Xerargaka is a big roadside picnic site on the main road that climbs from Astromeritis towards Kalopanayiotis, reached by a short side turn just before Orkonta, about 25 km from Astromeritis. At 360 m of altitude it is one of the lowest-lying sites of the Troodos state forest — an easy first or last stop between the plain and the mountain villages — yet with an official capacity of over 740 people it is anything but minor.
The site is fully equipped for a family day out: drinking water, barbecue hearths, a children's playground and wheelchair-accessible facilities, with parking kept apart from the picnic tables themselves.
The nearest marked hiking lies a little further up the valley: the two Kalopanayiotis vineyard loops, The Vineyard Trail (3) and The Vineyard Trail (3A), begin about 4 km away.