted to walk. Alternatively though, you can certainly drive there to save time.
The walk actually helped us to see a little more of the ancient town of Larnaca. We didn’t see any other specific monuments this way, but it was nice to just stroll the streets to get a sense of the people and their way of life. If you choose to walk, soon enough, you’ll leave the ancient ambience of the town and begin walking through the more regular neighbourhood. You’ll eventually arrive at a park by the lake filled with trees and several trails leading towards the lake.
Our Experience With the Flamingoes
Flamingoes can be spotted here at the lake during the winter months. However, they hang out far away from the lake’s edge. Well, they were when we showed up! You can walk on the dried salt lake to get a closer look. At the lake’s edge, the salt lake is firm and crusty. But soon enough you will start to sink. The hard dried salt lake becomes soft and easily penetrable like quicksand! Waterproof hiking boots would have been ideal.
So much for our plans to get closer to the flamingoes! I would have to wait until my trip to the Salts Flats in Uyuni, Bolivia to get up, close and personal with pink flamingoes.
If you wish to avoid the sinking experience, you can choose to just see the lake from an old wooden viewing platform. Admittedly without being able to clearly see the flamingoes, our visit here didn’t quite live up to the hype. Perhaps, we could have taken more time to walk around the dried lake in an attempt to get a better view of the flamingoes. But we had speed hiking to do!
Because the flamingoes congregate here during winter, you may want to consider skipping this part of the itinerary if you visit Cyprus outside of this time. As without the flamingoes, the lake although interesting, is nothing extraordinary. Even in winter, as we mentioned, it was very difficult to even see the flamingoes. So if you don’t have time for this attraction, not to worry! The rest of the day’s activities should be prioritised. Next, is the first speed hike of the trip.
1. Agioi Anargyroi Trail
(includes Chapel of Agioi Anargyroi, Ayia Napa Sea Caves)
- Type: Out & Back
- Distance: 8km
- Time: 3 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 17m
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trailhead: Agioi Anargyroi
All trails in this guide are rated by the Cyprus Tourism Board
The Agioi Anargyroi trail is a scenic trail along the coast. It starts at the chapel of Agioi Anargyroi and ends at the famous Ayia Napa sea caves. The trail is 8km return and takes around three hours. You’ll find many variations of this trail online. Some of them start at Konnos Beach, which is the stretch of coast next to the chapel of Agioi Anargyroi. Some trails will add on the Cape Greco viewpoint to the hike as well which involves leaving the coastal path. This is actually a fair option, as you walk by this viewpoint as part of the coastal hike.
But with all of the different options available, we chose to do the more traditional coastal walk which meant sticking to the coastal path. You can always visit the Cape Greco viewpoint afterwards so you don’t miss out on the fantastic views of this coast. For information on parking for this hike, see Google Maps here.
Chapel of Agioi Anargyroi
Before you set off on your speed hike, check out the chapel of Agioi Anargyroi. It’s the classic Greek style church with the vibrant blue roof and whitewashed walls. The views of the chapel in its coastal surroundings are stunning. You’ll then head towards the Cape Greco National Park. The contrast of the bright ocean blue with the barren and arid brown of the dried and scorched land is quite remarkable.
WHAT’S A SPEED HIKE? Simply put, it’s walking at a faster pace than you’d usually walk. Keep in mind that in summer, Cyprus can get very hot. So you might only want to do the higher intensity speed hiking if the temperature allows. Because we visited in winter, we chose to speed hike!
Highlights of the Trail
The next landmark along the coast is the Kamara tou Koraka natural bridge, otherwise known as the Arch of Korokas. This is the most impressive natural bridge in Cyprus. Views of the crystal clear water piercing through the opening of the bridge is spectacular. Afterwards, you will pass by beautiful turquoise coloured waters. There is a brown wooden chair located at the foot of the water here. Sitting here with the rugged coastline weaving its way through the ocean makes for epic photography.
You’ll then continue the hike on a wide dirt trail towards the sea caves heading slightly away from the coast. Your settings will become more barren like as you pass through areas of dried out plants and shrubbery, and cliffy rock platforms. Before you know it though, you’ll be steered back towards the coast with the sea caves in your reach. Your hiking speed will slightly slow as you negotiate some rocky terrain closer to the caves.
