AKAMAS PENINSULA

Anyone who has ever visited Cyprus is almost bound to heap a whole load of superlatives upon the island in trying to describe where they have been, what they have seen – and why they want to come back for more!

When it comes to the natural environment, you will certainly be spoilt for choice when searching for the true beauty of what Cyprus has to offer. Nowhere is this more so than in the Akamas area on the north western tip of the island, where nature maintains a unique but fragile beauty. Unique, as it is the last coastal region on the island to remain largely untouched by mass tourism and development. Fragile, as its beauty can be damaged by its attraction to the visitor.

A stunning sight is the Avakas Gorge – a natural sight into which light, water and colours are allowed to run free. It is nature in the raw, crying out with an impressive, wild and majestic beauty. The area is characterized by outcrops of calvaneous rocks consisting of chalks, marls and reefal limestone, which rest on a sequence of foreign geological formations referred to as the Mamonia Formation.

The gorge is blessed with rich flora consisting of pine trees, Mediterranean cypresses, plane trees, junipers, lentisk trees, oleanders, tamarisks, thorny brooms, wild fig trees, oak trees, styrax trees, virgin’s bowers, brambles, wild carob and olive trees, terebinths, fern trees and many others. You might even catch sight of wild goats or foxes! An abundance of wild flowers is also found. A significant flora of the gorge is Centauria Akamantis, which is found on its precipitous slopes. The walls of the gorge are the only place in the world where it has been found.

Perhaps the best way to see the main gorge is by entering via the coastal road, from the river bed. The full extent of the gorge – approximately three kilometres – can best be enjoyed by starting in the upper section, at the villages of Pano and Kato Arodes, from where the River Avakas springs.

The best time to see flowers – and indeed pursue most activities – is in the spring between early March and the end of April. That said, outdoor activities can be enjoyed for most of the year. It’s advisable to take lots of water with you when exploring the area during July and August – and an early morning start is recommended if you want to make the most of what the area has to offer. There is always the opportunity to re-charge your energy with a well earned siesta … or a very lazy lunch in a local tavern!

There are several nature trails on the Akamas – you can pick up a guide to them at the local Tourist Information Office in Polis. There are five hiking trails which
Meander around this wilderness refuge. Two are appropriately named “Adonis” and “Aphrodite.” Weaving along the spine of the limestone bluffs, each trail is 7.5 km and can be traversed in roughly three hours. Best advice is to plan for a day trip since camping is prohibited. Equally, there is no need to rush – life in Cyprus runs at a different pace compared to the rest of the world – or so it seems! So you will be forgiven for taking the time to feast upon the visual banquet laid out before you as you progress through the Akamas menu of delights.

For the intrepid explorer, an invigorating way of communing with nature here is a mountain bike excursion. You can hire a local guide – or if you are determined to go it alone, make sure you use a good quality bike to negotiate the rugged terrain. Whilst the highest point on the Akamas is only 350m, many of the trails have a lot of ‘up and down’ before you reach journey’s end!

The rugged beauty of the Akamas Gorge does not lie in isolation from its surrounding land and seascapes, which protect the hidden treasure of Lara Bay on the west coast of the protected Akamas Peninsula – a horse shoe shaped mixture of soft sand and rocks. Access is only with a 4×4 vehicle on unmade roads and tracks to reach this beautiful stretch of golden sand in one of the last wilderness areas of Cyprus.
This is not a beach for spending the day on – but for a truly wilderness experience, it’s hard to beat. Relax and listen to the sounds of the waves crashing against the shoreline. Set against a backdrop of the protected rugged Akamas National Park, it is remote and very peaceful – definitely a place for escapism and reflection.
Lara Bay is a breeding ground for green loggerhead turtles, which return every year at night to lay their eggs. It’s strictly controlled by the Cypriot conservation authorities, who place cages around the eggs to prevent visitors treading on them. Since these measures were taken, the survival rate of hatchlings has increased dramatically. This is one of the few places in the Mediterranean where this turtle returns to breed.
Two kinds of turtles lay their eggs on the north-west coast of Cyprus, the Chelonia Mydas and the Caretta. In the beginning of June the first turtles appear during night at the beach, slowly dig an up to 80 cm deep hole into the sand and lay between 100 and 130 eggs. Then they disappear into the sea but return three to five times during that season. After the season has finished it might take up to three years for them to return to the same breeding place.

When it was recognized that they were to be extinct, measures where taken to protect the turtles. In 1971 the Fishery Department of Cyprus declared the turtles a protected species. In the late seventies the Lara Project was founded for the protection of these animals which was financially supported by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Conservationists try to protect the nests from foxes or birds, using cages made of wire until the young turtles hatch out after 7-8 weeks and then hurry into the sea. This is the time when most of them become victims of other animals. Turtles found on other beaches of the island are brought to Lara beach. In order to increase their chances of survival, the young turtles are now kept in wire cages in the sea, until they reach a certain size – measures which increase their prospects of living.

The best time to visit is the spring and autumn – as access to the beach is restricted in the high summer months of July and August when the turtles are nesting. This is a mark of the respect for the awesome gift of nature continuing its circle of life.