UPDATE: Hiking will be followed by a served lunch, at our select restaurant in the village of Prodromos. Kindly declare if you will be joining us for lunch, or not, when registering. Participants registered for lunch will receive full details via e-mail the day before.
Our hike of Sunday 30 April 2023 takes place on the Troodos mountain range. We walk entirely on dirt (forest) roads, on a linear path which starts and ends on the side of the dirt road leading from the main tarmac road to the picnic site of the attractive dam, near Prodromos village. Prodromos is the village with the highest altitude in Cyprus. The hike includes many uphill and downhill sections, with more downhill on the way out, uphill on the way back, is 13 km long, rated 2 (medium difficulty), and is expected to take up to 3 ½ hours. We walk at an altitude of 1400 – 1500 m. The hike starts at 10:30 am. Xenophon is leading this event, which will go ahead even in light rain; if you need to, call 97613720.
The hike is in dense forest, with the impressive black pine trees (Pinus nigra), golden oaks, common pines, cherry trees and several other species of trees and bushes delighting the Stroller. Much of the path lies below Tremithos peak.
Depending on the government restrictions on the day, we shall follow the walk with a served lunch. Kindly visit this page in the week prior to the activity for updated news.
To provide you with maximum safety vis-à-vis covid-19, and in order to have maximum traceability, we require every participant to register, irrespective of your participation at lunch or not. To facilitate arrangements, for your better service, you are required to e-mail Xenophon by end Friday, indicating whether you will be joining us for lunch or not.
You have the choice of meeting the group at the walk start, or meet at the designated meeting point in Nicosia. In either case, you need to carry copy of this set of instructions. Meeting in Nicosia offers two important advantages: we drive in full cars, leaving some cars behind; thus, we save in fuel and enjoy the trip in good company. The meeting point in Nicosia is an open field which offers ample parking space in Archangelos. The car trip starts at 9:00 am. Please ensure you observe start times, for the benefit of the group.
How to get from Nicosia to the walk start, via Kakopetria village:
From Nicosia take the A9 motorway towards Troodos. The A9 smoothly becomes the B9 highway (towards Troodos), when the motorway ends (near Kokkinotrimithia). On the B9 you drive past the villages of Akaki, then Peristerona and then you reach the village of Astromeritis. At the Astromeritis traffic lights, where most cars turn left towards Troodos, zero your odometer and turn left. After 25 km you pass the entrance to the village of Kakopetria on your left. Zero your odometer and continue to drive along the main road, in the direction of Troodos. At the 1.9 km reading look out for the road sign directing you to ‘Prodromos, via Agios Nikolaos Stegis’. Turn right and drive the entire 12 km along this picturesque paved road. At approx. the 14 km reading, this road ends at a T-junction, where it meets the Pedoulas – Prodromos road. Turn left at the T-junction, driving uphill towards Prodromos. You pass Louis taverna on your right. 200 m later you reach the only roundabout in Prodromos: take the main road continuing uphill (1st exit from the roundabout), signposted to Troodos. In a few minutes you pass Prodromos dam, on your right. Continue to drive along the main road, past the dam, but slow down, looking out for a collection of signs; one wooden sign indicates ‘nature trail’, another wooden sign indicates ‘Stavroulia’ and has a map; a third, metal sign, carries illustrations of trees and an arrow. At this point, exit the paved road, turning right and park on the side; there are sufficient parking spaces. We meet here. The distance from Prodromos roundabout to the meeting point is 2 ½ km. Note: We meet on the side of the paved road, some few hundred metres before the picnic site. Note: the route via Kakopetria village and Agios Nikolaos Stegis is the shortest of the two options available, from Nicosia, and the most picturesque.
How to get from Nicosia to the walk start, via Troodos square:
From Nicosia take the A9 motorway towards Troodos. The A9 smoothly becomes the B9 highway (towards Troodos), when the motorway ends (near Kokkinotrimithia). On the B9 you drive past the villages of Akaki, then Peristerona and then you reach the village of Astromeritis. At the Astromeritis traffic lights, where most cars turn left towards Troodos, turn left. Drive along the main road, until you reach Troodos. From Troodos, follow the road signs towards the village of Prodromos. The distance from Troodos square to the meeting point is 5 ½ km. As you approach the 5 ½ km mark slow down, looking out for a collection of signs; one wooden sign indicates ‘nature trail’, another wooden sign indicates ‘Stavroulia’ and has a map; a third, metal sign, carries illustrations of trees and an arrow. At this point, exit the paved road, turning left and park on the side; there are sufficient parking spaces. We meet here. Caution: if you have reached the dam on your left, you have gone too far; turn back and drive uphill. Note: We meet on the side of the paved road, some few hundred metres before the picnic site.
