Akamas

Akamas: beautiful and deserted beaches

Akamas National Park is one of the wildest and most beautiful places in Cyprus, situated on the western tip of the island. This vast natural paradise offers dramatic cliffs, magnificent bays, pristine beaches and a wealth of flora and fauna. Many visitors make the mistake of visiting only the Blue Lagoon by boat, and seeing the Akamas only from the sea. There is so much more to be found here.

Under no circumstances come here in a normal car

Even though Waze and Google Maps show that you can drive through the park, don’t trust them!

Every rental company will warn you that you cannot go to the park in a rental car. The roads are in very poor condition and you would really have a problem with a regular car. They are rutted, full of big holes and you would ruin your day unnecessarily. You’d be stuck on the first downhill. The road is only for off-road vehicles (not regular SUVs) and ATVs. Some sections scared us even on an ATV.

The beginning is in Aphrodite’s Baths

According to legend, the goddess of love and beauty bathed in Aphrodite’s Baths before she met her lover Adonis. That is why this picturesque little lake with a waterfall bears her name.

The pond is fed by spring water and surrounded by lush trees and plants, creating a peaceful and mystical atmosphere. Although you can’t swim here, a walk to Aphrodite’s Bath is ideal for those who want to immerse themselves in Greek mythology and nature.

The journey from the car park is less than 5 minutes. The road is paved, so it is also suitable for strollers. There are benches by the pond where you can sit and enjoy the beauty of this unusual place. The abundance of trees, the sound of the water and the pleasant shade will give you a well-deserved break.

The Baths of Aphrodite are also the start of a hiking trail if you go exploring Akamas on foot. They are also the last place to reach by car. This is where the adventure and incredible views begin.

After the Baths of Aphrodite, the road narrows, the asphalt disappears and you find yourself between steep precipices above the sea and hills full of green. Two cars certainly won’t fit, so be careful to avoid having to reverse.

The driver will have a problem with where to look first. The road requires full concentration, but the views all around are fascinating.

Canyon Beach

After about 15 minutes you will be near a phenomenon that is simply called Canyon on the maps. Don’t be fooled. It’s a beautiful beach and that’s where our next stop will be.

The beach is so unfamiliar that we were completely alone there. It is almost impossible to find it from the sea.

What makes the beach special is the cave through which you can enter the sea and explore the kingdom of Poseidon. You’ll appreciate the water shoes, especially if you also go into the cave. It would be very difficult without them. And you definitely don’t want to miss out on this experience. This beach is the hidden gem of Akamas Park.

Throughout your visit, the cave will lure you into its caverns. And it’s worth giving in. When you enter, you will walk on purple stones and with every step you take, the view of the sea will open up more and more.

Slowly the sun was making its way and we couldn’t wait to see what sight awaited us on the next step. We were still able to walk and didn’t have to swim, which was a big advantage as we could enjoy the ♥♥♥.

The canyon slowly receded, revealing all shades of blue. Then we could finally throw ourselves into the water and drift away from the cave. The sea was without a single ripple.
You can also read more in the article: Canyon

Leaving this beach is hard enough, but Akamas hasn’t revealed all its cards to you yet. Get ready to hit the road again. The nearest stop will be only 3 minutes away. And it’s up to you whether you want to take a dip or a swim.

Manolis Bay

The next stop is Manolis Bay. A few parked boats in the distance will help you find the right way to where you can park your quad. Unlike Canyon Beach, this “beach” is more accessible from the boat. To get to it from land, you have to climb over the boulders to the nearest rocks to the sea where you can lay down. So the traditional access to the sea is missing.

But this is offset by the beautiful colours, underwater life and the minimum of people swimming with you. It’s not a beach for the day, but if you do visit Blue Lagoon, you’ll appreciate a bit of privacy and an escape from the cruise ships. If you rent a boat, you’ll definitely spend some time on this beach .

If you decide to take a bath, keep track of the time. There are still many stops and time is short. Blue Lagoon, the park’s main attraction, is 3 minutes away. The advantage of visiting by land is that you will experience moments when there are no big boats.

Blue Lagoon

Blue Lagoon is probably the most famous and most visited place in Akamas National Park. Its turquoise waters are reminiscent of exotic destinations. The water is so clear that you can observe underwater life without the need to snorkel. Swimming in this lagoon is an experience of a lifetime.

You can fold your things either on the rocks or on the small black beach located by the road

The kids liked it so much that we stayed much longer than we planned, so we had to change our plan a bit. I suppose we’re not the only ones. And it will probably happen to you too. If you decide to swim out to the island and explore, you can count on spending 2-3 hours here. The boats stop here for about 45 minutes, so it’s at Blue Lagoon that you’ll understand why an organized trip isn’t the best option for a visit.

More about Blue Lagoon can be found in our article Blue Lagoon

Fontana Amorosa

The next stop will be Fontana Amorosa, the westernmost beach. The drive here takes 3 minutes and we couldn’t wait to see what the beach would look like, as according to the reviews it was supposed to be one of the most beautiful in Akamas Park.

The proximity to the Blue Lagoon suggested that we would be thrilled. Full of determination, we parked and headed towards the beach. And we experienced disappointment. The beach is beautiful, no doubt about it, but it’s nothing special.

