Cyprus Tours in Winter

This tour was a great balance of walking and culture. Beautiful walks, well organised by our guide, with amazing castles to explore. Cyprus has such a long, rich and complex history, and the included and optional visits allowed us to get a real sense of that. It was a nice change to be based in one place. We stayed in The Ship Inn which is outside the town centre but with a few shops and cafes nearby, including a supermarket. The indoor pool was lovely for post walking - there is also an outdoor pool but we were there in January. The staff were attentive and helpful. As vegetarians, we were wary of set meals but pleasantly surprised by the quality of the vegetarian option on the evening meal outings. As a guide, Engin really knows his stuff - very informative and looked after everybody really well. I'd recommend the optional Hamman trip as a great end to a walking week.

Beautiful and spectacular scenery, remote ruined castles, a strange ghost city, preserved monasteries, ancient fortresses, Roman and Greek ruins, the tour encompassed them all as well as moderate length, reasonably challenging hikes. Our tour leader Engin, was entertaining, interesting and a fount of knowledge on all things Cypriot. He kept the group moving to timetable and frequently pointed out flowers and plants, as well as leading us expertly through some (at times) challenging terrain. With a comfortable bus, a highly competent driver and a pleasant hotel which lacked nothing and was staffed by such friendly people, the whole trip was a most enjoyable and stimulating way to see in the New Year. Such a lovely group of hikers too.

A last-minute booking, our trip was blessed with a good-fun group and a dynamic leader Engin Şah. The walking was very leisurely and mostly non-technical but occasionally required some confidence on rougher terrain. Engin led a fascinating rest day trip to the Famagusta area, visiting the Green Line, the closed-off resort of Varosha, and Roman Salamis. The hotel (The Ship Inn) was a good base with friendly staff, a gym, two (unheated) swimming pools, but is a little too far from the harbour to walk after a day out so the group mostly ate there in the evenings.

This was my first trip with Exodus and it was absolutely perfect! The walks are varied, some are a little bit harder than others but there are always easier options available if needed. The scenery is just stunning and matched with a very interesting history and a very friendly group of people it made the trip a memorable one. During the week you get to visit crusader castles, monasteries and abbeys, ancient ruins and even a cave. The views you get from every walk are just spectacular. The trip was made even more successful thanks to our guide Gizer, the most knowledgeable and kind guide you can ask for, always telling us the most interesting bits of history about the country and the local flora and fauna. The hotel Pia Bella was an excellent base for our week, perfectly located close to Kyrenia harbour and all the shops and restaurants.

Two of us took a bit of a chance travelling in late November to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, but we were pleasantly surprised at the temperatures in the low 20s, and we were able to swim in the sea and one of the hotel pools (much colder!). We stayed in Girne (the Turkish name for Kyrenia), a very charming port and dramatic castle, at the Pia Bella Hotel which was three buildings around two pools and a lovely garden with a bar where we gathered in the evening. Our leader Gizer was splendid – he started each day sorting out our picnic lunches, told us all about the history as our very able driver took us to the start of walks, and led us along mountainsides and up to precipitous castles. Each evening he briefed us in detail about plans for the next day, and then on three evenings took us to outstanding restaurants, with a wide range of mezze and delicious main courses. He recommended restaurants we tried on other nights, all really good and reasonable price. Most of us joined the trips to Famagusta and the ghost town Varosha, and to Nicosia on the way to the airport on the last day – seeing these places was very moving and helped us to begin to understand the issues. A fantastic trip which we really enjoyed – a lovely group, comfortable hotel and well organised.

After great deliberation on whether to venture out on holiday again, we are glad we did. This was an excellent trip & very well organised. Exodus provided excellent advice & details of all the requirements necessary in view of COVID regulations. We met with a sociable & lovely group of people and at 12 I think this was an ideal number. This is our 3rd or 4th group holiday & after years of independent travel it is relaxing to just go with the flow & not have to be responsible for anything! The walking was superb - challenging in places but well worth the effort of some steep climbs. The views were fantastic & we visited Crusader castles & monasteries. Our guide Gizer was a great host & very knowledgeable about the history & culture of his country. t .