Showing 1-15 of 15 results
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Alevkaya Herbarium
A worthwhile visit can be made along the back road of the Beşparmak (Pentadaktylos) spur of the Kyrenia Range to the Alevkaya Herbarium, a forest station on the mountain ridge between Esentepe (Agios Amvrosios) and Değirmenlik (Kythrea). The herbarium is home to samples of most of the endemic Cypriot flora and includes some 1250 native-plant species. On display are many dried and preserved specimens, as well as the fresh variety.
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Bellapais (Beylerbeyi)
The vertical road up to the gorgeous Bellapais village will keep you concentrating on the driving, so that when you finally park, inevitably by Bellapais Abbey, you will be stunned by two things: the endless views from the mountain village, and the abbey, which is always more spectacular than expected. Bellapais is the perfect day trip from Kyrenia, but it is even more perfect as a base for exploring the region, if you don't mind the drive to the beach.
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Bellapais Abbey
This beautiful Augustinian monastery, Bellapais Abbey is reason enough to drive up to Bellapais. Near the end of the 12th century the Augustinian monks, who had fled Palestine following the fall of Jerusalem to the Saracen Saladin (Selahaddin Eyyubi) in 1187, came here. They established a monastery by the name of Abbaye de la Paix (Abbey of Peace), from which the corrupted version of the name Bellapais evolved.
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Buffavento Castle
The three castles of the Kyrenia Range are like three beautiful sisters in a folk tale. Each is in competition with the other, trying to be different in order to draw attention to themselves. Like some sisters, Kantara Castle is considered the most romantic of the trio and St Hilarion the most interesting; but the lofty fortress of Buffavento Castle is the one that plays hard-to-get.
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Çatalköy Beach
If you fancy quieter and less developed beaches, go east of Kyrenia. With one notable exception, these are better loved by seekers of solitude. The first worth a mention is Çatalköy Beach, 7km from Kyrenia. It is reached via a signposted road off the main road. Look for Seamus O'Flynn's pub, turn here and continue for 1.5km; turn right at the junction. The beach is a narrow smile of sand in a pretty little protected bay. There are beach loungers to rent and a diving platform.
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Church of Agios Georgios
The road from here to the cape is a 3.5km dirt track - lumpy in parts, but driveable in a conventional vehicle. There is nothing at the end but bare rocks, a couple of abandoned buildings and a solar-powered shipping beacon. This is also Cyprus' closest point to Turkey, which lies 60km across the sea. Head back via the picturesque inland loop road through Koruçam village and take note of the huge Maronite Church of Agios Georgios, built in 1940 from funds raised by the villagers.
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home of Lawrence Durrell
The second reason to visit Bellapais, but only if you know his work, is to visit the home of Lawrence Durrell. The village's only literary son, Durrell lived here in the early 1950s; although the near-idyllic, mixed-community days described in his book Bitter Lemons of Cyprus have long since gone, the novel remains compulsory reading for visitors to Cyprus.
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Horse Shoe Beach
The bare northwestern tip of Northern Cyprus is known as the Koruçam Burnu (Cape Kormakitis) and, apart from being yet another 'land's end' in the same sense as Cape Greco and Cape Arnaoutis in the South, or Zafer Burnu (Cape Apostolos Andreas) in the east, it is also home to one of Cyprus' least-known religious communities. A trip to the cape makes for a pleasant excursion from Lapta. There is at least one decent beach on the way with a popular grill and fish restaurant.
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Kantara Castle
The Kyrenia to Kaplica (Davlos) area is a wonderful area of Cyprus and most interesting for those who want to see the last untouched parts of the island that has changed so much over the last thirty years. The meandering, narrow coastal road from Kyrenia to Kaplıca and on towards Kantara Castle runs eastward along plantations of olives and carobs, small village houses, and space and silence that you won't find elsewhere, apart from the Karpas (Kırpaşa) Peninsula.
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Lapta (Lapithos)
The village of Lapta (Lapithos) is popular as a day trip for its proximity to Kyrenia as well as for its views and cool, leafy atmosphere. Forest fires devastated much of the Kyrenia Range escarpment in the mid-1990s, but fortunately Lapta managed to escape most of the ruination and still retains its old-world charm. Lapta was one of the original city kingdoms of Cyprus and was a regional capital under Roman rule.
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Lara (Vakıflar) Beach
Popular with expats is Lara (Vakıflar) Beach, 3km further along and signposted just before the large power station. There is no charge to park and swim. The somewhat scruffy dark sand beach is nonetheless generally clean, and there are spotless toilets and changing rooms. A small snack bar serves beach goers.
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St Hilarion Castle
The outline of the almost magical, fairytale remains of St Hilarion Castle will not become apparent until you are directly beneath it, so blended is the structure with the cliffside. The castle (kalesi in Turkish) has just enough hidden rooms, tunnels, overgrown gardens and steep staircases and paths to leave parents gasping for breath and the children asking for more. Rumour has it that Walt Disney drew inspiration from the jagged contours of St Hilarion when he made Snow White .
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Turtle (Alagadı) Beach
19km from Kyrenia is Turtle (Alagadı) Beach, where the Society for the Protection of Turtles (SPOT) has a small monitoring station, affectionately called the 'Goat Shed'. The twin sandy beaches here are generally undeveloped and are strictly speaking total turtle territory. Swim elsewhere if you can. The beach is closed from to from May to October.
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Vrysi (Acapulco) Beach
Next along from Çatalköy Beach is the private Vrysi (Acapulco) Beach, now looked after by the large three-star Acapulco Holiday Village, which caters for package tourists, but takes in casual guests as well. It's OK if you don't mind paying to park and swim.
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Yavuz Çıkarma (Five Mile) Beach
Kyrenia's top swimming beach is west of the town and is known as Yavuz Çıkarma (Five Mile) Beach, which is overlooked by the restaurant of the same name. This sandy cove has three names in Turkish. Altınkaya, after the rock next to it, is also the name of the recommended restaurant that overlooks the beach. Its two other names are Beşinci Mil (Five Mile), and Yavuz Çıkarma (Resolute Outbreak). This beach was used by the Turkish Army to launch their invasion/rescue operation in 1974.
Showing 1-15 of 15 results
