Governor’s Beach
25. September 2024
Larnaca
25. September 2024
Troodos Mountains: home of many beauties
Troodos Mountains are the highest in Cyprus and one of the most beautiful natural destinations on the island. It is distinctly different from the coastal areas with its rich greenery, mountain air and traditional villages that are scattered along its slopes. Journey to Troodos is a delight in itself, as the winding roads offer spectacular views of lush valleys and verdant forests. If you’re traveling by car, you can easily park in charming villages like Platres or Kakopetria, which serve as perfect starting points for your hiking adventures in the surrounding area.
Our journey to Mount Olympus started in Limassol. Originally we were supposed to take a completely different route, but somehow it all got mixed up.
Caledonian Waterfall
Caledonian Waterfall is one of the highest and most beautiful waterfalls in Cyprus, hidden in the picturesque Troodos Mountains. Located at an altitude of 1,333 metres, it offers a refreshing view and the opportunity for a great hike in cooler mountain conditions. Falling from a height of 12 metres, which is significant by local standards, the waterfall is surrounded by dense vegetation which creates a magnificent scenery.
Starting from Limassol
After less than an hour’s drive, we arrived at the Caledonian Waterfall. Google Maps will guide you correctly until the last kilometers. Type in “Μονοπάτι Καληδόνια” or “Psilo Dendro.” If the navigation would lead you off the main road, don’t follow it. Parking and signage will be right on the main road. If you don’t have a car, you can take the bus (line 64 from Limassol to Platres), the journey takes about 1,5 hours.
Hike to the waterfall
The hike starts at the Hotel Psilo Dendro in Platres and follows a well maintained hiking trail.
The first part of the hike leads over a dirt road for cars. You go gently uphill for about 3 minutes yet without natural shade of trees. When you reach the first and only intersection, you do not continue on the dirt road, but head uphill on a smaller, beaten path. Immediately you find yourself in the forest.
And right away you can hear the sound of the brook. You can’t see it yet, but at least you know it’s there. The terrain is covered with smaller stones and hard shoes are suitable but not necessary. Definitely don’t come here in flip-flops. After a few minutes, the view will open up and you will have visual contact with the river.
The journey is gaining momentum. The rocks are getting bigger and sometimes you have to go around mud or tree roots. Now the adventure begins and the quiet part of the walk is over. Not that this one isn’t. You’re more or less walking on flat ground, but the terrain won’t let you get bored. Especially the sections with mud will test your improvisation skills. Since we didn’t want to have muddy feet, we hopped from stone to stone to avoid them .
Along the way you will encounter small waterfalls where the water has to overcome larger rocks. But this does not concern you. There are wooden bridges where you need to cross the river.
Waterfall in front of you
After 20 minutes you will arrive at a gazebo where you can relax, but the waterfall is only 5 minutes away. Our kids were waiting for us here because we’re supposedly too slow and we set off for the last stretch of the trail.
The last section has prepared a trap for you, the stairs. There are only a few of them, just we didn’t expected them.
Just behind them, the waterfall awaits you in its full glory. It is not big, but rather smaller. Nevertheless, it made us happy. Having refreshed ourselves a bit, the kids had a snack and enjoyed the silence, which was broken only by the falling drops of water. In fact, the water was very pleasant and not icy at all. But don’t worry, it wasn’t warm either.
After a few minutes, we started on our way back. It went very quickly and we arrived at the parking lot quite shortly. All in all, the hike took us an hour.
Useful tips
- The terrain is not suitable for a stroller. We have met several families with small children around 3-4 years old, who were happily jumping around the forest, so there is no need to be afraid of a visit with children.
- Take water with you, you can’t buy anything here.
- Count on not having a signal and don’t rely on Google Maps. For the way back it is better to have ofline maps or go by memory.
- On the internet, we found some posts like the waterfall was not found or the hike took 2 hours. Not true. Although the waterfall is not marked, if you pay attention to the path, you can’t miss it. And the hike was totally easy.
Mount Olympus in Troodos
Our journey continued to the highest mountain of Cyprus, the twin of the mountain of the gods, Mount Olympus. Dominating the Troodos area, Mount Olympos is the highest point in Cyprus, with its peak reaching 1,952 metres above sea level.
The reason why we wanted to see Mount Olympus was only because of its name. We didn’t know at all what was waiting for us here, and we didn’t mind. The distance from the Caledonian Waterfall is 20 minutes by car.
So we get in the car and continue along the road we came from. Not back, but further.
There are no signs on the road. Passing through mountain villages and heading higher and higher. Views are getting more and more beautiful, but there will be plenty of time for loving on the way back. After about 15 minutes you finally see it – a sign marking Olympus. And unfortunately, the only one.
Continue by car until you reach the car park. Here you can park and take a short circular route called the Artemis Trail. Or you can go directly to the top by car. Not only does the Artemis Trail loop around the summit and offer spectacular panoramic views, but it also provides a walk around the 500 year old pine trees.
And here comes the disappointment
If you’re expecting any sign that you’re at Olympus, you’re not going to get it. There is nothing like that here. And not even untouched nature.
During the winter months, Olympos turns into the centre of winter sports in Cyprus. The ski resort offers several slopes of varying difficulty, and although it is not a large resort compared to the Alps, locals and tourists alike love to come here to enjoy the winter fun. So there’s an unplugged cable car waiting for you.
To make matters more disappointing, the army resides at the very top. So you can walk around the barbed wire fence and look for the best views.
The modern dome structure that is part of the base rather spoils the atmosphere of the place.
But the views were worth it. It is perhaps the only highest hill in the country that you can reach directly by car. The views were slightly different from each side. We liked the view of the trees and the narrow strip of sea in the background the best. From the other side, the view was more of the mountains.
After about an hour there was nothing more to see and the kids wanted to go to the beach. Because of that, we had to miss the last, most important monument of Troodos, the churches in the villages.
Churches and monasteries in Troodos
The Troodos Mountains are home to Byzantine churches from the 11th to 15th centuries, which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Among the most notable are the Church of St. Nicholas of the Roof, with its frescoes and wooden roof, and the Monastery of Kykkos, known for its rich decoration. These churches are scattered around the villages and are unique. It’s a pity we didn’t manage to visit at least some of them.
That’s why I’m giving you a list of them here, with the villages where they are located. On Olympus the signal was very bad and the ones we had selected were very far away and we didn’t know where the closer ones were.
- Church of St. Nicholas of the Roof – Kakopetria
- Holy Church of Panagia of Asinou – Nikitari
- Church of the Archangel Michael – Pedoulas
- Panagia tou Moutoulla – Moutoullas
- Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour – Palaichori
- Monastery of Saint John Lampadistes – Kalopanagiotis
- Church of Our Lady (Panagia Podithou) – Galata
- Church of the Holy Cross Agiasmati – Platanistasa
- Church of Panagia tou Araka – Lagoudera
- Church of Timios Stavros – Pelendri
