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Walking the Akamas Peninsula

New

8 Days from

USD 1,479

incl. Taxes

Walking & Trekking

Ways to Travel :

Self-Guided Holidays

Activity :

Walking & Trekking

Activity Levels :

2 out of 7 - Leisurely / Moderate

Ages :

12+

Trip Code :

W07CA

This twin centre, self-guided walking trip takes in both inland and coastal walks in Cyprus's Akamas Peninsula and the Akamas National Park.

The week starts inland in Droushia with walks to the Kremiotis Waterfall and the medieval Agia Paraskevi chapel as well as across the Laona Plateau with its picturesque stone-built villages. There's also the possibility of visiting a local winery. Enjoy fabulous panoramic views as you head towards the coast at delightful Lara Beach. As your luggage is transported to the second hotel, you'll walk from Droushia to the Baths of Aphrodite cave, enjoying spectacular views of Cyprus's North coast with the whole of Chrysochous Bay laid out before you, from the northwest tip of the island at Cape Arnoustis, all the way to Pomos in the northeast.

Walk stretches of the Smigies, Adonis and Aphrodite Trails with views from the Moutti tis Sotiras peak and enjoy a walk along the North coast, visiting some of the best beaches and coves including Fontana Amoroza, the Blue Lagoon.

Highlights

Stunning beaches and coastal walks - visit the Blue Lagoon and the Baths of Aphrodite cave where, according to the legend, the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite was bathed
Walks taking in inland and coastal areas of Northwest Cyprus's Akamas Peninsula and the Akamas National Park
Most walks have shorter options, giving walkers a choice to do an average of 10km or 20km each day

Key Information

7 nights in 3 star hotels, all rooms en suite
6 days of walking - longer/shorter options most days
Luggage transfer
Walking transfers on days 4 and 5 (optional)
Route notes and GPX tracks

Countries visited: The Republic of Cyprus

What's Included

All buffet breakfasts
All accommodation (see accommodation section)
Route notes and GPX files
Walking transfer on days 4 and 5

What's Not Included

Travel insurance
Single accommodation (available on request - compulsory supplement)
Solo traveller supplement (where only one person is travelling on a departure date)
Visas or vaccinations
Travel to the start and from the end point

6 Days of Walking & Trekking

Terrain:

Most of the footpaths on this trip are uneven terrain with gravel and stones and with some being quite narrow. Some will be coastal paths.

Day 2

19 km / 11.8 miles

Day 3

20 km / 12.4 miles

Day 4

21 km / 13 miles

Day 5

21 km / 13 miles

Day 6

18 km / 11.2 miles

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips which improve life for the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Find out more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here, and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally-owned hotels, restaurants, transfer companies and places of local interest, as well as the emphasis on eating locally produced food and support of other local enterprise.
This trip helps bring income and opportunity to destination communities particularly during low and shoulder seasons, when traditionally tourism income would decrease.
The Laona Plateau (next to Akamas peninsula) experienced extensive emigration from the 1950’s, when many of the inhabitants migrated abroad for economic reasons. The villages managed to keep their architectural heritage and consist largely of traditional stone-built houses. There is a growing pressure in recent decades towards developing the coast of the Akamas peninsula (significant areas of coastal land belong to people coming from the Laona Plateau villages). Exploration on foot highlights the combination of culture and natural heritage in the Akamas region of Cyprus. The local communities and villagers in these regions can play a role as the guardians of nature and the cultural heritage of Cyprus, which necessitates that they earn enough income to sustain their presence in this area.Some of the routes pass very near family-owned wineries (close to Kathikas village). The route also passes through many stone-built villages, including Kretou Terra and Kathikas which has a good selection of Cyprus food tavernas.
The provision of local information in customer documentation means our customers will be well informed about local traditions, and cultural and social sensitivities.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels.
By travelling independently or in a small group, you ‘tread lightly’ minimising your trip’s impact on local resources and the environment.
This trip visits the Akamas Peninsula National Parkwhich helps incentivise and fund continued conservation efforts. Some routes are on popular trails but most routes are on dirt tracks that don’t see many visitors.
Stretches of the route pass through vineyards and orchards that have been cultivated in Cyprus for thousands of years. The Akamas peninsula is rich in biodiversity. Out of the 150 or so endemic plant species found in Cyprus, most are only found in the Akamas Peninsula (or in the Troodos mountains). The trip itinerary stays off the beaten track in the Akamas peninsula area with its small villages thus helping to minimise degradation caused by over-tourism. The Akamas coast is free from development and the stretch east of the Akamas north coast has, so far, escaped the construction of a big number of hotels or of many villas, that is typical of the tourist centres of the island.
We work with our partners on the ground to proactively eliminate or reduce waste.
Our trips adhere to ABTA’s industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices with regard to working animals and wildlife viewing. Our animal welfare policy can be found here.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.
We seek to minimise the carbon footprint in the following ways:
- Favouring smaller, locally-run accommodation and eco-hotels, versus big hotel chains which have a bigger impact on the surrounding environments.
- The majority of accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally-sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
- Vegetarian options are available at the majority of accommodation and restaurants.
The local operator has been involved in designing and implementing a reforestation effort (on a 7.2 hectare family-owned plot, with mostly wild olives and hawthorn). They are planning to develop this into an agrotouristic/ecotouristic project where visitors would be able to cultivate a number of indigenous trees and explore the cultural and natural attractions in the area (in the Xeros Potamos Valley). The goal is for this venture to be a good example of the use of private rural land in Cyprus and abroad.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish behind in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, we’d ask you to consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
Plastic waste reduction: Please bring your own re-usable water bottle on this trip rather than buying single-use plastic bottles.

