White River Beach

White River Beach and thousands of towers

White River Beach is located on the west coast of Cyprus, a short walk from the famous Coral Beach. It is one of the quieter and less visited beaches, offering the beauty of nature and tranquillity away from the crowds. The beach is famous for its pebble towers created by visitors. There are thousands of them, but that’s not all.

One of the most striking features of this beach are the pebble towers that visitors build on the shore. The pebbles are smooth and white, which motivates tourists to collect them and build small towers as a symbol of peace and harmony with nature. Some of the towers are made of small pebbles, while others reach up to 2 metres high, with larger rocks complemented by smaller pebbles at the top. If you decide to leave your mark on the beach, expect that it won’t be easy. Most of the pebbles are already used, so it may take a while to find suitable pieces to build on.

Katya and Daddy tried to build one and it took them quite a while to find suitable stones. As a result
only daddy was looking and Katya was bossing him around and scolding him when the tower fell down

Then we had a competition to see who could find the most beautiful tower, and the daddy clearly won. Someone also put a dose of imagination into the composing and used a goat skull in addition to the stones .

White River Beach and bathing

The beach is not organized. There are neither sun loungers nor umbrellas. It is one of the wilder beaches, so you have to be careful when swimming. Although the sea tends to be calm, there can be stronger currents in places. If you decide to swim, don’t go too far from the shore.

The entrance to the sea consists of small pebbles mixed with sand. The stones are not sharp, so you don’t need water shoes. The beach is not entirely suitable for swimming with small children, although we met several families here. The water is pleasantly warm and, unlike other beaches, it has a slightly steeper entrance, so it’s ideal for people who mainly want to swim and not just wade along the shallow shore.

Watch out for turtles

White River Beach is also a place where sea turtles can be found laying eggs during the season. This makes the beach particularly important for wildlife conservation. The turtles lay their eggs mainly during the summer months, so if you arrive at the right time, you may see the tracks they leave on the sand or, if you’re lucky, you may even see the hatchlings heading out to sea.

The most beautiful sunsets

More than for swimming, the beach is ideal for an evening picnic at sunset. Sitting in the soft sand and watching the sun slowly fade away is a truly wonderful sight. If you watch the sun from behind the towers, it will be even more beautiful. The sun will turn into a red ball and slowly disappear into the sea.

How to get here?

Getting to White River Beach isn’t easy, but the journey is worth it. The best way is to rent a car, as bus service is not available. The only passable road is from Paphos or Coral Beach. Head for Akamas National Park until you reach the town of Agios Georgios Pegeias. Here you follow the signs that lead you into the national park, and once the tarmac road ends and the dirt road begins, you know you’re at your destination. You park by the side of the road and make your way to the viewpoint. Down the hill the off-road car road will continue and you can go that way or take a shortcut. After a few metres from the viewpoint you will see concrete barriers and walk past them. You will find yourself on a path towards the beach from the lookout side, so you won’t have to walk all the way around the beach.

The journey is easy and takes about 5 minutes.

There are several places worth visiting in the area. About a 5-minute drive back towards Paphos is the old Hellenistic Burial Ground, which is open 24 hours a day and is free of charge. Be sure to stop here. Also, don’t miss the Sea Caves, which are only 7 minutes away and, along with the Edro III Shipwreck, are other great places to watch the sunsets.