Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Birdwatching
Cyprus is blessed with nearly 400 bird species, and many visitors come to Troödos for its
tranquillity, excellent visibility and variety of habitats. You can spot everything from Grif-
fon vultures to warblers, wagtails and pipits. Check out
www.cyprusbirding.com
for com-
prehensive bird lists and locations.
Cycling
Troödos has a growing number of routes dedicated to cycling and mountain biking, in-
cluding several forest tracks. The booklet
Troödos Cycling Routes
is available at the visit-
or centre and CTO offices, and has detailed information on bike tracks in the mountain
range. Troödos' most common cycling route comprises three tracks making up one large
circular run of the Mt Olympus summit:
Psilo Dendro (Platres)-Karvounas
A 16.2km flat ride through easy terrain including
good-quality tarmac, forest and dirt track.
Karvounas-Prodromos
A 22.7km ride with a decent incline, a medium to hard degree
of difficulty and good all-surface conditions.
Prodromos-Psilo Dendro
An 18.2km simple ride downhill with good roads mixed
with stony tracks that can be tough on tyres.
Check out
www.cypruscycling.com
for information on bike runs and events held on the
island.
Picnicking
With nine well-organised sites ranging in capacity from 250 to 2000 visitors, Troödos
Forest Park attracts flocks of picnickers. You can set up practically anywhere and all sites
have facilities such as wooden tables, fresh drinking water, toilets, playgrounds and park-
ing. Barbecuing is allowed in the pits provided, if you wish to join the locals in grilling
chops or spit-roasting
kontosouvli
(chunks of lamb).
Kampos tou Livadi
, a great little picnic ground among the pine trees, is located 3km
down the Troödos-Nicosia road (B9). A further 8km along this road is the popular
Platania
(Plane Trees) picnic ground and camp site. It can get busy with weekend visit-
ors, but it offers plenty of shade and includes a children's adventure park, making it ideal
for families.
Skiing
Troödos has four slopes, ranging in length from 150m to 350m. The two longer slopes are
on the north face of the mountain; the Hera lift takes you to the 350m beginners' slope,
and the Zeus lift takes you to the peak for the advanced 500m-long Jubilee run and the ra-
