Yes, Cyprus is a sun, sea and sand destination. It has a wonderful Mediterranean climate, with its mild winter temperatures and warm summer sunbathing temperatures. Its natural green spaces, though, are often overlooked.
As an established resident in Cyprus, over the years I’ve grown to see the benefit of Cyprus’s national parks, and I visit them often. Whether that’s to offset the summer heat or just admire their natural beauty, they provide quite the escape. Here’s my take on my favourite Cyprus parks.
The best National Parks in Cyprus
A bench overlooking the greenery of Cape Greco National Park
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Cape Greco National Park, Ayia Napa
I wasn’t disappointed when I visited this park for the first time last summer. What struck me most was its natural beauty. There are huge tall pine trees and junipers that offer welcome relief from the sunny temperatures. There are bushes and shrubs at floor level where you can find many wildflowers growing, especially orchids! My British friends tell me when they visited the park last spring – February/March – they discovered a wealth of flowers blooming out of the spectacularly coloured carpet. You will also find foxes, hedgehogs, and huge numbers of birds and butterflies, all housed in the game reserve in the park.
Set among the sea of green is a small white chapel which you can enter and explore. It’s often used for wedding photographs because it stands out against the green. Then, if you look below the chapel, you can see one of several sea caves that dot around Cape Greco’s coastline. These sea caves can be explored by boat or you can swim in them, and you can read about the Greek legends and myths about each one. Towards the east side of the park, you will find Cyclops’s sea cave – Cyclops the Giant – and this particular cave is wonderful to explore.
The serene-looking chapel in Cape Greco National Park
Returning to the park, I was struck by the peaceful tranquillity of the place. You can easily spend a day here, simply walking through the vast span of the park. If you walk east, you will come to a fantastic view of Konnos Bay, and this is well worth a visit with its beautiful beach and crystal blue waters. Pine trees encircle it – think Beverly Hills! I stopped here to eat at some traditional restaurants serving excellent Cypriot food. The sea is always clean but rocky, but it’s excellent for snorkelling, scuba diving and fishing. An alternative is to go hiking along the lengthy hiking trails that include all the interesting parts of the park or cycle along the cycling track and picnic at the wooden picnic area.
The closest towns to Cape Greco’s National Park are Ayia Napa (it took 5-10 minutes to reach the park by car from here) and Protaras. Although Ayia Napa is still known for its younger visitors in the summer months, living on the outskirts of this village-turned-town means that you can enjoy its village beauty that remains, along with its quiet and peacefulness. Protaras, too, is a lovely town and area, mainly because of its white sandstone landscape set against the pure blue of the ocean.
Troodos National Park looks out to the Med
Troodos National Park
Troodos is, in fact, Cyprus’s mountain range. But it also has olive green pine trees and green space along its mountain stone. So you can either visit Troodos and enjoy its snow-clad mountain slopes in the winter months, or you can enjoy its cool green scenic national park in the summer. Either way, you get the best of both worlds and a unique landscape according to the season!
The first thing I always notice here is the musky smell of the pine trees, no matter what time of year it is. For me, it symbolises freshness and purity and it puts you in the mood for enjoying your escape from the hustle and bustle of town life. Here you can do plenty of activities, skiing, snowboarding, bobsleighing in the winter, mountain biking, hiking, cycling and nature walking along well-signed nature trails in the summer. Or just simply walk through the pine trees and admire Cyprus’s wild mountain flowers, maybe stopping to read your book on one of the benches.
There are plenty of tavernas here too in the local villages where you can eat a hearty traditional meal, not forgetting the Cyprus village wine of course! While about 10-15 minutes from Nicosia, I recommend Platres village to live in as it’s one of the prettiest villages in southern Cyprus. It takes about 20 minutes by car to reach Troodos Park from here and 20 minutes to reach the south coast. Platres is also currently being revamped, with its hotel and homes undergoing a facelift, but it’s due to be completed very shortly.
Hiking is extremely popular in Limassol’s Polemidia Park
Polemidia National Forest Park, Limassol
This is the closest park to the centre of Limassol – it’s less than a 10-minute drive away. It’s probably also one of the smallest National Parks – but still beautiful. It’s near one of the Cyprus army barracks and so there are many wooden log benches and log coverings for the restaurant that have been constructed by the soldiers. This park is great for exercising – I have often jogged around the up and down slopes and tried out the ‘army-style’ activities. It’s a park full of beautiful Cyprus bushes like conifers and typical cypress trees. You will find some lovely blossom trees like apples and oranges. There’s even a tennis court here and a picnic area within the park. The park is very well maintained. I often take my book here and sit at the wooden table, drink my coffee and relax.
Aerial Bird’s eye view of Petra tou Romiou, aka Aphrodite’s rock a famous tourist travel destination landmark in Paphos, Cyprus
Petra tou Romiou National Forest Park, Paphos
This park covers a vast area of around 350 hectares, stretching from the Paphos/Limassol border to Ha- potami in the west. The name, Petra tou Romiou is Greek for The Rock of the Greek, which refers to the legendary Aphrodite’s Rock, which is nearby. Like Polimidia Park in Limassol, this park is small but great for cycling, walking and as a general escape from the heat of the summer sun. It’s a great place to meet, too, for lunch and a catch-up! The nearest village is Pissouri – it’s a pretty village and home to British and Cypriot people alike. This village is very close to the park too – it takes only 5-10 minutes by car.
So, while the Republic of Cyprus is known for its sea, sun, and sand there is a cooler side to it as well. The green parks bring me away from the hustle and bustle of town and city life towards the greenness of nature here and its natural Cyprus beauty.
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