Exploring Cyprus
Cyprus is an island nation located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It is known for its rich history, stunning beaches, and diverse cultural heritage.
Views over Coral Bay from the village of Peyia
After what felt like an eternity of lockdowns and restrictions, I finally got on a plane for the first time in almost 3 years and escaped the UK for sunny Cyprus. I travelled with my sister and we stayed in a self-catering apartment in a place called Peyia, which is a small town halfway up a mountain with views over the surrounding Coral Bay.
The past year has been challenging for me creatively. After returning to full-time work from spending 6 months in rural Ireland focusing on Photography, I found myself struggling to be inspired, and coupled with the on-off restrictions we have been faced with this past year in the UK, I think I can count on one hand the number of time I have been motivated to venture out with my camera. So a week in the beautiful sunshine, reading, swimming in the sea and drinking wine whilst watching the sun set is exactly what I needed to get my creative juices flowing again.
According to many of the locals, October is a good time to visit Cyprus. The temperature remained above 25c every day, with cooler nights and mornings, a drastic change from the unbearable heat of the Summer. The timing of our visit also meant everything was a lot quieter, and we travelled along many roads without seeing a single other person.
As my sister and I are both fully vaccinated, we were not required to take part in any testing in order to fly, and only had to fill out the Cyprus Flight Pass, and prove our vaccination status, which can be done by uploading a .pdf of the NHS vaccination certificate.
We breezed through the airport relatively quickly, showing our Cyprus Flight Passes both in the UK and upon arrival at Paphos Airport.
Although we hadn’t organised any of our days before arriving, I had a list of a few places I was keen to visit so we spent the first night drinking wine on the balcony, as the sun set, researching and booking some different things we wanted to do.
Eat at Oniro By The Sea
Highly recommended to us was Oniro By The Sea, a beautiful bar and restaurant overlooking the sea, with beachy decor and a delicious menu. We visited twice during our week away, once for dinner and once for lunch. Both times we were delighted with our food, and we sampled a fair few of the exotic cocktails.
The restaurant was pretty full both times we visited, and I think it would be fair to say that without a reservation it is unlikely that you will get a table.
Visit the Shipwreck
Located conveniently near Oniro By The Sea is a cargo ship called Edro lll, that ran aground in 2011 whilst travelling to Rhodes from Limassol. There have been a few attempts to move the shipwreck from its current spot just northwest of Paphos, however, they were unsuccessful as the project was just too challenging, and so Edro lll remains resting on Sea Caves Avenue within a few metres of the land.
Whilst the 2.5-tonne ship looks close enough to touch and is most certainly close enough to swim to, it is too dangerous and so nobody is permitted near.
We spent a beautiful evening watching the sun go down just behind spectacular Edro lll, and this ended up being my favourite evening during the week in Cyprus.
Swim in the sea caves
Along the seafront in Peyia, you will find the Kantarkastoi sea caves. Formed by erosion from the wave action of the sea over thousands of years, this spectacle is not to be missed! Before they were discovered by humans, seals used to reside in these caves and explains the reason why one of the caves is named ‘Spilios tis Fokenas’ which means Seal Cave.
These caves are only accessible from the sea, either by boat or by swimming. As the caves span a wide area all along the coast path, you can take your pick which one you’d like to explore.
When walking along the coast path, we observed only a small number of points where it was possible to climb down the rocky terrain to the sea, so some of the caves might require a bit of a longer swim to access, however, the water was crystal clear and relatively shallow as far as we could see.
Visit Latchi
Latchi is a small seaside village with a harbour located towards the very northwest of Cyprus, around a 50-minute drive from Paphos. From there you are only a short trip away from the beautiful Akamas National Park. There are plenty of bars and restaurants located all along Latchi harbour for you to choose from, and towards the end of the harbour is a beautiful jetty that overlooks the sea and the surrounding mountains.
The water at Latchi is gorgeous and we spent a long time sitting in the warm sunshine on the jetty and watching all manner of marine life flitting around beneath us, as well as wandering the harbour admiring all of the different boats.
Take a boat to The Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon is one of the most spectacular places to visit in Cyprus. Crystal waters that remained at 26c in October, so clear even at its deepest point, and just wonderful to swim in and cool off.
From Latchi Harbour, you have a seemingly unlimited number of options for excursions to the Blue Lagoon, which is located on the Akamas Peninsula. You can either book online beforehand, or choose on the day which company you would like to travel with.
We booked through Cyprus Mini Cruises for the afternoon excursion, which left the harbour at 1.15 pm and returned at 3.45 pm and included local fruits and wine for €20. There are other options such as a morning trip, or a full-day trip that also involves a barbecue!
We did a brief tour past the Baths of Aphrodite, St George’s Island and Manolis Bay Sea Caves, before anchoring at The Blue Lagoon for delicious fresh fruit, wine, and swimming (not in that order!)
I have no other way to describe this experience other than a dream! The water was a perfect temperature and I just couldn’t think of anywhere else I would rather be than sitting on the deck of the boat in the sunshine, drinking wine, and looking out onto the most beautiful water I had ever seen.
Explore the mountains of Peyia
We lucked out with the weather during our stay. The rainy season runs from October to April and so we were surprised when we only had one day of light rain during the week. On this day we decided to explore Peyia and the surrounding mountains.
We didn’t have a specific route in mind, so made the decision to just follow the roads that would take us further up the mountain.
The terrain was rocky and sparse, and we even saw a few goats roaming around. This was such a contrast to the other experiences of Cyprus we had throughout the week, which had consisted of lush greenery and turquoise blue waters, but equally as enjoyable. We also didn’t see a single person whilst exploring the mountains, but plenty of lizards!
We had such an enjoyable week exploring all that beautiful Cyprus has to offer. I know that we barely scraped the surface of things to do on the island and I would love to return to see more.
Have you ever visited Cyprus? If so, what was your favourite experience? Let me know in the comments!
For more travel inspiration, check out my other blog posts on amazing destinations or follow me on social media for regular updates and unique travel photos.
