Akamas jeep safari (full day)
This guided safari, in a long-wheel-base four-wheel drive vehicle, takes you for a day out in the Akamas peninsula, a place of great natural beauty.
Your driver acts as your guide, and shows you the beauty of the area both on and off-road. Admire the rugged coastline with its wildlife and plants.
Some degree of fitness is required to access the jeeps, and these tours are not recommended for those with walking difficulties or back ailments.
Kyrenia (full day)
Kyrenia is a bustling harbour town, but away from the harbour there are several historical sites of great interest, including Kyrenia Castle, the Shipwreck Museum, St Hilarion Castle and the magnificent Gothic-style Bellapais Abbey. The museum has the remains of what is claimed to be the world’s oldest shipwreck.
Situated in the mountains, Bellapais was for some years the home of Lawrence Durrell who chronicled his life here in his book ‘Bitter Lemons’.
Panayia (full day)
This excursion visits the beautiful village of Panayia, the birthplace of Archbishop Makarios III, the first president of Cyprus. Panayia stands 800 metres above sea level within the evergreen Paphos forest.
You also visit the idyllic Chryssoroyiatissa Monastery, famous for its excellent wine.
Continue to the famous monastery of Ayios Neophytos that was founded around 1200 by the Cypriot hermit and writer Neophytos. The ‘Encleistra’ (Enclosure) was carved out of the mountain by the hermit and consists of the finest Byzantine frescoes, dating from the 12th to the 15th centuries. The monastery’s church contains a fascinating collection of icons and remains of 16th-century frescoes.
The return journey takes you via Tsada, a village surrounded by vineyards which enjoys spectacular views of the Troodos Mountains to one side and Paphos Bay area and town to the other. Tsada also has a beautiful golf course that looks up to the Troodos Mountains.
Troodos and Kykkos (full day)
See breathtaking views from the Troodos Mountains and the picturesque mountain villages in the heart of Cyprus, where time seems to have stood still. Drive through wine-growing villages on the way up to the Troodos, passing just below the peak of Mount Olympus, through the village of Prodromos to reach Kykkos, at a height of about 1,200 metres above sea level.
Kykkos Monastery was founded in 1080 by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komnenos, who gave it one of three surviving icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary that were reputedly painted by St Luke.
Two kilometres uphill from the monastery, you see Throni, the seat of the Virgin Mary. Nearby is the tomb of Archbishop Makarios III, who became the first president of Cyprus.
Stop for lunch (not included) in the delightful village of Pedhoullas, and in the afternoon you return to your hotel via a different mountain road.