Berlitz: Cyprus Pocket Guide by Berlitz Travel

Author:Berlitz Travel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Travel, Cyprus
Publisher: APA
Published: 2016-08-08T16:00:00+00:00

The monastery of Agios Neofytos

Caroline Jones/Apa Publications

North of Pafos

Beaches in Pafos are unremarkable, so many visitors travel 10km (6 miles) north to better sands at Coral Bay (Kolpos Koralion). Further up the coast, there are more beaches either side of Agios Georgios (Áyios Yeóryios), which has accommodation, restaurants and the remains of a basilica with mosaic flooring (free access). Beyond pebbly ‘White River Beach’ just north of Agios Georgios, you’ll pass sandier Toxeftra beach, and the turning inland to the famous Avgas Gorge, a favourite destination for hikers. Beyond here, it’s best to have a 4WD vehicle as you head up to Cape Lara and the vast sandy beaches on either side. The northerly, dune-clad Lara Bay • [map] is an official marine reserve, set aside to protect the endangered green and loggerhead turtles that come ashore on summer nights to hatch and bury their eggs.

Some 9km (5 miles) northeast of Pafos, the monastery of Agios Neofytos ª [map] (Áyios Neóphytos; daily Apr–Oct 9am–1pm and 2–6pm, Nov–Mar 9am–4pm; charge for Hermitage) dominates a wooded slope. Its church has fine 16th-century frescoes and icons, but the main focus is the 12th-century Enkleistra (Hermitage), around which the monastery grew. The saintly historian and theologian Neophytos (1134–1219) supposedly hacked this cave-dwelling out of the rock with his own hands and then supervised the creation of the frescoes that decorate the chapel and cell. One shows Neophytos himself, being escorted into Paradise by two archangels.

On the north coast 35km (22 miles) from Pafos, the small town of Polis q [map] stands where the ancient city­kingdom of Marion once thrived from nearby gold and copper mines. Archaeological finds from the site are on display at the Marion-Arsinoe Archaeological Museum (Mon–Fri 8am–4pm, Sat 9am–3pm). The old town centre has been restored and has a pleasant if touristy cluster of cafés and restaurants. Polis is a prelude to the fishing port and beach resort of Lakki (Latchí) w [map], where seafood tavernas cluster around the fishing port; to either side are decent sand-and-pebble beaches.

Romantics should head west to the end of the paved road, from where it’s a brief stroll to the Baths of Aphrodite e [map], a small, shaded natural pool and springs set in a cool green glade, where the goddess was wont to bathe. Meatier hikes – either a coastal track giving swimming opportunities, or more challenging proper trails uphill – lead from here further into the Akamas Peninsula, one of the few unspoilt wildernesses left on the island and long a battleground between environmentalists and developers (see box).

A Wilderness Under Threat

Untamed and scenic, the last major piece of unspoilt coastline in South Cyprus, the Akamas Peninsula arouses strong passions, among conservationists, hikers and wildlife-spotters on the one hand, and tourist-enterprise developers, the Orthodox Church and local villagers on the other. Since 1986, organisations as disparate as the World Bank, the European Union, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace have called for the creation of a local national park. Matters are complicated

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