Path: Travel > Destinations > Cyprus 2005 > Cyprus Camping

Cyprus Camping

Second night in Northern Cyprus, high above a village called Lapta. Nice place in the middle of nowhere and reachable only by a small dirt track, so we thought nobody would disturb us after nightfall. Wrong: on Cyprus there is no dirt track the natives wouldn't drive along, even in the blackest middle of the darkest night… we had ample opportunity to check that, later on.

The view down to the coast from this place. In reality it was much more amazing as we were able to follow the coast line east and west for dozens of miles.

The rightly famous Golden Beach on Karpas peninsula. We had an extended swim there, then simply out-waited the other guys and pitched the tent a few metres inland.

Same place, a while after sunset. The bright star left of the middle to be seen is the evening star, aka Venus.

An experimental shot in the tradition of some French impressionists. Was taken in the middle of a pitch-black night, with the shutter open for a full 3 secs, then a bit massaged in Photoshop.

Not the most romantic location perhaps but dry: a big hotel, still under construction. The evening before, just as we contemplated pitching the tent, it had started to rain. Or rather to pour, a really dreadful downpour… and there was a thunderstorm approaching as well. So Vero had the bright idea to drive back a few miles to this thing that had looked like a ruin in the twilight…

We did so and spent a perfectly dry night in the “ruin”. When the workers arrived next morning (rather late) there was much fun and rejoicing: though we didn't understand a single word of their animated chatter they obviously loved the idea. When the hotel's finished we might get back and tell the manager that we've already spent a night in his luxurious place and that – horror of horrors – the jacuzzi had been empty!

A Venetian bridge, near Ayios Nikoloas, above Limassol. This was our prefered place in the South (we did three nights there!). It was located in a beautiful forest, but sat on hillock and overlooked the river valley. Bit cold though as it was about 550 metres (1800 feet) above sea level.

Same place, next morning. There are rumours that this snap shows the extremely shy and rather difficult-to-catch headless chicken (aka Vero).

Sunset on a sandy beach on the Akamas peninsula. We pitched the tent just a few yards from the waterline.

Just a few miles south but a complete change of scenery. The tent stands on top of a cliff-like hollow, inches away from the void… I was very careful indeed when I hammered in the tent nails!

Same place, next morning, a few minutes after sunrise. As you can see the tent exit was cleverly located in such a way that we couldn't inadvertently fall off the cliff.

Back to Ayios Nikolaos, our #1 place in the forests. Not sure who the tired-looking chap is (perhaps la levée du roi Thomas?) but it was definitely very cold that morning and the sun was playing hide-and-seek behind the trees.

$updated from: Cyprus Camping.htxt Mon 30 Mar 2009 11:48:50 thomasl$