Thalassines Spilies (Ayia Napa Sea Caves)
Expect there to be a few more people at the spectacular Ayia Napa sea caves. Most people will usually just park nearby and explore. But after your speed hike to get there, you would have truly earned your visit here! The sea caves will likely be one of the highlights of your trip.
They extend 80 metres underground. But what you can see is only what has partially submerged. The caves can only be explored at low tide for safety reasons. So please read the tide times before visiting. Depending on when low tide is, you may want to change the order of this itinerary accordingly. This area is popular for snorkelling, diving, cliff jumping and swimming. For those doing it for the gram, have a friend use the caves as a border for your photo as you swim in the crystal clear turquoise waters.
From the coastal path, accessing the sea caves is fairly straightforward. There’s an obvious pathway at the top, that allows you to wind down into the caves. There is a safe rock platform located next to the main cave window to place your belongings if you would like to go for a swim.
Cape Greco Viewpoint
After your dip in the ocean at the sea caves, make your way back to the car. Next stop is the Cape Greco viewpoint, otherwise known as the Cavos viewpoint. There is a fairly large car park located at the lookout. After walking up a short hill of about 100 metres or so, you’ll arrive at the lookout.
It’s here that the Monument of Peace is located. Although the monument is nothing too extraordinary, the visit here is really all about the panoramic views out to the Mediterranean Sea. It was quite an exhilarating experience, looking down at such amazing coastline. Again, there is a conveniently positioned brown wooden chair at your disposal. On a hot day, hopefully, you’ll have an ocean breeze to relieve you of the heat.
This is apparently a nice place for sunset. But we decided to finish our day on a beach for sunset. Read below for more details!
Landa Beach
Because we visited in late November, the sun began to set around 4pm. No matter what season though, you should visit one of the many beaches for sunset. Nissi Beach is the most well known beach in the area. To escape the tourist trail, head to Landa Beach instead. Well more specifically – there is a paved trail that links Landa Beach to Adams Beach. Along this trail, away from the actual beaches, is the best spot for sunset.
At this time of year, it was really quiet. It’s likely that Nissi Beach would have also been fairly quiet outside of peak season. But the trail connecting Landa and Adams Beach certainly felt more like a locals spot. From a large in between the beaches, there is a neatly paved walkway towards the ocean. This path then reaches a T-intersection that runs adjacent to water. There are a few picnic benches and pagodas along here, so pick your spot! It was the perfect place to sit, relax, drink a beer and soak in the sunset. The partially cloudy sky turned a bright orange as the sun bid farewell.
After a busy day of sightseeing and hiking, watching a sunset is always a great way to cap it off. But don’t be having too many beers, as you’ll still want to be fresh for tomorrow’s longer and tougher hike.
Hiking in Cyprus – Day Two
2. Aphrodite – Adonis Trail Loop
(includes Baths of Aphrodite)
- Type: Loop
- Distance: 8km
- Time: 3-4 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: 298m
- Difficulty: Hard
- Trailhead: Baths of Aphrodite
An early start today will help you beat the heat and crowds on this unforgettable trail. Arriving at around 8:30am meant there were only a handful of people on the trail. Driving from Paphos will take around 45 minutes. This trail makes an 8km loop and takes 3-4 hours.
Park you car at the Baths of Aphrodite. You can certainly begin the day by checking out the baths. However, we were keen to get started on the trail. So we left the Baths of Aphrodite to the end. Keep in mind that this hike, in particular, is fairly dusty. Consider wearing a summer neck gaiter to help cover your mouth from all the dust. Plus, it can be used to protect your neck from the sun.
Aphrodite Trail Details
From the large car park, the wide dirt trail following the coast begins to slowly ascend. Very soon, you’ll start to have incredible coastal views of the Akamas Peninsula.
Blue Lagoon can be spotted in the distance. It’s very hard to miss given its vivid and vibrant colour. It’s actually one of Cyprus’ main attractions. However, this trail doesn’t visit them specifically. It’s actually possible to combine the Blue Lagoon coastal trail with the Aphrodite trail. But we didn’t have time. Check out Katja Laurien’s post for more details on this route. Otherwise, the Blue Lagoon can only be driven to in a 4×4 vehicle. Unfortunately, we only had a 2WD. At least it’s an excuse to go back to Cyprus if you can’t go there the first time!
