Kykkos To Konizi Trail: The Most Beautiful And Strenuous Hike In Cyprus

Description

The Kykkos to Konizi trail is found literally next to Kykkos Monastery on the road towards the Throni. It offers magnificent panoramic views but also amazing pictures of the dense Paphos forest and its streams. This hidden and unknown trail does a deep dive into Paphos unspoiled forest with views that will surpass your expectations!

The trail is linear and 7 km long if done one way. If you choose to return back the same way then the distance doubles. The trail is very difficult due to its steep ascent and descent with elevation gain and loss around 869 metres. The trail route shapes a V sign, meaning there is a continuous downhill until you reach the bottom of the trail where you pass by a few streams and then you continue to a steep uphill. The estimated time to finish the hike is 6 hours for 14 km.

The trail is beautiful and unspoiled, since it is not that popular.

Viewpoints

I will split the trail into 3 legs:

The first leg begins by walking on the sideline of the mountain having an incredible view of the massive mountains on your left side. Then it goes on into the deep forest with the trees sometimes shaping a natural arc making the experience unique and stunning.
The second leg is at the bottom of the trail where there are a few streams that you have to cross. When I visited it, only one of them had running water. In general the scenery is incredible and the views amazing. It feels like you are in another country.
The last leg is a steep uphill hike to the Konizi point. Most of the trail is under shade but there are cases where you walk on the side of the mountain with several exposed under the sun spots, which act like nature’s window towards the surrounding mountains of the area.

At the beginning of the trail you will also have a distant view of the Throni. However, since Throni is around the corner, feel free to visit it after the hike.

Starting points

The trail starts from the Kykkos monastery area towards the Throni, behind some big buildings and finishes to the Konizi area, or vice versa! The Konizi point is found in the road towards Cedar Valley. The exact GPS location is provided in the Kykkos to Konizi trail information table.

Personal comments

The specific trail has a versatile terrain. It starts with a normal narrow trail path and alternates about 4-5 times to rocky terrain. At the very early point of the trail the hiker experiences panoramic views of the surrounding area.

Then the terrain changes to a steep downhill with dirt and leaves on the ground making it a bit slippery. At this point the path is under shade for most of the time. At the bottom of the trail the terrain is mostly covered by leaves making it a bit risky since you may encounter any unexpected “friends” (small snakes).

After passing a few streams, the steep uphill begins which is mostly a narrow trail with sometimes rocks and sometimes leaves.

The trail is very difficult due to its terrain and steepness. It also has a few sections where the passage becomes very narrow and needs extra attention. I would categorize this hike as 3+ (very difficult).

My personal advice is:

It is not recommended for beginners due to its difficulty
Definitely use hiking poles as the ascent and descent are very steep
Even though the majority of the trail is covered, choose to do it in winter time, so you avoid any confrontation with unexpected friends. We almost step on a baby black snake twice 😅, when we hike it in early April.
Ideal weather would be winter and cloudy. Avoid hiking this trail while it’s raining. The weather will escalate its difficulty to another level.
Do not do this hike alone!

Note that this trail is not that known to the public and signal reception, while being at the lower section of the trail, may not be optimal.

Important information:

The trail is counted as 6.5km by the Forestry department, but I found it to be 7km.

At the 5^th km the trail reaches what seems to be an old and neglected gravel road. On your left side it should be a water tank. The correct way is on your right side. You follow that gravel road for +/- 100 hundred metres until you reach a small open space. There is a curve where the road goes right uphill. That’s not the correct way. At that point you should go left. It may seem like it is not the trail but after a few metres you will understand that it’s the correct way since in slight right the trail will appear again. After that it is a continuous uphill. At some point there is a small tree fallen into the trail where you have to pass it with caution. Besides that everything should be ok and soon you will be in the Konizi area.

Kykkos to Konizi trail information table

Description
Starting points	Kykkos: 34.98189, 32.7368(link) Konizi point: 34.98107, 32.69837 (link)
Ending point	either Kykkos or Konizi
Distance	14 km
Difficulty (1 – easy, 2 – moderate, 3 – difficult)	3+
Trail type	Linear
ETA finish time	6 hours
Elevation Gain/Loss	869 metres
Maximum Altitude	1168 metres