Cyprus is famous for its beautiful coastline, year round sunshine and incredible amount of archaeological sites. But Cyprus also offers wonderful natural sites which seems to be hiding from most tourists. The Avakas Gorge is amongst these places.
The Avakas gorge in Cyprus are located in the South of the Akamas natural reserve, about 20km from Paphos. Although the road to get there can be quite bumpy, the gorge is still very easy to reach.
Once you reach the parking lot, a gentle path will take you to the entrance of the gorge. You might even be lucky to have a guide like we did 😉
The path follows the river which has, for thousand of years carved the limestone rocks into the beautiful gorge you are about to enter.
Once you reach the beginning of the gorge, what remains of the path tends to jump from one side to the other of the stream. Yet, you will easily find a way to progress in the gorge as there is only one way to go.
This hanging boulder is the most photographed spot of the gorge.
It’s ok to walk underneath and continue your hike. It’s probably been there for thousand of years, so chances are that it’s not going to fall the day you visit…. Yeah ok, I admit, I did walk faster when I was underneath!! 😉
Not long after the hanging boulder, we had to turn around. It is possible to continue the gorge and come up but not the day we were there, or at least not without getting very wet.
Before going back to your car, sit by the river, and feel any remaining stress wash away at the gentle sound of the water stream.
Enjoy the calm, the peace, the view…
Oh…And why not stop to enjoy the sea before you leave!!
We spent a marvelous relaxing and refreshing afternoon in the Avakas gorge which was very welcomed, after having spent so much time visiting archaeological sites under the scorching sun.
On the day we were there, we crossed paths with more goats than humans. I heard they are pigs as well, but we unfortunately didn’t see them.
Quite frankly, I had not anticipated to find anything like these gorge in Cyprus. Of course it reminded me of my favorite gorge of all: Antelope Canyon 😉
The technical bits:
The road to the Avakas gorge is partially a road, partially a track with lots of potholes. Adapt your speed accordingly.
The gorge water can rise suddenly on rainy days.
Wear suitable shoes. As you can see from the pictures, you will, at best, be walking on slippery grounds and jumping from rocks to rocks.
For more details on the Avakas Gorge hike, check out this website: www.cypruswalks.co.uk
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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 Avakas Gorge. Click on the image below to go to the page where you can download such map (and other goodies!).