After continuing a slight ascent bending its way around the peninsula, you’ll eventually arrive at the toughest part of the trail. Essentially, this trail acutely zig-zags its way upwards and inland. The dirt trail narrows as you begin to surge upwards. Keep an eye on the peninsula coastline, because as you begin to ascend the views get better and better. You’ll be able to make out more detail of the uniquely shaped peninsula, plus the rocky and shrubbery terrain inland of the coast. Finally, you’ll reach the top of this tough climb to the main vantage point over the coast. You may even be lucky enough to see some mountain goats up there!
Adonis Trail Details
The trail then begins to head inland into the Paphos forest, where you’ll walk through thicker areas of trees and shrubbery. Soon enough, you’ll be led to a grassy area where there is a 500 year old oak tree. The tree provides a nice shaded area to enjoy a snack. Located here is also an archaeological site known as Pyrgos tis Rigainas (Queen’s Tower). The ruins of the tower exist here peacefully. There’s also a nearby water fountain of non-potable water.
Once you arrive here, you have two options. Both of which will make this trail a loop. One option is to follow the Adonis Trail, which continues inland into the forest area and eventually loops back to the Baths of Aphrodite. The option that we chose was to head straight back towards the Baths of Aphrodite on the Aphrodite-Adonis track. This track is essentially shared by both loop trails. Because the coastal element of the peninsula is the highlight of this area, we chose to head back via the Aphrodite-Adonis track. It makes for a quicker return which is helpful with the busy day ahead!
The Aphrodite – Adonis trail acutely and directly heads back towards the coastline. You will begin to exit the forest type surrounds. So you’ll be left more exposed as you descend the unprotected and open rocky terrain.
Baths of Aphrodite
The path will lead you straight to the Baths of Aphrodite. According to Greek mythology, this is the place where Aphrodite would bathe. Aphrodite being the ancient goddess of love. Apparently, it’s the exact location where Adonis saw her, fell in love with her and became romantic.
With this site enriched by legends and myths of the past, it’s certainly worth the visit. But admittedly, it was an underwhelming experience. But at least the fantastic hiking trail to arrive here was not at all underwhelming. In fact, the Aphrodite – Adonis trail is itself underrated. This trail will likely be a highlight of your Cyprus trip.
After checking out the baths, we spoiled ourselves with a coffee at the Baths of Aphrodite Restaurant. We had beautiful ocean views from the restaurant which sits across the road from the car park. It is possible to nip into the bathroom here if needed.
Coral Bay
Honestly speaking, we had only heard of Coral Bay as it was situated close to our Airbnb in Chloraka. However, we can certainly recommend visiting. Because you’ll likely be heading back towards Paphos from the Baths of Aphrodite, it’ll make for the perfect stop to cool down after the hike.
The beach is on the smallish side. So it has the potential to get overcrowded during the busier months. But it wasn’t too crowded when we visited in November. Plus, it’s a beach not usually on the radar of tourists so hopefully your visit there will be pleasantly quiet.
Expect a nice calming and soothing swim in the bay. Even in November, the water was nice and warm. Fantastic for a swim. The beach is surrounded by plants, forest and some tropical type trees. Like many Mediterranean stretches of coast, there’s the option to pay for the luxury of a beach umbrella and chair. It would be a good idea in the warmer months but unnecessary otherwise. Besides, your stop here won’t be for too long, as there are more historical and natural attractions to see today!
Paphos Archaeological Park
Although this is a guide to hiking in Cyprus, you cannot visit the country without seeing it’s seriously impressive historical sites. Give yourself three-four hours to immerse yourself in the Paphos Archaeological Park. There is a large car park at the historical site. Entrance is only £4 (€4.50/$5USD) and is open from 8:30am-5pm.
Start your visit by watching the introductory video in the visitor centre found by the entrance. It provides a great perspective and information as to what you will see during your visit. By taking time to learn about the history of the place, your experience here will be amplified.
The park is filled with large ruins and villas of the Roman and Hellenistic periods. This dates back to 4th Century BC. Being born in Australia, personally I’m always blown away by ruins that date back so far. It’s a real privilege to be able to see these places in person after hearing and learning about them at school. Take your time to wander the ruins. The park itself is massive. So it’ll take some time to see everything, but it’s worth it. Each set of ruins has its own character and charm.
