Cyprus Active Self-Drive Tour

From both Larnaca airport and Paphos airport you can quickly get to your first accommodation
location if desired. With early arrival, there is plenty of time to do some sightseeing along the way. Near Larnaca airport lies an impressive salt lake and the impressive Hala Sultan Tekke mosque, with surrounding park. During summer the salt lake dries up, but if there is water you can find flamingos. From Paphos, you can make stops at the "Rock of Aphrodite" and the Roman excavations of Kourion.

This day lends itself well to a first exploration of rural Cyprus. The villages of Tochni and Kalavasos
have been partially restored and are fun to wander around; you can do so on a circular walk. In the immediate vicinity there are many excavations to visit. Tenta (near Kalavasos), the Neolithic excavations at Chirokitia and antique Roman Amathous and Kourion (near Lemesos) are the most impressive sights within a 40-kilometer radius. After that, you conclude by the sea, such as by Governor's beach and the nearby white cliffs of Cape Dolos.

From Tochni you walk to the small village of Chirokitia, where, via a nature trail, a UNESCO Neolithic
excavation can be admired. After a nice terrace in the square, you walk back through the fields. Outside Kalavasos, you hike near the abandoned ancient village of Drapia through a wide valley. Beautiful views and an old copper mine accompany you on the trail.

Prefer a day with lots of culture? Then head to the ancient capital of Nicosia in an hour's drive, possibly via the "embroidery village" of Lefkara. Or perhaps to the beach today?

From Tochni you head toward the Troödos Mountains, a UNESCO Geopark, where you will stay at Pano Platres. You can drive via a beautiful mountain route, but also via Limassol. The old center is nice to visit briefly and near the city are still the excavations of Amathous of Kourion. If you are in the mountains on time you can still visit the visitor's center or take a walk through the refreshing coolness to a beautiful waterfall, back and forth or a more strenuous variant as a circular walk. Or do you feel more like wine tasting? Then Omodhos is the place to be!

A hiking day in the mountains. There is a beautiful circular hike at altitude (about 1850 m) near the summit of Mount Olympos: the Artemis Nature Trail. You walk mostly along the contour lines, so, even dodging major ascent and descent you have beautiful views. Because the hike is relatively short, you can still make it to Omodhos in the afternoon for a varied day. Forests, views, nice mountain villages, beautiful churches with frescoes and special rocks are then be part of your day. Of course you can also do one of the lower shorter hikes described at day 4, to the Millomeri waterfall or the Kaledonian waterfall.

From Troödos to the Akamas Peninsula, there are several options to fill the day. You can go to Stavros tsis Psokas, where there is a beautiful short nature trail with cedar trees and maybe mouflons along the way. Then you can also go to admire the unique antiquities of Paphos (Kings tombs, the Roman mosaics circling the ruins of the ancient Greek city and the Crusader castle built next to it). If there is still time and energy left then visit the impressive Avakas Gorge, which you can venture quite deeply into from a beach, depending on the water level. Afterwards, a good swim awaits at Lara beach. From here it is just over half an hour to your next accommodation.

Today you have a choice of two short walks or to still go to the excavations of Paphos, if there was no time the previous day. For a varied walk, you take the Smigies nature trail near Neo Chorio over dirt roads and rocky paths through a park landscape, then through pine forests. Later you get beautiful views of the Lara coast and walk back through the forests of Smigies to a picnic area. Lots of orchids in the spring! Another hike starts at Baths of Aphrodite. There you have a choice between taking a dip, enjoying the terrace and a nice walk along the Aphrodite Trail.

You drive to the airport of Paphos or Larnaca to drop-off your rental car and depart from Cyprus.