Guide of Troodos mountains in Cyprus. Troodos information, history, sights and villages of Troodos mountains

TROODOS (TROODOS MOUNTAIN RANGE & RESORT)

Troodos - Cyprus is well known for its beach resorts, but a pleasant contrast is the densely forested Troodos range.Troodos is located in the south-west of the Island. The dome-shaped highland is dominated by the island’s highest peak, Mount Olympus at 1.953 metres above sea level. The entire Troodos massif takes up approximately one half of the island’s area. This part of the world is of great geological interest, as it is known that Troodos mountain range consists of the earth’s upper mantle which emerged from the sea many millions of years ago.

This is the place to escape to from the heat of the summer, a place of extreme natural beauty with abundant nature trails such as the Persephone and Atalanta Trail, and villages of red-tiled roofs where the pace is quaintly relaxed. The best way to explore the Troodos area is by renting a car. Roads are very good, signs are in English as well as Greek (as everywhere else).
A good starting point is the Pitsylia area with numerous villages where you can sample local wines, honey and cheeses.
The largest hill resort is higher up, Platres. The upper part of the town, Pano Platres, oozes an Alpine feeling with its small hotels and café/bars.

Platres In the winter, is a good starting point for skiing excursions to Mount Olympus. The Troodos is also home to ten painted Byzantine churches, all on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Natural Vegetation - Notwithstanding its small size, Cyprus has a variety of natural vegetation. This includes forests of hardwood, evergreen and broadleaved trees such as pinus latepensis, cedar, cypressus and oak. According to Eratosthenes (3rd Century BC), a Greek botanist, most of Cyprus, even Messaoria, was heavily forested in antiquity, and considerable remnants of these forests survive on the Troodos and Keryneia (Kyrenia) ranges, and locally at lower altitudes. Nature: More than seventeen percent of Cyprus is classified as woodland. All told there are 1,750 species of flowering plants in Cyprus, 127 of which grow nowhere else but on the island. Much of the forested area is in the foothills and peaks of the Troodos Mountains. Here, only about an hour away from the coast, it is possible to find yourself enshrouded in perfect, restorative silence. To explore the Troodos and Akamas Peninsula up close, you can hike or take organized 4x4 jeep excursions.
About 17% of the whole island is being classified as woodland. Where the forest has been destroyed, tall shrub communities of arbutus and rachne, pistacia terebinthus, olea europea, quercus coccifera and styrax officinalis may survive, but such maquis is uncommon. Over most of the island untilled ground bears a grazed covering of garigue, largely composed of low bushes of cistus, genista sphacelata calycotoime villosa, lithospermum hispidulum, phaganalon rupestre and, locally, pistacia lentiscus.Where grazing is excessive this covering is soon reduced, and an impoverished batha remains, consisting principally of thymus capitatus, sarcopoterium spinosum, and a few stunted herbs.

Birds & Animals - Cyprus has been endowed with a rich fauna including a large number of endemic birds, reptiles and animals. Because of its position, Cyprus is also a vital stop-over for thousands of migratory birds including flamingos which find the island an ideal place for both feeding and refuge on their way to Africa.. Among the animals the moufflon occupies an outstanding position and is considered as one of the natural treasures of the island. The moufflon belongs to the sheep family but this species is unique in the world. This animal, which is the symbol of the Cyprus Republic and is used on its coins, has long been in danger of extinction, but today is a fully protected species.

Agrotourism- Travel inland almost anywhere in Cyprus and you will come across ancient stone villages and hill towns that have changed little over the centuries. There is no better way to slip into the rhythm of tradition than by staying in the heart of a Cypriot village - the aim of the agrotourism program. A comfortable room in a refurnished traditional house in the high season is reasonably priced. Many villages with agrotourism houses are near vineyards. Donkeys and oxen are still used to plough some of them. Cultivated vineyards cover a large percentage of the country’s hilly and mountainous land, from sea level up to 1,500 metres, predominantly on the southern slopes of the Troodos in the Lemesos district and the southwestern in the Pafos district. There are four distinct wine tours that centre on these areas, which could range from a half-day to a week long or longer. Wine tasting figures prominently on all of these.

Ecotourism - Terraced vineyards can be seen at the lower slopes of the Troodos, pine trees and tall cedar trees dominate the higher elevations. Tourism on a smaller scale is encouraged through the agrotourism programme, which provides funds for the restoration of houses in rural areas in preparation for their use as guest houses. As elsewhere around the world, tourism plays a continually increasing role in the Cypriot economy. However, the natural resources of the island are limited.
Through water conservation efforts, controlled construction of new tourist developments and measures to protect sensitive environmental areas, tourism can play an important role in helping to preserve the ecology of Cyprus.

Recommended Tours at Troodos

	Wine Country Tours - In addition to being home to the world’s oldest continuously produced wine, sweet Commandaria, Cyprus boasts the highest production rate of grapes in the world in proportion to its size and population. Most Cyprus vineyards are small and grow indigenous varieties of grapes for wine. The first tour is in Limassol itself, where the four biggest wine companies in Cyprus have tasting rooms and shops. The Lemesos District East tour begins with a drive up the Troodos road (B8) from Lemesos to the Kourris Valley. There are wineries in the villages of Pytsilia, Mandria and Koilani, to name just a few. Vouni is home to some of Cyprus’s best vineyards for red grapes. The Lemesos District West tour takes in several boutique wineries as well as the whitewashed village of Omodos, where there are three additional wineries. Just off the attractive central square, you can have an up-close look at a traditional wine press. The fourth wine tour explores mainly the highlands north of Pafos. Nature Trails - Nature lovers should not miss some of nature trails. The Artemis Trail, high-up at 1850-metre level is a circular seven kilometres long and includes endemic flora such as Cyprus crocus and orchids under the black pines and bird life that includes imperial eagles. Other trails are the Atalanti Trail, named after a forest nymph, which is nine kilometres long, the Kalidonia Trail (also known as the Trail of Nightingales) four kilometres, which criss-crosses the Kryo Potamo stream as it flows from the Troodos to Platres. The final portion of Kaliodonia trail begins under a wooden archway and leads to the Caledonian Falls.