Itinerary

Arrive in the delightful Cypriot village of Droushia and settle in. You'll be staying here for the next 4 nights.
Stay at the Droushia Heights Hotel on a Bed & Breakfast basis for 4 nights.

Today's circular walk from Droushia passes through the delightful stone-built villages of Kritou Terra and Kato Arodes. Walk past orchards and vineyards and enjoy great views of the local area. Head to the Kremitois Waterfall and the charming, medieval Agia Paraskevi chapel before returning to Droushia.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Another circular walk from Droushia heads to the Laona plateau to explore more picturesque stone-built villages and the possibility of visiting a local winery. Today enjoy the views and the combination of beautiful natural and cultural heritage of the area.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Begin today with a descent from the Laona plateau to the Lara coast with a stretch of the walk along the Avakas Gorge. Pass by the beaches of South Lara and Toxeftra. The walk ends at Agios Georgios tis Pegeias with its medieval church, ruins of an earlier church, a small fishing shelter and a restaurant. There is a return transfer to the hotel at the end of the walk.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Enjoy fabulous panoramic coastal views today. Start off with views of the Lara coast then head north for spectacular views of the north coast, the whole of Chrysochous Bay from Cape Arnaoutis, the northwest tip of the island, up to Pomos in the northeast. Today's route includes stretches of the Smigies, Adonis and Aphrodite Trails with stunning views from Moutti tis Sotiras peak. The western descent along the Aphrodite Trail is considered by many as one of the best on the island. For those doing the shorter walks, there is a transfer to Neo Chorio this morning.
Stay at the Aphrodite Beach Hotel on a Bed & Breakfast basis for 3 nights.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Today’s circular walk gives you more views of Cyprus’s north coast as you walk along the eastern part of the Adonis Trail. The route passes most of the north coast’s beaches including Fontana Amoroza, the Blue Lagoon, the Amphitheatre, Manolis Beach and Koufotrypis Beach. Also walk the rugged coastline near the Baths of Aphrodite cave.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Enjoy a day of rest at the hotel, along the nearby beach or head back to one of the beaches you walked to yesterday (like the Blue Lagoon).

Meals Included: Breakfast

After breakfast, depart the Akamas Peninsula.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Essential Info

Visa

The Republic of Cyprus

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Cyprus. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

Vaccination

The Republic of Cyprus

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus and rabies (bat lyssavirus). Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts are included.

For dinners you have the choice of either the hotels' restaurants, or there is a good choice of restaurants nearby so you can choose to eat out and enjoy the local Cypriot cuisine.

Weather

Cyprus has a subtropical climate, one of the warmest climates and warmest winters in the Mediterranean. The climate is of a semi-arid type with very mild winters (on the coast) and warm to hot summers. Snow is possible only in the Troodos mountains in the central part of the island. Rain occurs mainly in winter, with summer being generally dry. The average annual temperature on the coast is around 24°C (75°F) during the day and 14°C (57°F) at night. Generally, the warm season lasts about eight months, from April, with average temperatures of 21-23°C (70-73°F) during the day and 11-13°C (52-55°F) at night, to November, with average temperatures of 22-23°C (72-73°F) during the day and 12-14°C (54-57°F) at night. In the remaining four months of the year, the temperatures tend to remain mild, while sometimes exceeding 20°C (68°F) during the day.

The middle of summer (July and August) is usually hot, with an average maximum coastal temperature of around 35°C (95°F) during the day and around 25°C (77°F) at night. In the centre of the island (the highlands/Troodos mountains) the average temperature exceeds 35°C (95°F)). In June and September on the coast the average maximum temperature is usually around 28-30°C (82-86°F) during the day and around 18-20°C (64-68°F) at night. While large temperature fluctuations are rare on the coast, the centre of Cyprus has more variations – typically colder winters and hotter summers.

Weather Charts

Kyrenia, North Cyprus

Is this trip for you?

This is a twin centre independent walking holiday with a choice of walks on most days so the average daily distance is either 10km or 20km, which is why the overall rating is Leisurely/Moderate. The walking is along varied terrain footpaths, both in inland areas and on coastal paths. There are moderate ascents or descents on most days. Walkers should have a good fitness level and be confident on uneven terrain. Some of the walks are not suitable for vertigo sufferers.

As this is a self-guided holiday there is no group and no leader. There may be others on the same departure date as you, but you will not be organised together. You are provided with route notes for each day along with GPX files to follow on a smart phone app. The route notes contain a 24 hour emergency assistance telephone number should you need it and in emergencies, the hotelier is normally able to dispatch a taxi or pick you up themselves. They may wish to charge for this service. Due to limited family rooms at the hotels and the terrain on the walks, we advise this holiday is for those over 12 years.