Athalassa Dam, Cyprus Natural Beauty

Athalassa Park can be described as the “green lung” of a rapidly expanding city with minimal green grounds, Nicosia. The Athalassa Park is the largest and most important green ground of greater Nicosia, acting as a stopper against the pollution and exacerbation of the natural environment, coinstantaneously offering various forms of entertainment.

Other than its main function, that is forest and cultivation research, the park is also used as a picnic place, fishing spot, for apiculture, collecting flowers, billets and snails, bird watching, bicycling, as a nature trail (there are over 20 Km of trails), and sports ground (with football, volleyball and basketball grounds).

It serves also as a fantastic birdwatchers' spot so close to the capital. Many kinds of birds dwell here,including egrets and kingfishers.

Akrotiri Salt Lake, Cyprus Natural Beauty

A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water which has a concentration of salts and other minerals significantly higher than most lakes. High salinity will also lead to a unique flora and fauna in the lake in question; sometimes, in fact, the result may be an absence or near absence of life near the salt lake, though this is not the case with Akrotiri, where an abundance of wildlife flourish, the most common of which are the Greater Flamingos.

The lake itself is considered to be one of the eastern Mediterranean’s most important wetlands. The fact that the water level over 50% of the lake is less than 30cm deep attracts thousands of wading birds to use it as a stopover during the migration seasons. Birdlife International estimates that between 2,000 and 20,000 Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) spend the winter months on the lake.

Cyprus Birdwatching

Cyprus's geographic location places it on the north-south migration route for millions of birds which each year make the long journey from Europe to Africa to Asia then back to Europe in the spring. Cyprus has a reputation as a great birdwatching destination that boasts a bird list of over 350 different species, with anything from small clusters to huge flocks filling the sky.

The southward migration occurs between March and May and northward migration occurs between August and October and birds stop for anything from just a few days to several weeks. Each year, thousands of birdwatchers travel to the island either independently or as part of organised trip to witness this incredible natural spectacle.



The Cyprus list of current species stands at 380, a huge array from pelicans to owls, falcons to bustards, and also flamingos. The wealth of birds, both visiting and resident can be viewed here

A Birdwatching Guide To Cyprus

A Birdwatching Guide To Cyprus. A Birdwatching Guide To Cyprus.