Introduction To Xeros Potamos Valley And Vouni Panagias Trail Walk (Private - From Nicosia)

The Trip:

I t is usually a combination between an Introductory walk in Xeros Potamos Valley and Vouni Panagias trail, depending on travellers’ preferences and time availability.

Duration : Eight hours

Pickup time : To be agreed with the travellers. Usually it is between 08:30 and 09:30.

Pickup location : At an agreed place (eg hotel, port, etc) in Nicosia. From Agia Napa or Protaras the trip would make sense if the duration is 10 hours (from Larnaca an 8-hour trip would be possible provided we do only one of the two walks), as, due to the significant distance, there is considerable time to be spent in the car.

Itinerary : (Usually) initially we walk in Xeros Potamos Valley and then we drive by car to Pano Panagia village to do the Vouni Panagias walk (if time permits on the way we visit a few attractions: a chapel, a winery and a monastery). The trip may be customised to include a meal at a traditional village restaurant, winetasting, etc.

The Walks:

First we do an introductory walk in Xeros Potamos Valley and visit at least one watermill, and possibly also Panagia tou Sinti (Panagia of Sintis) monastery (need to cross the river to reach the monastery). Xeros Potamos means 'Dry River' and indeed the river disappears for much of its route during the hot season. At the same time it is pleasant to walk here also at this time as there are excellent attractions to see including Panagia tou Sinti monastery, one or two watermills, rock formations with protected caves, alder trees along much of the river bed as well as brambles.

Vouni Panagias circular walking trail (8 km / 5 mi long) starts at Pano Panagia village and is found at a high elevation (between 800 and 1, 100 m of elevation). We walk through vineyards (which change tremendously through the seasons), past peculiar rock formations and cliffs and enjoy excellent vistas towards Ezousa Valley and Paphos Forest

The combination of the two trails offers a rich experience over a considerably elevation range in Cyprus.

Transportation : We usually use a Citroen C8 MPV car.

What’s included: Guiding in the walk and the trip in general.

What’s excluded : Food, drinks, winetasting if any, etc.