At the far west of Cyprus Akamas Peninsula lies between the Baths of Aphrodite in the north, close to Latchi and Ayios Georgios in the south. It is a short ride of 8km north from Coral Bay and 28km from Paphos. Cyprus Car Rental is always ready to assist you in your travel plans.
Akamas is named after the son of Theseus, hero of the Trojan Wars and founder of the city-kingdom of Soli. Akamas is the place in Greek legend where the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, and the youth, Adonis, fell in love.
Almost all the geological strata found on Cyprus is represented in Akamas. This coupled with the varied topography has led to a wide variety of microclimates which in turn has led to the large biodiversity and sheer natural beauty of the area. With Cyprus Car Hire you can enjoy your holidays freely and at your leisure.
Once you reach Akamas peninsula by car, you can do great walks. Here nature is of dazzling beauty with Juniper and Aleppo pines, oleander, myrtle and strawberry trees. It is a piece of magnificent paradise devoid of any resorts that you can enjoy driving your own car with Cyprus Car Rental.
Near Lara you will find wonderful wild yellow sandy beaches. This is home to two endangered turtle species – the green turtle and hawks-bill turtle that come to these shores for centuries to lay its eggs, mostly in the summer and at night-time. It’s one of the last nesting grounds in the Mediterranean. Turtles require dry sand to lay their eggs on and once the baby turtles hatch, they use the moon to navigate themselves back down into the sea. Any artificial light, from hotels or streetlamps, would disorientate these turtles, but these uninhabited parts make perfect conditions for the hatchlings.
You can discover interesting places when you are with a car from Cyprus Car Hire such as Agios Konon where a large number of tombs have been unearthed. Perhaps these comprise the lost legendary city of Akamantis?
In the village of Kathikas, at the village square you will find coffee shops and tavernas where you can enjoy a traditional meal and listen to the bouzouki. The local people are very friendly and helpful. You do well with Cyprus Car Rental.
At Stavros tis Psokas you can see moufflon, the wild sheep, with light brown hair in surroundings of pine, wild olives and oak trees. The males have long, distinctive curved horns, like those of a ram. This species is the largest mammal on the island and as old as the first inhabitants of Cyprus, dating from Neolithic times. The moufflon were almost hunted to extinction in centuries past and are naturally shy, beautiful animals. They are protected now and a captive breeding programme exists in this area to increase their numbers.
Cyprus sits at the crossroads of three major flora zones - Europe, Africa and Asia. As a consequence Cyprus has a high number of plant species, 1750, of which 127 are endemic. The number of species found on Akamas runs to approximately 530, of which 33 are endemic. The variety of fauna is equally impressive - 168 birds, 12 mammals, 20 reptiles and 16 butterfly species.
The importance of the Akamas Peninsula is recognised far beyond the shores of Cyprus. The European Council has included the Akamas Peninsula within its Mediterranean protection programme. In a report, commissioned by the Cyprus Government and financed by the World Bank, it was recommended that the Akamas Peninsula be treated as a Biosphere Reserve which would include a large National Park area.
Within Cyprus, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace have campaigned hard for the Akamas Peninsula to be declared a National Park.