Cape Greco

Take a day away from the beach and get some healthy exercise walking in the fresh air and exploring the countryside where a whole "other" world exists beyond the discos and pubs of lively Agia Napa.

Be well prepared. Dress comfortably wearing a sunhat, a comfortable trainers and sunscreen. Take plenty of water and a snack of two and do not forget the camera. Begin bright and early before it gets too warm and follow the track along the coastline leading from the end of Kryou Nerou Avenue into the easternmost boundary of Agia Napa. A famous area for collecting snails and limpets, Cape Greco is also a popular place to hike and discover nature's glorious flora and fauna. People cycle and walk along the nature paths where juniper is in season throughout the year and miniature pine trees line the trails.

The magnificent beauty of che mountain sea cliffs combined with the indigenous flora of Cape Greco is impressive. Annuals and perennials, bulbs and tuberous, assure almost year round flowers and lovely aromas.

Varieties of Colchicum, Narcissus, and others also enrich the beauty of the area. Also unique are the seashore plant communities with mainly summer flowering species doing very well despite the salinity of the soil, the aridity and the high temperatures of the summer. Some of these species are Limonious sinuatum and Limonioum deifolium, Crithmum maritimum and the rare endemic Taraxacum aphrogenes, growing exclusively in Cyprus.

Cut away into ten-metre sea - cliffs are caves which nature has adorned with palatial trimmings. Benches allow the opportunity to rest and gaze down into crystal clear waters. For those more ambitious, there's a further 100 metre climb that leads to the central depression. Excavations in 1992 revealed evidence that this site was one of the earliest Neolithic settlements on the island.