Travel Cyprus With Your Dog: Go hiking in Cedar Valley... with your dog

View out over cedar branches at top of Tripylos Mountain

I think Cedar Valley may be the most beautiful area of Cyprus that I have seen. We went for a short hike there a week or so ago, while staying in the nearby village of Panayia for a weekend break. Driving through the mountains to reach Cedar Valley, you really get the feeling of having escaped from the crowded coast and towns of Cyprus, and being immersed in Cypriot wildlife at its finest. Along the road from Paphos up through the western Troodos mountains, there are countless spots to stop and admire the unbroken panorama of mountains and trees.

Approaching the valley, the first cedar trees come into view. These are conspicuous among the more common pine trees that cover these slopes, by their large flat branches, and the bright, vivid green colour of the needles. The combination of the darker pines with the bright green cedars is magnificent.

Cedar Valley

We found our way to the starting point of a short hike up through the valley, to the peak of the Tripylos Mountain. This is a section of the E4 hiking trail.

Start of E4 trail up through Cedar Valley to the peak of
Tripylos Mountain

Here you can find parking space, drinking water and toilets.

The hike is quite short, just 2.5km from the parking area to the peak, but it is a fairly incessant uphill climb to reach the top. 2.5km downhill can be quite tough too. However, the views along the way more than make up for any hardship of the climb.

Towards the start of the walk you are surrounded by high trees, as though walking through woodland. Pines and cedars tower overhead creating a shady trail and obscuring views of the mountains beyond.

As you ascend, you catch glimpses of the view out beyond the cedars...

Nearing the top of the mountain, you can even make out the coastline of Morphou Bay, and the low laying plains that separate the Troodos from the sea.

Once you reach the peak, there is a fire look-out station, a couple of picnic benches, and spectacular 360 degree views of the mountains.

My Dad, nearing the top of Tripylos Mountain

This is a lovely place to go walking with your dog. We were there in late October, so it wasn't too hot, but I imagine that even in the summer the trees provide enough shade to make this walk manageable. There were very few people there, so we could let Sage have a run around. There was no rubbish anywhere for her to devour (a problem we sometimes face in busier areas!), and no chance of a run-in with an angry farmer or goatherd.

I should probably just stop writing and let the photos speak for themselves.

For further information, have a look at the CTO website on this area:

http://www.visitcyprus.com/wps/portal/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3hXN0fHYE8TIwMDo0BLAyNDAyOvMD9jI08PY_3g1Dz9gmxHRQBEk9cB/?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/English__en/CTO+B2C/Tourist+Information/Routes/Nature+Routes/Panagia_tou_Kykkou_monastery_Stavros_tis_Psokas_Forest_station_E4