Hike
Caledonia Waterfall Trail
A cool two-hour forest loop tracing the Kryos river through pine and plane trees to a 13-metre waterfall — the island’s best escape from the August heat.
Spring · full flowDirections
All free spots
Centre Cyprus · Troodos Mountains
Kalopanayiotis & Agios Ioannis Lampadistis
Village · Marathasa Valley
A beautifully restored spa village stacked down the Setrachos valley, linked by lanes, footbridges and a free cable lift to the UNESCO-listed Agios Ioannis Lampadistis monastery with its remarkable frescoes. Entry to the monastery is free. The village is steep, so expect a proper leg workout between the upper road and the river.
Plan your visit
Visiting Kalopanayiotis & Agios Ioannis Lampadistis
Kalopanayiotis tumbles down the Marathasa valley around the UNESCO-listed monastery of Agios Ioannis Lampadistis — a rare complex of churches sharing one huge timber roof, painted with some of the finest Byzantine frescoes in the Troodos. The village has been beautifully restored, linked by footbridges over the Setrachos stream, and its sulphur springs made it a spa retreat a century ago.
Getting there
Roughly 70 minutes from Nicosia via Evrychou, paved throughout. A cable lift links the upper village to the monastery level if the steep lanes defeat you.
Parking
Park at the upper-village car parks and walk down; spaces by the monastery are few.
Best time to go
April–June and September–October are ideal. The frescoed churches stay cool even in August — the lanes between them don't.
More around Troodos Mountains
Waterfall
Millomeris Waterfall
At 15 metres, the tallest natural waterfall in Cyprus, plunging over a black rock face into a mossy plunge pool. A short cobbled path drops to the base.
Spring · after rainDirections
Hike
Artemis Trail · Mt Olympus
A near-level seven-kilometre loop circling the summit of Mount Olympus through black pine and juniper, with both coasts visible on a clear day. Snow-dusted in winter.
May–OctDirections