How to get from Limassol to the walk start, via Platres and Troodos square:
Take the main road towards Trimiklini, then Saittas (exit number 28 on the Limassol-Nicosia motorway). Get to the principal junction at Saittas, where you have the options of going straight to Platres or left to Pera Pedi, or right to Amiantos. Continue straight to Platres. At the junction of Psilo Dendro (taverna and trout farm on your right) (this is the starting point to Caledonian waterfall) zero your odometer and continue straight, towards Troodos. At the 2.1 km reading you pass a junction with a left turn leading to Trooditissa monastery; continue straight towards Troodos. At the 7.4 km reading you arrive at Troodos square; turn left, into the square, and drive along the cobbled road through the square; at the exit from the square (at the 7.5 km reading), you reach a T-junction, where you turn left, following signs to Prodromos. The distance from Troodos square to the meeting point is 5 ½ km. As you approach the 5 ½ km mark slow down, looking out for a collection of signs; one wooden sign indicates ‘nature trail’, another wooden sign indicates ‘Stavroulia’ and has a map; a third, metal sign, carries illustrations of trees and an arrow. At this point, exit the paved road, turning left and park on the side; there are sufficient parking spaces. We meet here. Caution: if you have reached the dam on your left, you have gone too far; turn back and drive uphill. Note: We meet on the side of the paved road, some few hundred metres before the picnic site.
How to get to the walk start from Limassol, without passing from Troodos square:
At exit number 28 of the Nicosia-Limassol highway take the main road towards Trimiklini, then Saittas. Get to the principal junction at Saittas, where you have the options of going straight to Platres or left to Pera Pedi, or right to Amiantos. Continue straight to Platres. At the junction of Psilo Dendro (taverna and trout farm on your right) (this is the starting point to Caledonian waterfall) zero your odometer and continue straight, towards Troodos. At the 2.1 km reading you meet a junction with a left turn leading to Trooditissa monastery. Take this left turn, drive past the monastery and all the way until you get to Prodromos village and the only roundabout in Prodromos. Zero your odometer as you pass the roundabout in Prodromos, and follow the direction uphill towards Troodos. In a few minutes you pass Prodromos dam, on your right. Continue to drive along the main road, past the dam, but slow down, looking out for a collection of signs; one wooden sign indicates ‘nature trail’, another wooden sign indicates ‘Stavroulia’ and has a map; a third, metal sign, carries illustrations of trees and an arrow. At this point, exit the paved road, turning right and park on the side; there are sufficient parking spaces. We meet here. The distance from Prodromos roundabout to the meeting point is 2 ½ km. Note: We meet on the side of the paved road, some few hundred metres before the picnic site. Caution: this route is full of bends, which surely slow down the driver; what you gain in distance, you lose in time; therefore, coming via Troodos square is probably a better proposition.
How to get from Limassol to the walk start, via Karvounas and Troodos square:
At exit number 28 of the Nicosia-Limassol highway take the main road towards Trimiklini, then Saittas. Get to the principal junction at Saittas, where you have the options of going straight to Platres or left to Pera Pedi, or right to Amiantos. Zero your odometer and turn right. At the 10.9 km reading you reach the principal junction of Karvounas (note, no traffic lights). Do not go straight, downhill (this takes you to Kakopetria). Do not turn right (this takes you to Kyperounda). Zero your odometer, turn left and drive uphill towards Troodos square. At the 8.6 km reading you reach Troodos square and its car park on your left. Do not turn left into the square. Zero your odometer and drive straight ahead, downhill, along the main road, following the road signs towards the village of Prodromos. The distance from Troodos square to the meeting point is 5 ½ km. As you approach the 5 ½ km mark slow down, looking out for a collection of signs; one wooden sign indicates ‘nature trail’, another wooden sign indicates ‘Stavroulia’ and has a map; a third, metal sign, carries illustrations of trees and an arrow. At this point, exit the paved road, turning left and park on the side; there are sufficient parking spaces. We meet here. Caution: if you have reached the dam on your left, you have gone too far; turn back and drive uphill. Note: We meet on the side of the paved road, some few hundred metres before the picnic site.
How to get to the meeting point for the car trip:
From Nicosia get to the junction between Cineplex and Apolloneion Hospital. At the traffic lights where you have the Cineplex on your left hand side and Apolloneion Hospital on your right hand side, zero your odometer and go straight, along Archangelos avenue, in the direction of Troodos. At the 0.3 km reading you reach the first traffic lights; turn left into Agiou Alexiou street. At the 0.4 km reading you reach a T-junction; turn right into Agiou Gennadiou street and immediately after you observe on your left an open field used for parking; get onto it and park your car. We meet here. In front of this field there is a violet box for collecting clothes and also a water tank from where people can buy water. For additional parking spaces, while in Agiou Gennadiou street turn first right into a road with a cul-de-sac sign.
Google Maps: Here is a map taking you from the junction between Cineplex and Apolloneion Hospital to the parking field on Agiou Gennadiou street http://tinyurl.com/lg3u78q
Google Maps: Here is a map taking you from the Presidential Palace to the parking field on Agiou Gennadiou street: http://tinyurl.com/k9gabhs
Google Maps: Here is a map showing the drive from the only roundabout in Prodromos to the meeting point for the hike start
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