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.

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.

This was my first ever 'group' walking holiday. The whole trip was well planned and organized, and the group leader and guide (Gizer) was simply excellent. I found the group travel refreshingly sociable after the lockdowns and social distancing we have all been through.

After nearly 2 years stuck in the UK, I was so desperate to get away that I was prepared to take all the stressful Covid tests/paperwork on the chin in order to travel. So I went Walking in North Cyprus over Christmas, and it was lovely. The Hotel Pia Bella in Kyrenia was lovely, and the staff were great - friendly and funny. Gizer was a great guide - very experienced and competent, with lots of historical knowledge. This was a leisurely/moderate grade holiday, and the walking was fairly easy most days, apart from a scrambly section on the St. Hilarion day - good boots necessary! The trip was a good mix of walking and culture - the 4 castles and the Armenian monastery were all very interesting. I did the 2 extra trips to Famagusta, and Nicosia. I liked them both, but the ancient city of Salamis (near Famagusta) was probably my highlight. The weather was bright and sunny, with only one wet afternoon. But it was a bit cooler than most of us had expected, with a chill wind at times. Hat and gloves recommended. No one was tempted by the hotel pool or the sea!