Plus, there are wonderfully preserved mosaic floors. These were absolutely mind blowing. They are some of the most ancient mosaics in the world. Apparently, it’s only Syria that has older mosaics. Through refurbishments, many of the mosaic compositions have been preserved wonderfully. The vibrant colourful patterns that light up the floor tell tales of the past in an extraordinarily artistic way. Some of the mosaics are better preserved than others. But even the faded or older looking pieces still reverberate a high level of attention with their beauty and brilliance.
Petra tou Romiou (Aphrodite’s Rock)
Another night in Cyprus, means another sunset! To get to Aphrodite’s Rock, you’ll find there is a fairly spacious car park across the road. There’s a convenience store there also if you want to nip in for snacks or a drink. Once you’re ready, head across the road towards the impressive sea stacks. Expect this attraction to be busy at sunset. People are likely to be climbing the rock and spilling out onto the beach.
In regards to enjoying the moment, it makes sense to have the famous rock in clear sight with the gorgeous sunset in the background. So find yourself a rock from afar to provide this amazing view. Safely, we managed to find an elevated position which gave us a great view of the sunset. The partly cloudy sky illuminated with a rich tapestry of colours ranging from yellow, orange and pink. With the sound of the ocean and gentle breeze, it’s truly an idyllic setting.
Legend has it that Aphrodite’s Rock was the birthplace of Aphrodite. Whether or not you’re one for myths, the rock is at least a very cool sea stack. Despite the attraction’s popularity and busyness, it’s definitely still worth checking out. It’s a great spot for photography also. If visiting outside of summer, it can get surprisingly cold once the sun goes down. So have a fleece jacket on you!
Hiking in Cyprus – Day Three
Tomb of the Kings
We had initially planned to visit the Tomb of Kings on the second day of the trip. However, our visit here would have been rushed after taking time to explore the Paphos Archaeological Park. So to avoid rushing any of the historical sites, plan your trip to the Tomb of Kings on a separate day.
You’ll find plenty of free parking at this site. It’s only £2 (€2.50/$2.70USD) to enter which was very cheap considering it’s a UNESCO World Heritage listed site. It’s open from 8:30am-5pm. Similar to the Paphos Archaeological Park, you’ll be amazed by the sheer size of the place. It’s almost overwhelming when you enter as you consider the hours it will take to cover it all. It’s not quite as large and popular as the Paphos Archaeological Park, so there’s likely to be slightly fewer people.
The Highlights
To our knowledge, there are no truly outstanding sections or special tombs to check out. There are no hard and fast rules for the order of seeing the attractions here either. Essentially there are many paths with ruins and tombs either side of you. Perhaps work out a rough system to cover all of the paths so you don’t miss anything. You’ll probably need two-three hours. Admittedly, by the end, some of the ruins start to look fairly similar, but that’s perhaps to the untrained eye. After all, we are speed hikers and not historians!
As you begin to move away from the site entrance, weaving in and out of the paths laid ahead, you’ll start to see the ocean. With the site overlooking the sea, there is a fantastic blend of historical significance and natural beauty. What a winning formula. It creates a stunning setting for you to explore the tombs and ruins. Some of which, are underground. You’ll have lots of fun, climbing down sets of stairs and rocky hills to access tombs positioned in unique positions.
Please note that no actual Kings are buried here. So the name is quite deceiving! However, there are burial sites of many Paphitis aristocrats and high officials up until 3rd Century AD.
3. Avakas Gorge
- Type: Out & Back
- Distance: 11km
- Time: 3.5-4.5 hours
- Accumulated elevation gain: None
- Difficulty: Easy- Moderate
- Trailhead: Toxeftra Beach
The Avakas Gorge is the final hike of the trip. What an amazing place it is! To get there, you will follow a fairly rough dirt road that heads in the direction of Lara Beach. However, you will not drive all the way to that beach. You’ll find a large car park before then, opposite Toxeftra Beach. Park there to begin the trail.
It’s worth mentioning that this road does lead to a smaller car park even closer to the gorge. But the road is quite bumpy so we didn’t drive any further because we only had a 2WD. However, we did see 2WDs parked there so driving on this road is probably fine. Overall, parking opposite to Toxeftra Beach did make for a slightly longer hike. But it’s only an 11km out and back trail. Also, it’s a much larger car park than the one closer to the gorge.
But if you do choose to start from this other car park, here are the exact GPS directions.
Avakas Gorge Trail
Give yourself 3.5-4.5 hours to complete this trail. Although the trail is entirely flat, it does take time to negotiate sections of the river and gorge. The initial trail is fine to speed hike. But as it starts to narrow nearing the gorge, in combination with plenty of tourists around, the final sections are not for speed hiking.