The part out of the water is very narrow, so you have a problem with where to put your things, and even the colour of the sea was nothing like the beauties that the previous beaches offered us. The kids didn’t even feel like getting into their swimsuits, so we decided to continue towards the best viewpoint of Akamas Park.

However, that was the second mistake. There are no signs in the park, so we navigated by Google Maps. As a result, we found ourselves on the worst stretch of road, where the kids started crying and we turned the car around instead. The kids got out because they were scared, and we discovered that the road on foot doesn’t look as bad as from an ATV.

Learning from our mistakes, we decided to play it safe and headed to the last nice beach we could catch – Amphitheatre Bay .

Apmhitheatre bay

Amphitheatre Bay Beach is on the way back from the park, near Manolis Bay. We found a few photos of it on the internet, and most of them didn’t look real, but like they were altered by filters. Still, the beach was a magical place. It takes a while to find the right way to the beach, but you quickly get your bearings as there are not many options and only one leads directly to the shore.

Although the beach doesn’t offer turquoise waters, the surrounding natural scenery makes up for it. Initially, we felt a slight disappointment. Our expectations were affected by the unrealistic photos. Fortunately, the beach won us over afterwards.

But when we got in the water and went to explore the underwater world, everything changed. We swam to the rocks in the middle of the bay and were treated to a beautiful scene – the water changing from blue to turquoise, the surrounding reef dotted with a multitude of sea caves and fish swimming all around us.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time here as the quad needed to be returned. Six hours was really not enough, and it would definitely take another day to visit the other gems in the south of the park.

One of them is Lara Beach, which unfortunately we couldn’t fit into our plan, as we didn’t count on not being able to move around the park in a rented car.

Lara Beach

Lara Beach is considered one of the best beaches in Cyprus for its wild and secluded environment. The beach is especially famous for the nesting sites of the Caretta Caretta sea turtles, which lay their eggs here during the summer months. It is strictly protected and visitor access is restricted to minimise disturbance to the natural environment.

If you would like to come here by other means than ATV, you still have the option of taking a boat trip, which is sold out at least 7 days in advance. A third option is a 1.5 hour hike one way. The kids were horrified when we suggested this, and we understood that this option fell through. Because we promised them that Cyprus would be a more relaxed holiday with fewer tours .

Avakas Gorge

The last beauty of the park is the Avakas Canyon. But you don’t have to tackle it on ATVs. It’s at the beginning of the park, so you can get quite close to it in a rented car.

Avakas Gorge is a dramatic canyon carved out of limestone cliffs that takes you into the heart of Akamas nature. The ideal time to visit is in the afternoon after 4pm, when temperatures are not so high. The trail through the canyon is about 3 kilometers long and is not very difficult. It is breathtaking, stunning and shows the smallness of man. The canyon reaches up to several tens of metres in places and its narrow walls create a mysterious atmosphere.

But you have to be very careful. There are rocks falling and no, these are not exaggerated warnings. You go into the canyon at your own risk. There are signs everywhere saying that rocks may fall, and yes, most of the time those warnings are elsewhere and nothing falls. That’s not the case here. As we were walking along the most beautiful path, the first one to fall was a meter away from us.

We said, coincidence. When the second one fell after two minutes, we knew we had to leave immediately and take the kids to safety. And we were just telling all the people we met on the way back that it wasn’t safe today. We didn’t have to warn the goats, even though they were here in large numbers to accompany us.

More information about Avakas can be found in the article Avakas Gorge.

Tips and tricks:

Split the park into two days

The beaches in the north are magical, don’t rush. Relax in the north and visit the south the next day. Lara Beach and Avakas are right next to each other. You can go for a cruise at Lara Beach in the morning and watch the turtles, explore Avakas in the afternoon and head to the northern part the next day. Lara Beach looked amazing in the photos, but we also encountered turtles on other beaches. If turtles are your goal, you have other options.

Take enough food and water

There is not a single bar or restaurant in the entire park. You have to bring your own. So don’t underestimate the amount of water so you don’t have to end your visit prematurely. It would be a pity.

Consider transportation

There are several ways to explore the park, and each has its own advantages. By hiring a boat, you get a unique opportunity to see the coastal cliffs and magnificent caves from a different perspective. Prices in Cyprus for boat hire are much higher than in Greece, and rentals per day hover around €200-300 depending on the type of boat.

Boat trips will take you to the Blue Lagoon, where you can swim in the crystal clear waters or enjoy snorkelling, but nothing more.

If you prefer closer contact with nature, you can choose hiking. The Aphrodite’s Path, one of the popular hiking routes, takes you through places associated with the ancient legends of the goddess Aphrodite. Along the route, you will discover different species of plants and magnificent views of the coastline and, of course, you can stop at any of the beaches. The downside, however, is the difficulty and the long transfers.

Quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles are another way to explore the vast Akamas. They give you the freedom to explore even the remotest corners of the park and move quickly from place to place. Driving through the rugged hills and unpaved roads is both adventurous and exhilarating. It’s the best option if you want to see as much as possible in a short time. If you are a family, there is also a vehicle for 4 people available. This cost us €180 for 6 hours. If there are two of you, the price is around 80€ for the whole day. It was a great experience for the kids and it was still cheaper than renting a boat.

If you have accommodation near Coral Beach or in Paphos, stop at White River Beach. There is a spectacular sunset waiting for you.