Swim
Blue Lagoon
A sheltered cove of electric-turquoise water at the tip of the Akamas. Reach it by boat from Latchi, a rugged 4×4 track, or a two-hour coastal hike — then swim straight off the rocks.
Jun–Sep · midday lightDirections
All free spots
West Cyprus · Akamas & Paphos
Cedar Valley
Nature · Paphos Forest
A remote forested valley deep in the Paphos Forest, carpeted with thousands of endemic Cyprus cedars (Cedrus brevifolia) that grow wild nowhere else on earth. The unpaved forest road in is slow and dusty, but it rewards you with deep quiet, birdsong and a real chance of spotting mouflon. There are no facilities, so bring water and a full tank.
Plan your visit
Visiting Cedar Valley
Cedar Valley (Koilada ton Kedron) lies deep in the state Paphos Forest, a broad hillside cloaked in thousands of endemic Cyprus cedars — Cedrus brevifolia, a tree that grows wild nowhere else on earth. It is one of the quietest, most remote corners of the island, more about the journey and the silence than any single sight, with a small picnic area where the forest tracks meet.
Getting there
Reached only on unpaved forest roads, most commonly from Panagia/Kykkos to the west or via Kampos to the north. It is slow going — allow well over an hour of dirt-road driving from the nearest villages — and a higher-clearance car is far more comfortable than a small hatchback.
Parking
Informal roadside and picnic-area parking where the tracks converge; no marked car park and no facilities.
Best time to go
April–June for wildflowers and comfortable temperatures, or autumn for cool, clear air. Avoid after heavy rain when the dirt roads turn to mud, and always travel in daylight.
More around Akamas & Paphos
Beach
Lara Bay
A wide crescent of untouched golden sand and a protected loggerhead & green-turtle nesting site. No facilities, no umbrellas — just dunes, sea and the conservation hatchery.
May–Aug · early morningDirections
Hike
Avakas Gorge
A dramatic slot canyon where 30-metre limestone walls close to arm’s width overhead. Follow the stream bed past a famous wedged boulder; mouflon and griffon vultures live above.
Apr–Jun · avoid rainDirections