From the large car park opposite Toxeftra Beach, follow the path to the right that takes you through the valley’s forest to the gorge. Do not follow the steep path to the left. This would be following the road that takes you to the aforementioned smaller car park. Walking this route wouldn’t be as inspiring. It would just be hiking on a dirt road so take the scenic path instead!
You will soon enough bypass the smaller car park. It’s from this point on that there will be more people on the trail, which is unfortunate as the trail becomes thinner, feeling overcrowded at times.
Arriving at the Gorge
You’ll know that you’re close to the gorge as you begin to pass by stunning white sandstone formations. Literally, cliff sides of this superbly white rock will blow your mind. Eventually, you’ll reach the narrowing of the gorge itself. With that, is the river stream that runs through it. So be careful when traversing the river stream inside the gorge. It can start to get very slippery. You’ll want to be wearing waterproof hiking boots with decent traction.
Exploring the gorge and its amazing colours is the best part of the trail. The uniquely lightly coloured rock makes for incredible natural beauty. Patterns on the walls of the gorge look like an artist have painted them stroke for stroke. In regards to photography, shooting the section of the gorge with a rock suspended in its grasp is a challenging but rewarding opportunity. Challenging because of the contrast of brightness of the sky with the dimmer light of the gorge. Plus, there are plenty of people around to get in the way!
The initial sections of the gorge are by far the prettiest. But the further you go, the quieter it gets as a lot of people will just walk to the entrance of the gorge, head 50-100 metres inside and then turn back. You can actually continue to hike through the gorge all the way to the end if you wish. Once you reach the end of the gorge, you can reverse your steps back to Toxeftra Beach. It’s a great spot to cool off for a swim after the hike.
What if You Have More Than Three Days?
Those with an extra day should consider hiking in the Troodos Mountains. Be mindful that it’s 5-10°C cooler in the mountains so you may want to pack extra layers particularly if you venture out there early in the morning. You will find some small waterfalls in the mountains. The Artemis Loop Hike is the most popular trail there.
Where to Buy Food in Cyrpus?
Given we love Greek cuisine, we decided to eat out for dinner on most nights. We can highly recommend Pitta Express. They have all the Cypriot/Greek cuisine you could dream of. The first night, we started small ordering just a gyros. This set us back around £5/person (€5.50/$6USD). The next night, we went all out! We had the two person meat platter which had the lot! After this meal, we both agreed that we had never eaten so much in our lives. For several hours, we nursed substantial food comas. Best of all, with beers, the meal only came to £12/person (€13.50/$15USD).
Otherwise, we shopped at Lidl for our other meals and snacks. Over three days, we only spent around £15/person (€17/$18.50USD).
Hiking in Cyprus Recap
Cyprus is full of amazing hiking trails and speed hiking opportunities. All of the hiking trails described in this guide are all vastly different, so you’ll enjoy unique experiences completing each trail. Plus, with all of the other natural and historical attractions on offer, Cyprus is a must see destination. If you only have a few days, this guide will help you see the highlights.
For in-depth information on getting there, accommodation and total costs, please read ahead.
Getting to Cyprus
Flights: You’ll find phenomenally flight deals to Cyprus all year round. From London, we paid only £23 (€26/$28.50USD) to fly to Paphos. We booked about three months in advance. It was Jack’s Flight Club that alerted us to the deal. As a result, we booked directly through Ryanair. Otherwise, use Skyscanner to find the cheapest flights. Additionally, cheap deal flights to Larnaca in Cyprus also depart from London and/or the UK for a similar price. Please note that we visited in November. Accordingly, prices may have been cheaper as we went outside of peak season.
Getting Around Cyprus
Car hire: Hire a car if you’re going to be hiking in Cyprus. Particularly, if you only have a few days, you’ll need a car to pack in all the best hiking, natural attractions and historical sites that Cyprus has to offer. The bus system in Cyprus isn’t too bad. But a car is very useful to get to the start of most of the trails. Plus, a car obviously allows greater freedom. In addition, car hire in Cyprus is very cheap.
Using Rentalcars.com, we found an automatic car for three days for £39 (€44.50/$48.50USD). We booked through Easycar.com. The trade off for such a good price was that the rental office of our car hire wasn’t located at the airport. However, there was a free shuttle service to the office. The petrol bill for two people over the three days came to only £21/person (€24/$26USD).
