If you want to experience the real Cyprus, forget about the beach hotels and head for the mountains, Paphos Forrest. Here, in the heart of the island, authentic nature, legends and energy await you, which will recharge even those who think they no longer have batteries. And also a sign. Stavros Kykkos, 25 km 12 hours, which does not bode well for those less physically fit.
Inside Island
I turn off at Stavros tis Psokas and head into the heart of the Paphos Forrest. Through Cedar Valley to Kampos and Kykkos Monastery. The E4 main tourist route runs through the whole of Cyprus. The entire route is 254 km long and passes through the most beautiful areas of the non-Turkish part of the island.
It starts in Paphos, passes through the Smigies, Adonis and Aphrodite trails on the Akamas peninsula and continues through Paphos Forrest, Troodos to Larnaka.
Stavros tis Psokas
One of the most beautiful stages of E4 to the Kykkos Monastery starts in Stavros. 26 km and 11 hours. That’s the recommendation and I advise you to believe it. One of the most beautiful trails of my life. A real mountain climb. Not a meter of flat ground. I wouldn’t come here with children and I advise adults to consider their fitness and preparedness. You will climb several thousand meters in altitude.
In Stavros there is a game reserve and beautiful log cabins. I talk to the mountain rescue service and dream of life in these mountains. They laugh. It would pass very quickly. The winter here is really intense. And they say that an old hermit, who retreated here from civilization, still appears in the forests today. Only a few have seen him. Or maybe they just wanted to see him.
Cedar Valley
Cedar Valley is one of the most beautiful valleys in Cyprus, known for its dense forests of cedars, which wave over the hills and create the impression of a fairy-tale world. In season, you can feel the intoxicating scent of resin here, out of season you can feel like an explorer of an unknown land. If you are lucky, you can spot mouflons – wild sheep, which are a symbol of Cypriot nature.
The area offers several great hiking trails. Among the most popular is the Cedar Valley Trail, an easy trail about 4 km long, which will take you through beautiful cedar groves with views of the mountain peaks. For more demanding tourists, there is the Kampos tou Livadiou Trail, which connects Cedar Valley with mountain villages and offers breathtaking scenery.
If you dare to take a longer trek, you can continue along the E4 route, which will take you not only through this valley, but also through other gems of Cypriot nature. Even road bikers can’t deny themselves in the mountains. If you discover Cedar Valley out of season and you are most likely the only living person in the valley.
The ascent to Kykkos is not so much about fitness as it is about morale and will. Beautiful 2400 meters of altitude to something over 26 km. However, the number of hills (up and down) is on your side. If you decide to turn around and go back within the bounds of common sense, you may end up worse than those who made it to the finish. It’s cold here. Really cold. People are bathing down below and it’s around zero here. Something rustles somewhere in the bushes. I take it for a forest animal, but then I remember the Cypriot legends about lost souls that wander here.
Kykkos Monastery
The monastery will amaze and delight you at the same time. It will amaze you with its dominance in the mountains at the very end of the world. You will be pleased that you are here and the entrance is conditional on being covered in a monastic habit. And it’s warm. Like my mom’s dressing gown. Really warm. If you are frozen, hungry, cold to the point of shivering, you will be happy to put on not one, but even two.
What were the monks looking for so high in the mountains? Peace. Nothing has changed, only the time has accelerated even more. Comfort, convenience, civilization, but also commerce, hustle and bustle, information smog and chaos. Maybe these monks understood something that we are only just looking for.
Return to reality
I don’t return to my AirBnB house until late at night. Before that, I have a few beers with the Stavroses. Yes, the one on the left is called Stavros and the one on the right is also Stavros. Exhausted from fatigue but happy. That’s what I call an intense day.
In the morning, I hung my washed merino shirt in the yard. It should be dry. It was. And also torn. After four days, the local dogs like me so much that they can’t stand it if I leave them alone. At least they tore up what stank of me. It was an expensive, functional, branded merino shirt. They had taste.
The trails in Paphos Forrest and Troodos have once again convinced me that the most beautiful and authentic things can be found when you leave the sunbeds by the sea, the comfort of hotels and official tourist attractions. And if you are lucky, you may even meet that hermit.
