Practical Information - Cyprus Essentials pg. 3

Camping

There are six caravan/camp sites in Cyprus, licensed by the Cyprus Tourist Organisation. Camping fees range from CY£2 to 4.50 per site per night.

· Forest Beach Camping site, 8km east of Larnaka town centre. June to October. 78 stands. Tel: 246 44514.
· Kalymnos (Governor's) Beach Camping site, Pentakomo, 20km east of Lemesos. All year. 360 stands. Tel: 256 32878.
· Geroskipou Zenon Gardens Camping Site, 3km from Pafos harbour. April - October. 95 stands. Tel: 269 42277.
· Fegarri Camping Site. Coral Bay beach, 11km north of Pafos. All year. 47 stands. Tel: 266 21534.
· Polis Camping Site. In Polis town, on the beach. March - October. 200 stands. Tel: 263 21526.
· Troodos Hill Resort. In the Troodos mountains, 2km north of Troodos Resort, off the main Troodos - Kakopetria road. May - October, weather permitting.

Youth Hostels

Affiliated to the International Youth Hostels Association. Non-members accepted. Overnight fee CY£4, plus an extra CY£1 the first night. There are four hostels, at Lefkosia (Nicosia), Larnaka, Pafos and Troodos. Details are available from The Cyprus Youth Hostels Association, Tel: 226 70027; Fax: 226 72896. E- mail: montis@logos.cy.net

TELEPHONE

Land line: To phone a Cyprus number before you leave home, enter your country code first..
Cell Phone: Travellers on contract can "roam". Others can arrange with some shops or with the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CYTA offices in most towns) for a temporary connection. This facility is called SoEasy, and the connection pack costs CY£15. This includes CY£3 airtime. Recharge vouchers are available at many shops. Calls cost 11c per minute.

WALKING TRAILS

Hikers are very well catered for in Cyprus. The Forestry Department and the Cyprus Tourist Organisation have developed no less than 53 nature trails, totalling 240km in length. Details are on the CTO website (address below). There is also a fold-out brochure called "CYPRUS Nature Trails". It is available from any CTO office, or from the Cyprus High Commission in Pretoria.

There are even two trails specially designed for handicapped people. One is in the Troodos area, 3km from Troodos Square. It is called the Kampos tou Leivadiou trail. The other is called the Mandra tou Kampiou trail, in the Machairas Forest, near Lefkara.

SUGGESTED READING

At travel agencies, and at the Cyprus High Commission, there are scads of brochures, books and maps.
These are the best:

"CYPRUS". A colour brochure with good general information. 28 pp. Published by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, Lefkosia. (CTO)

"CYPRUS - 10 000 Years of History and Civilisation". An excellent overview of the history of Cyprus. Details of every important historical site, including opening times. 60 pp. Published by the CTO.

"CYPRUS Travellers Handbook". Details of all tourist requirements, government services etc. 168 pp. (20 x 10cm). Published by the CTO.

"MONTHLY EVENTS". A 16-page newsletter issued each month by the CTO. Details of events taking place throughout Cyprus. In addition, the Chamber of Commerce of almost every town issues a similar newsletter for local events.

"A VISITOR'S MAP OF CYPRUS". Excellent general map. Well detailed as befits a country that's about half the size of the Kruger National Park.

These are all available free, from the Cyprus High Commission in Pretoria. At Larnaka Airport, there is an excellent CTO tourist office just after the luggage carousels.

USEFUL WEBSITES

For detailed travel information, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation site:

www.visitcyprus.org.cy. e-mail: cytour@cto.org.cy

Maps, a detailed hotel guide, and all sorts of good stuff can be downloaded from the website.

back to page 2

page 1