Cyprus Mail - 21 February 2019 - Eleni Philippou
For those that love the outdoors and exploring Nature through hikes and nature trails, the island’s pleasant spring climate is ideal and welcomes many hikers. As we slowly blossom into spring, with March just around the corner, walking groups and organised tours around the island are bound to get more active.
Here to please all nature lovers, hikers and just about anyone that feels like exploring the country’s trails, comes the Walking Festival 2019. Organised by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and the Forestry Department, the festival will have us walking along enchanting coastlines and all the way up pine-clad mountain peaks, aiming to highlight the beauty of Cyprus in spring.
Starting on February 27, the Walking Festival will last well into spring, until May 12, offering guided walking excursions. Participants will have the opportunity to enjoy a representative sample of the extensive network of nature trails in Cyprus.
Walkers will be accompanied by licenced tour guides, as well as escorts from the Forestry Department when deemed necessary. For the transfer to the starting points of the walks, participants will have to use the buses which will be arranged from different cities.
To join the walks, you’ll have to reserve a spot (and keep your word!). Participating and taking the organised buses is completely free of charge, a factor likely to make the events more popular and the booking even more important.
Famagusta district will host the first walk of the festival on February 27th, with a 4.8-kilometre walk tracing Agioi Anargyroi church, the Kamara tou Koraka bridge (Love Bridge) and the Environmental Information and Education Centre at Cape Gkreko. It is estimated to last around two hours and its difficulty level is rated at 2. The same walk will be carried out on March 3rd as well.
The next walk is set for the beautiful Akamas region, with its rich flora and fauna, on March 13th. It will follow the Pissouromoutti trail, setting off from Smigies picnic site. Taking the Neo Chorio road towards the Akamas Peninsula National Park, the trail will turn uphill to the top of Pissouromoutti mountain and finally descend, making a circle around the hill.
To find where and when the rest of the walks are, check out the program in this link: http://www.visitcyprus.com/files/Events/Final_English.pdf
Walking festival 2019
Festival offering guided walks down Cyprus’ nature trails. February 27 – May 12. All around Cyprus. Find the program here: http://www.visitcyprus.com/files/Events/Final_English.pdf
Festival offering guided walks down Cyprus’ nature trails. February 27 – May 12. All around Cyprus. Find the program here: http://www.visitcyprus.com/files/Events/Final_English.pdf
