Avakas Gorge

Avakas Gorge: the most beautiful canyon in Cyprus

Avakas Gorge is a dramatic canyon carved out of limestone cliffs that draws you right into the heart of Akamas nature. The ideal time to visit is in the afternoon after 4pm when temperatures drop. The trail is easy and approximately 3 kilometers long.

The canyon reaches several tens of metres high in places and its narrow walls create a mysterious atmosphere. Although Cyprus offers mainly beautiful beaches, a stop at Avakas Gorge is definitely worth it. You won’t regret it.

The journey starts at the church

If you decide to visit the canyon on your own, park your car at the church marked on the maps as Αγία Ματρώνα η Ρωσίδα. The road does continue on, but you may have a problem at the rental car office. We were warned that we were not allowed to drive here. We understood this as soon as we rounded the corner. The road was pretty rutted and I think we made a good decision to park at the church and not take any chances. It’s about 10 minutes to the lower parking lot, so you’ll extend your hike by 20 minutes, but you’ll save yourself the worry of getting a flat tire that your insurance wouldn’t cover.

Entrance to the Gorge Avakas

After 10 minutes you arrive at the lower car park, where you can buy something to drink at the small bar. Last resort, there will be no trace of the modern era from here on. Here, somewhere, your signal will also end and you will be engulfed by nature .

The road narrows, but it is still dusty and without any pitfalls. After about another 15 quiet minutes you come to trees that are all around the road. From here the adventure begins.

The road changes and there will be only small limestone rocks around you for the time being. The trees are marked so you know what they are. This is especially appreciated by people like me, for whom it’s just a tree .

And in a few metres you will cross a small stream for the first time. I didn’t choose the most suitable footwear and went here in sandals, but at least I didn’t have to worry about getting my sneakers wet. The kids are born goats so they made it through without getting wet. If you go in open toed shoes you’ll appreciate the cooling that the creek offers. Definitely don’t wear flip flops though.

In a few more metres the trees thicken and the cliffs are already towering over you. Nature welcomes you into her kingdom. Along the way, you have to cross smaller rocks and tree branches. In some places, even stick to the rocks, as the path is quite narrow. Gradually the canyon opens up and offers you a wonderful scenery.

Only goats keep you company (not only children, but real ones too ) and sometimes some tourists you meet. Ask them about the state of the canyon and if it’s safe to continue. The goats won’t answer you, but the people will..

Avakas Canyon

The rocks are starting to be on both sides and their height is already reaching several meters. The stream in the middle is dry if you go in summer; if in winter, you’ll wade through a smaller river. You have to be careful where you climb if you don’t want to get wet. Sometimes across the middle, sometimes along the edges. As the creek lets you go.

With every step you take, you get a more and more beautiful view. In one section you will see a huge boulder above you, which has formed a partial ceiling. Walk around it quickly and carefully. It’s difficult as you’ll want to stop and admire it. But this is best in the wider sections. Remember, there are no nets for falling rocks.

As you go on, there are more birds flying all around you, moving from one edge to the other. Also, the stream gives way to rocks and you have to walk on bigger and bigger rocks. If safety permits, you can continue on.

We turned around at this point because it wasn’t safe to continue, and started on our way back.

Watch out for stones

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

We told ourselves that it was a coincidence. When the second one fell after two minutes, we knew we had to leave immediately and take the kids to safety. It started exactly behind the stuck rock and was caused by birds moving and releasing pebbles of various sizes.

The place is beautiful, but safety is paramount and there is no point in trying to complete the hike at any cost.

How much time will you spend here?

The whole walk took us about 90 minutes. We stopped and admired a lot.

We were considering whether to take an organized trip here after learning that we couldn’t get to the parking lot by car, and we did well to look for the closest parking option. We would have been disappointed with an organized trip. After all, they only go here and 45 minutes, an hour max, and I can’t imagine how people would make it. In 20 minutes max they arrive from the bar at the top of the gorge and there is no way to get any closer by vehicle.

It is therefore better to go alone to enjoy these beauties.

For families with children

The road is definitely not suitable for strollers and smaller children. Our children can handle such ravines from the age of 5. I probably wouldn’t go here with a younger one. Our teenagers managed 90 minutes offline and also enjoyed the views. It’s even better with younger kids as you can also collect pebbles, refresh yourself in the stream and they definitely get excited by the view of the majesty of the place too.

If you’d like to extend your hike, you can head to Lana Beach. However, the hike takes 90 minutes one way and that discouraged us. But we drove to White River Beach where we enjoyed a beautiful sunset.