River Trails
Most rivers in Cyprus run only from winter into spring, but the valleys they cut stay green all year: plane trees, alders, old mills and stone bridges. Forty-one of our trails follow one, which makes this one of the largest collections on the site. They cluster in the Paphos Forest (11), the valleys of the Nicosia district (9) and the Limassol hills (8), and range from a ten-minute stroll to a 24 km forest crossing.
Where to start
- Vateri — 570 m along the Klario river in old Kakopetria, over wooden bridges and under plane trees, to the old Vateri spring. The Geological trail continues along the same river.
- Kalopanayiotis – The River Trail (1) — a 4 km loop of cobbled lanes, orchard edges and shaded riverside paths.
- Platy Valley — 7.6 km beside a permanent stream under plane and alder. It is the shadiest trail we have: about ten minutes of direct sun across a whole midsummer day.
- Ezousa — an 8.2 km loop along the Ezousa river near Paphos, past the abandoned village of Moro Nero and an old water mill.
- Machairas – Politiko — 5.5 km through the Pediaios gorge, between Politiko and Machairas Monastery.
Good to know
Riverside trees do real work: eighteen of these 41 trails are in our Shady collection. Open valleys are another matter — Ezousa takes ten hours of direct sun in midsummer.
Water is at its best from winter to late spring, which is also when crossings get harder. The Six Springs and Vasa Kilaniou follow the streambed itself and are easiest when the water is low.