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Hiking

Hiking in Cyprus! Hiking is an excellent activity that you can do free in Cyprus. We have around 100 natural trails with the majority well signed and plenty of them offering rewarding views. Hiking can be done either solo or with a group of friends or even with organised hiking groups, which I will describe below. Additionally, learn about the guidelines you need to follow while you do your favourite activity.

Organised hiking groups

There are several free hiking groups in Cyprus, who usually schedule hikes every weekend and they will be very pleased and welcome you to join them. Below I am stating some of the groups that I had also participated in their hikes. If you know any further groups, let me know and I will add them below.

Order of the groups shown below is random.

Note that at the time writing the article due to the Covid-19 pandemic all hiking groups have paused their activities.

1. Cyprus Hikers

The Cyprus Hikers are the most active group in Cyprus. They are true people, enthusiastic about nature and hiking, experienced hikers of course and they love sharing their knowledge about the trails they do. They are very welcoming and well organised. They do hikes almost every weekend, alternating the day (Saturday or Sunday) each week for satisfying all people who want to join.

2. The Cyprus Strollers

The Cyprus Strollers is another great and equally active hiking group as the above, in Cyprus. The leader is a very friendly and polite person. He is an experienced hiker as well and organises hikes every weekend. There are several other hiking leaders where they alternate for each hike they do. They have a schedule with their activities on their website, which they update frequently.

3. EOS Nicosia

EOS Nicosia is a hiking club who love being outdoors and exploring new hiking trails. They organise events almost every weekend. They are lovely people and very welcoming to new members. They are well organised and they have certain rules you need to follow as described in their Facebook page.

4. Cyprus from air

There is no need for introductions for Cyprus from air. This is a well known hiking group. They organise hiking events usually once a month, sometimes more often. They love what they do and they are incredibly organised. They have a head leader, people in the middle and a tail all communicating via walkie-talkie so they don’t leave anyone behind. The average attendance to this group is 100-200, where there were cases that nearly 800 people attend a hike.

How dangerous is hiking in Cyprus

Cyprus in general is safe for hiking. We don’t have any dangerous animals like bears or so. The only possible danger in Cyprus are the snakes, who are more active during summer. We have 8 kinds of snakes, which only one is fatally venomous. That one is called “blunt-nosed viper”. It has a triangular head and its length can grow up to 2 meters. For more information click on the link of the Ministry of Agriculture, natural resources and environment forestry department.

Climate

In Cyprus we say that we have 9 months of “summer” and 3 months of “winter” 😂. During the actual summer we have temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius ( 104 Fahrenheit) with the heat waves causing several fires to our nature’s lungs 😢. Hiking during summer is of course difficult but not impossible. If you are not a local or not used to such temperatures avoid going for a hike.

The hiking “season” begins in September and ends in May. Depending on the temperatures of the months, but usually from September until May it is safe enough to hike. Our coldest months are January and February where the temperatures can drop to as low as -4 or so degrees Celsius in Troodos mountains. So dress accordingly!!

“Rules” to follow while being outdoors

While hiking in Cyprus natural trails there are some “common sense” rules, which are also established as official guidelines from the Forestry Department:

1. DO NOT throw your trash into the forest. Carry them into your bag until you find a bin.
2. People go to the mountains for the peace of mind. Respect that peace and avoid making unnecessary noise.
3. You are not allowed to cut any plants or move any rocks. Any interruption in the forest ecosystem is prohibited by the Forest Law.
4. Always study the weather the day before and be prepared by carrying all the necessary equipment. Additionally inform someone about your destination, when you will start the trail and it is expected to finished. There are places that there is bad or even no phone/wifi reception.
5. Make sure you have well studied the trail and you know where it starts/ends, how long it is and how difficult it is.
6. Avoid smoking in the natural trails.
7. If you spot a fire contact the forestry department immediately to the toll free number 1407.
8. It is not allowed to ride bicycles or motorcycles on the natural trails unless specific permission is granted and it is under the supervision of the Forestry Department.

For further information, go through the Forestry Department website.

This post is also available in: Ελληνικά (Greek)