Self-Guided

Self-Guided: Daily: 1/1 - 6/6 and 9/15 - 12/31/2010
Other dates are possible, but not advisable due to the summer heat

Self-Guided: €525

Day 1: Individual arrival Salamis
Arrive Ercan (North Cyprus) or Larnaca (South Cyprus) airport, where you can be picked up and transported to your hotel near Salamis. Two nights in a hotel at the beach.

Day 2: Salamis and Famagusta (approx. 35km/22 miles)
Explore by bicycle the Roman town of Salamis. Very attractive is the combination of ruins, sandy dunes and sea panorama. In spring time the area is covered by the yellow blossoms of the acacia bushes the British planted in the old times. The ancient harbour invites you for a swim. Afterwards cycle to the kings' tombs and Saint Barnabas monastery. You may also visit the crusader town of Famagusta.

Day 3: Bogaz (approx. 50km/32 miles)
First you cycle to the church of Panagia in Iskele, with its beautiful 12th C frescoes, a jewel of Byzantine art. Then through villages, in which the time seems to stand still, to Bogaz, a small fishing village with excellent fish restaurants. Two nights in a hotel next to the beach.

Day 4: Yeni Erenköy (approx. 55km/34 miles)
Today you cycle across the Karpas peninsula. Olive, carob and fig trees edge the wayside. The traditional villages are adorned with bougainvilleas, hibiscus and jasmin. Shady coffee houses invite you for a rest. Half the way you may – perhaps advisable during hot days – take a detour to the sandy beach of Kumyali. Overnight in a small hotel next to the sea with a few pretty sandy beaches around. The ‘Kleftiko’ cooked in a earthen ware pot is highly recommended.

Day 5: Dipkarpaz/Karpasia (15, 35 or 50 km/9, 22 or 31 miles)
You cycle along the north coast then further on to Dipkarpaz, the last village on the panhandle. The ethical mixed village consists of many little farms with little gardens, lemon and orange orchards, spread around. You may cycle to the beach of the Achaeans. An ancient basilica stands lonely over the old harbour of Karpasia. Cycle further on to Aphrendrika. Only a few shepherds huts stand in the Arcadian landscape. Remains of walls, tombs and lots of potsherds refer to ancient times. Two nights in a converted village house.

Day 6: Golden Beach and Cape Andreas (20, 40 or 50 km/12, 25 or 31 miles)
Today you cycle along the south coast. Our first destination is the long sandy beach. It is one of the very few areas in the Mediterranean where the Caretta-Caretta and the Green Turtle can lay their eggs. You may also see wild donkeys playing at the shore. Cycle to Apostolos Andreas monasteries, a famous pilgrimage place for the Greeks coming from the South. You may also cycle further on to Cape Andreas where once an Aphrodite temple greeted the seafarers. From here it's only a stone’s throw to Syria.

Day 7: Kumyali (35 km/ 23 miles)
Today you cycle through an idyllic, arcadian landscape to the south coast of the ‘panhandle’. The pretty hotel in Kumyali (with small pool) is well known for its excellent Cypriote specialities. Also the sandy beach is not far away.

Day 8: Individual departure
Travel home via chosen airport or extension.

(back to top)