Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DON'T MISS
KALEDONIA TRAIL: NIGHTINGALES & WATERFALLS
Kaledonia Trail
HIKING
A perfect summer hike, the Kaledonia Trail is well shaded and well marked. Around 3km long, it starts approx-
imately 1km downhill from Central Troödos and ends just outside the town of Platres. The trail winds down
through a thickly wooded valley alongside the Kryos River, a gurgling stream with stepping-stone crossings and
log bridges. The track is steep in parts and is best tackled from north to south, as it drops about 400m in altitude.
It offers a variety of vegetation like black pines and Cyprus mint and an abundance of small birds like Cyprus
and Sardinian warblers and nightingales. The last kilometre brings you to picturesque Kaledonia Falls, a 15m
drop of cascading water from an immense gabbro-rock precipice. Allow yourself two hours for an uplifting and
relaxing hike.
Platres
Pop 200
The nightingales won't let you sleep in Platres.
Georgos Seferis, Eleni, 1953
Platres (formerly Pano Platres) is the highest of the mountain communities, with an alti-
tude of approximately 1200m. Located in a lush and fertile pocket of dense forest, it re-
ceives some of the highest rainfall in Cyprus.
A popular health retreat with British colonialists and personalities from the past, Platres
has hosted Nobel Prize-winning Greek poet Georgos Seferis, whose most famous poems
were inspired by the village, and King Farouk of Egypt, who crossed the Mediterranean to
seek summer refuge here. Modelled somewhat on the hill stations of colonial Asia, it has
all the trappings of a cool mountain retreat: forest walks, bubbling streams, relief from the
heat of the plains, and gin and tonics on the balconies of old-world hotels.
Nowadays it's popular with hikers, retirees and travellers who prefer the hills to the
beaches. Platres has now merged its former charm with modernised restaurants and hotels
to become a delightful place to stay while visiting the mountains. It's a perfect retreat dur-
ing the heat of summer with its dry climate, scenic surroundings and overall tranquility,
and in winter, it converts into the perfect ski resort, with cosy restaurants and roaring log
fires.
Platres is off the main Lemesos-Troödos highway (B9) and consists of a series of snak-
ing roads, an upper road that's home to a number of hotels, and a lower road populated
with restaurants, shops and bars.
