One of the best way to stay cool, during a heat wave, is probably to splash in water. When in Cyprus, one easy way is to go to the beach or stay by the hotel’s pool. One much more interesting and picturesque way, is to head to the Adonis baths & waterfalls.
The Adonis baths & Waterfalls, are located 16km (around 10 miles) North of Paphos.
Hidden in nature, it is a relaxing place, with beautiful vegetation surrounding the pools. The water is emerald-green, the sun is shimmering through the trees and the waterfall is roaring in the background.
In greek mythology, Adonis was a demi-God of beauty and desire, associated with nature life, death and rebirth cycle. He was so beautiful that he became Aphrodite’s lover. Aphrodite was the Goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation.
No wonder why the waters of the Adonis baths, are known to preserve women’s beauty and men’s fertility!
We spent a wonderful, simple afternoon there. Pleasures in life can be simple. Having fun playing around in the water, jumping from trees and rocks and just hanging around being silly. Sometimes, it’s all you need!
Come along!
Part of the road is bumpy, and despite of the signs indicating the direction, you will doubt you are on the right path. Don’t despair, the place is totally worth the ride.
When arriving you will be greeted by an impressively tall statue of Aphrodite on the parking lot (it’s about 10m high!). None of the statues around are ancient but they do add something fun to the place.
There is a fee to pay to enter. I can’t remember how much it was. I saw somewhere it was 9 euros which is possible, as I recall it felt a bit expensive. But once there, we weren’t going to turn back, so we were happy to proceed.
The access to the pool is through the little museum.
The first pool is the biggest and deepest one. Although not that big, it’s the place to splash around, play Tarzan by jumping from the surrounding trees and rocks or just swim a bit. This is highly refreshing as the water, coming from the waterfall and beyond, is very cool to very cold!
Once you are done there, it is worth walking up to the smaller pools above the waterfall. We had those to ourself and just hang there, lying on the soft rocks and simply enjoying ourselves.
This is the view of the first main pool from above. Jump from there if you dare!
We went up to the top of the waterfall to enjoy the surroundings.
Another statue which gets much attention in the area, is the one representing Priabos or Priapus. He was Aphrodite’s son and might even have been Adonis’ son. As such, it is no surprise that he is a fertility God and amongst other things, protector of manhood. His representation with an enlarge, fierce and daring member comes to no surprise but promises lot’s of fun pictures and giggles! (those pictures I won’t show you, there are not SFTW!!)
The technical bits:
The official site: http://www.adonisbathswaterfalls.com
The water can be really cold. This is spring water, so the flow of the waterfall will vary depending on the season.
It can get really crowded during the week-end.
Jumping from the cliff above the water fall seems possible! I didn’t try!
Another way to stay cool when it’s really hot outside is to go hiking in the Avakas Gorge. It’s just gorgeous.
What will you be doing to cool off this week end?
Come to my Facebook page and let me know!
If you are planning a trip to Cyprus, I have the perfect itinerary for you
This road trip itinerary will take you through some amazing sites including the Adonis bath and the Avakas Gorge. Click on the image below to go to the page where you can download such map (and other goodies!).
