Aphrodite Beach, Limassol

The Rock of Aphrodite is a few kilometres to the west of Pissouri village. Aphrodite Beach itself is almost 500 m long, sandy, and in the middle part of the Ayios Tychonas coast, in-between Armonia beach in the west and Vouppa beach in the east.

The most eastern part of the beach that is the better organized, and has a lot more sand, which extends inland on an average for more than 30 metres, providing a large capacity for sunbathers.This beach has been awarded the Blue flag eco-label (www.blueflag.org) and has handicap facilities.

Aphrodite's Rock, Pissouri, Cyprus

The Rock of Aphrodite is a few kilometres to the west of Pissouri village. The location is especially beautiful at sunset. Its Greek name is Petra tou Romiou or ‘The Rock of the Greek’.

Legend has it that Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, rose from the waves in this strikingly beautiful spot. There are several versions of the story of the goddess's birth, but the most famous is that Aphrodite rose naked from the sea on a scallop shell. Blown by the wind, Aphrodite's first stop was on the island of Cythera, but this was such a tiny island that Aphrodite kept moving and eventually got to Cyprus, where she began living in Paphos.

It is said that in certain weather conditions, the waves rise, break and form a column of water that dissolves into a pillar of foam. With imagination, this looks for just a moment like an ephemeral, evanescent human shape.



There is a long narrow pebbly beach at Petra tou Romiou that extends to either side of the largest rock and its satellites.

LOCATION: You can park on the old B6 on the uphill side of the road. Pedestrian access to the beach is via an underpass.

Platres Waterfalls, Foini, Cyprus

Around Platres are marked hiking trails. The short walk to the Caledonian waterfalls is very popular. To reach the waterfalls you have to jump from stone to stone to cross a rustling river. Be prepared to sit and wring your socks out with other intrepid tourists !

The waterfalls, situated in the all green area of "Hantara", completes the picturesque beauty of the village Foini - which receives an average annual rainfall of about 830 millimeters; as a result winemaking vine varieties, several kinds of fruit (apples, pears, peaches, and plums), walnuts, a few vegetables and citrus trees are cultivated in the land.

A system of waterfalls can be found including Caledonia, Millomeri, Hantara and others. Fantastic for tough hikes and nature exploration, awarding you beautiful views which are well worth the effort, and maybe the wet feet.

THE VILLAGE OF AGROS, LIMASSOL, CYPRUS

Agros is the village in the centre of Troodos district. A 19th century church now stands where once was the site of the Panagia Eleousa monastery, which was founded by monks from Constantinople during the 9th century.

HOW TO FIND IT: 45 kilometres North of Limassol, through Ayios Theodoros.

Cedar Valley, Troodos Mountains, Cyprus

Cedar Valley in Tilliryan Troodos is a must for nature lovers.The cedars in this secluded valley are indigenous Cyprus cedars, close relatives of the famous cedars of Lebanon. There are thousands of them in Cedar Valley.

It's not the easiest of places to find, but you are guaranteed peace and quiet once you get there. And if you are really lucky you can see the moufflon, a species of wild sheep native to Cyprus, and the national symbol.

Cape Greco, Cyprus Natural Beauty

Cape Graco lies between the towns of Ayia Napa and Protaras, both of which are popular tourist resorts. It is frequently visited by many tourists for its natural beauty. It is a protected nature park, full of dense shrub land and rocky terrain. From the high points on the cliff that rests at the cape one can view amazing sights out to sea.

This relatively wild spot close to the overdeveloped Ayia Napa is ideal for hiking in Cyprus.

According to local legend it is also the home of the 'Ayia Napa sea monster'.

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.

Achna Dam, Cyprus Natural Beauty

Achna Dam, which is located 16 miles North-West of Larnaka town, and half a mile south of the border which divides Southern Cyprus and the Turkish area to the North of the island.

On the margins of the dam is well-developed vegetation including reed beds and scrub. The area surrounding the dam includes cereal fields and fruit tree groves. The site has become an important wetland in recent years and is one of the most important bird breeding sites on the island for Black-winged stilt and Spur-winged plover.

The dam is a wildlife area stocked with about 16 varieties of freshwater fish, and is also home to many different migratory birds.

Akamas Peninsula, Cyprus Nature

The Akamas Peninsula is an area of outstanding natural beauty - deep gorges, a wild landscape, and wide sandy bays. It is also an area of great biodiversity and ecological significance. Home to 530 plant species, a third of the total for Cyprus, 126 of which are endemic to Cyprus. An unspoilt wild place thanks to its inaccessibility and natural preserve existing there.

A vitally important characteristic of this peninsula is its beaches. Akamas is the last large unspoiled coastal area remaining in Cyprus and one of the very few important sea turtle nesting areas in the Mediterranean. Both the Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta-caretta) and the rarer Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) nest here; the latter depends on the Akamas beaches for its very survival in this region. The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) lists Loggerheads as "vulnerable" and Green Turtles as an "endangered species".

Birds and Mammals of Cyprus

Birds and Mammals of Cyprus. Contents: geographical data; geology; emergence of Cyprus; unification of the two islands; climate; vegetation and flora; shooting and poaching; birds; sea mammals; land and flying mammals; birds, index of Latin names; birds, index of English names. Birds and Mammals of Cyprus (Nature of Cyprus).