Getting Out of Cyprus
Next stop on our brief two week Middle East trip would be Lebanon. We were able to find a £14 (€16.50/$18USD) flight from Paphos to Beirut! Using Skyscanner to search, we booked directly with Ryanair 3 months in advance.
If you’re returning to the UK, we’re sure that you can find deal flights. Subscribe to Jack’s Flight Club to monitor these. If you have free membership, you’ll receive one email per week which includes lots of deals. However, we highly recommend paying for a premium membership. You’ll get four times as many deals emailed to you.
Furthermore, it’s only £35 (€40/$43USD) and we guarantee that by booking merely one flight deal, that you’ll more than earn back the price of membership. For instance, the London to Paphos flight we booked using Jack’s Flight Club, was around £40 (€45.50/$49USD) cheaper than the usual fare. So we made our money back, and then some, with that single purchase!
Accommodation in Cyprus
Airbnb: Using Airbnb, we booked an entire studio for two guests for four nights at £84 (€96/$104USD). The Airbnb was located in Chloraka. Click here to see the place that we stayed. Chloraka is a little seaside town which was a quick 10 minute drive from Paphos. In fact, staying just outside of Paphos was cheaper.
The owner of the Airbnb was very friendly, accommodating and spoke good English. Plus, the area was very safe and quiet. We found Chloraka to be a good base to explore Cyprus. Most of the hiking, nature and attractions explored were relatively close by. It was only Larnaca and it’s attractions we visited on the first day which were far away.
In regards to Booking.com, we couldn’t find a better option. Additionally, staying at this Airbnb was a great way to mingle with the locals. We enjoy that cultural experience when travelling.
Five Essentials For Hiking in Cyprus
In summer, hiking in Cyprus can get very hot. So the extra layers are unnecessary. But in winter, you may need them. That’s if you begin your hikes early. Plus, you’re bound to be watching some sunsets in Cyprus. In the cooler months, you’ll need some warm clothes once the sun goes down.
These are our five hiking gear essentials for hiking in Cyprus. For a more comprehensive packing list, please check out the Ultimate Packing Checklist. It’s a great general summary of everything you’d need for a trip. For even more information check out our 66 Travel Accessories That You Must Travel With. We go in-depth into what hiking and camping gear we use. There, you’ll find specific recommendations for all the products we love.
- Buff Unisex Coolnet Neck Gaiter – most of the trails in Cyprus are quite dusty so use a gaiter.
- Merrell Moab 2 Mid Goretex hiking boots – for the slippery rocks at Avakas Gorge, it’s good to wear hiking boots with decent traction.
- The North Face TKA Glacier snap fleece jacket – when the sun goes down in the winter months, it gets pretty cold in Cyprus.
- The North Face Venture 2 waterproof/windproof jacket – for sunsets at the beach when you’re feeling nippy from the ocean breeze.
- Osprey Skarab 30L Day Backpack – can be used like a Camelbak, which makes it a very useful backpack for holding water, which is absolutely essential when hiking in Cyprus during summer.
Trail Navigation
None of the trails were too challenging to navigate when hiking in Cyprus. But to be fully prepared, consider downloading a GPS guided map before you set out. We recommend Wikiloc or AllTrails. For those not so prepared, if you’re needing navigation help during the hike and don’t have any phone reception, consider using Maps.me. Although you need to have at least downloaded the map of the general area beforehand.
Bonus Tips
- Weather: If you plan on hiking in Cyprus during the summer, be prepared for hot conditions. You must pack plenty of water. You may not even have space for the required 2-3L of water in your backpack. So consider a Camelbak.
- Shop at Lidl: We saved quite a lot by shopping at Lidl in Paphos. Cyprus has huge Lidl stores so you’ll find everything you need.
- Decent footwear for Avakas Gorge: We saw many people slip over when climbing rocks at the gorge. Additionally, the river runs through the gorge itself. So wear not only decent footwear but something waterproof.
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Hi. I’ll be in Cyprus from 16 to 23. Do you have some hiking trip with backpacks for some days?
Hi Olga,
Thank you for reading our blog post.
Apologies that this hiking guide only covers day hikes in Cyprus.
Hopefully, a quick Google search of some multi-day hiking options in Cyprus should do the trick for you!
Cheers,
Dan & Beck