Zapallo Beach

Zapallo Beach: a well-deserved reward

On our trip around Cyprus, we found a beautiful, lesser-known beach, but definitely worth a visit – Zapallo Beach. This place is a real gem in the heart of nature, far away from the main tourist routes, but all the more magical. As we headed here, we knew that there probably wouldn’t be many people. While we expected to be charmed by the beach, the reality truly surpassed our expectations!

Zapallo Beach is a beautiful bay made up of 2 beaches lying right next to each other. The beach is a kind of reward. The journey here is not easy and definitely not for everyone.

It can be found on the southern coast of Cyprus, near the military base in the British territory of Akrotiri, a short drive from Limassol.

The road to Zapallo Beach

The journey to the beach itself is an adventure. It passes through relatively isolated and wild countryside, so it’s best to arrive by car. Google Maps will correctly guide you to the turn-off to the beach. When you turn off the main road onto the dirt track, continue ahead for about 300 metres more. The road ends there and offers a few parking spots where you will see a few cars. Google Maps will show you that you still have to continue for another 1.2km straight ahead, but you will have to walk this stretch and when you head towards the beach you will quickly understand why.

It takes about 15 minutes to get to the beach, and we stopped the time on the way back – it was exactly 19 minutes. The hill slopes gradually, the terrain is not difficult, and you can make it even in summer shoes.

All the time, as you go down to Zapallo, you will have a view of the bay and its beauty. But I recommend enjoying it on the way back when you’re out of breath .

The last stretch of the road leads through the sand. It’s hot, so don’t try it without shoes. The landscape below is like a desert, and falcons will be flying overhead. We were so excited to refresh ourselves in the water that we didn’t even take pictures until on the way back.

Zapallo Beach and its beauty

You can choose to stay on the first beach or go towards the second beach, which is closer to the car park. We enjoyed the water and anchored at the first one. It is separated from the larger one only by a stone strip. The second one looked a bit prettier from above though, but we didn’t want to move at all .

Apart from us, there was only one couple on the beach and no one else. The cliff we had to climb down made a great backdrop. The sea was crystal clear and warm. As elsewhere, it was shallow for a long time without any waves. Every now and then a curious fish came to nibble at us otherwise there was nothing going on in the sea at all.

With the kids we had races in walking on our hands, we counted falcons and military helicopters that flew right over the beach.

The children snorkelled happily and came across a colourful underwater world full of different fish. Although we didn’t have any luck with turtles, they are said to make an occasional appearance here.

What to be careful of?

The beach is unorganized, you have to take a 20-minute walk down the hill and then a challenging walk back. The sun is very harsh, so the walk back can be quite exhausting. Therefore, you must not underestimate your water supply for both your stay on the beach and for the return journey. The nearest opportunity to buy water lies 6 kilometres from here. We barely made do with ours, and we were careful. We dropped 2 litres on the way back and by the time we got back to the car we were already at the bottom.

The endangered peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) lives near the Akrotiri peninsula. This species is protected in Cyprus and often nests in remote places such as cliffs, which it likes very much. There are lots of them here, so if you would like to launch a drone, don’t do it. We’ve had falcons attack our drone in Akamas, so we knew the risks and preferred to leave it in the bag. Plus there could be a problem because of the military base.

Go back in a wet swimsuit, and if you have an empty water bottle, fill it with seawater to cool off. It won’t help completely, but at least a little. After all, there is no shade along the way and the walk-up will be very tiring.

If you’re already in the area, be sure to stop by and see the ancient town of Kourion. Notably, the mosaics are magnificent, as are the baths and the views. In addition, if the ancient sites don’t catch your fancy, there’s also the enchanting Kolossi Castle nearby. Finally, definitely don’t miss the sunset over the Limassol Salt Lake – it’s sure to be one of the most beautiful sunsets you’ll ever see!