Hey all, Since I have been to Cyprus a fair few times now in just about every time of year, I figured I'd write up a guide on visiting the place, with extra info on zoos and on birding. It's quite long so I've split it into the relevant sections to make it more manageable to read. Hopefully if anyone does choose to visit the island this will facilitate it. Why visit Cyprus? Cyprus is a pretty unique place in general. Wildlife-wise, it serves as a sort of bridge between Asia and Europe, home to completely different birdlife as the seasons progress. It serves predominantly as a migration stop, with over 100 million birds flying through the island in spring, representing over 150 species. Despite this it is also home to numerous breeding species: griffon vultures, masked shrikes, black francolins, Bonelli's eagles.... the list goes on. In non-birding terms, Cyprus is an amazing place for archaeology, with some amazing mosaics, temples and tombs. It also has lovely beaches, particularly in the spring and summer where the water is comfortably warm. Cyprus also has a number of lovely seaside walks, some amazing mountains and valleys and delicious seafood and lamb. Are there any downsides? Of course Cyprus is quite far removed from most other places in Europe, meaning it is hardly ever 'on the way' to anything. Having said this, places like Cairo and Beirut are accessible by ferry from Cyprus so it is possible to combine it with a trip to Egypt or the Middle East. It also has virtually no public transport, with only a few buses around Pafos (the most popular destination for foreigners and probably the best area to bird in the country. The island is only really accessible by car and even then some roads are only usable with a four wheel drive. Cyprus is hardly a place full of conventional attractions, with only a few 'places to see' as such but most of the country is quite naturally beautiful. Conventional 'attractions' Since I only really know about the touristic areas around Pafos, I'll mainly be talking about this region. There are lots of points of archaeological interest around the Western side of the island. The most accessible is the Pafos Archaelogical Park located on the Headland. It harbours some amazing mosaics, a large amphitheatre and other amazing finds. To the North is the Tomb of the Kings, a large and well-preserved necropolis - well worth visiting. There is also Kato Paphos, another site with amazing large mosaics and an amphitheatre. In terms of natural sites of interest, there are the Baths of Aphrodite, where the Greek goddess is said to have bathed (it's essentially a small deep pond with a waterfall, but around here are also some lovely walks along the sea cliffs and amongst the woodland. It's also a great place for birdwatching. The Troodos Mountains are the island's main mountain range, harbouring mouflon, vultures and so on. They are a really lovely mountain range, though not the highest and there are many walks to be done around them. Finally basically any beach in Cyprus is lovely but I'd recommend the area around Latsi in the Northwest of the island, which has perfectly clear water. Birding Cyprus is home to a great variety of birds depending on the season. I won't go through all the species that can be seen - eBird is a good indicator with their barcharts. The best places to bird on the West side of the island are: Pafos Headland - most accessible of the lot, an area of tussocky grassland home to lots of yellow wagtails and kestrels but just lingering for a while reveals many more species. Looking out to sea, one can see migrating gulls, terns - even owls. Along the shore are waders such as Whimbrels, turnstones, plovers etc. In the grassland are wheatears, shrikes, warblers, buntings... Asprokremmos Dam - Good place to see large BOPs including Bonelli's eagle and Long-legged buzzard, but also Cyprus warbler, Blue rock thrush and so on. Focus on the woodlands around the dam and the so-called Aspro Pools such South. Mandria Plain - home to lots of larks, pipits and other passerines as well as BOPs. Takes a lot of patience to see species here though and difficult to get to. These are the main three although there are a number of other great places to spot birds around the West of the Island. I'd recommend watching eBird sightings and looking around birding websites to get an idea of where you want to go to see target species. For the endemics, the Aspro Dam is probably the best place for the warbler, try the Diarizos Valley or Pafos Forest for Cyprus wheatear and there is a hotel called the Vasilias Nikoklis Inn which gets regular visits from a Cyprus scops owl in the evenings. The Zoo Really quite a good collection, particularly when it comes to birds - rarities include Ashy starling, Writhed hornbill, Cream-breasted fruit dove, seasonal Great-spotted cuckoos... On site are lots of wild Sardinian and Spectacled warblers as well as some other nice species. I recommend the bird show - only opportunity to see the Arabian barn owls and the macaws are really quite impressively intelligent. There's a coach that takes visitors to the zoo but it only operates on certain days, so your best bet is a rental car. If anyone has any questions, ask away!
Nice post! As for Northern Cyprus, many of the endemics can be found there too. Best site for birding is the Karpaz peninsula in the far northwest of the island: you'll also definitely see the Cypriot "wild" donkeys there. There's a number of endemic/near-endemic reptiles and amphibians too. Lizards like the Schreiber's fringe-toed lizard and snake-eyed lizard, as well as Cyprus agama, are commonplace throughout the island. I've had no luck seeing wild snakes, but lucked out spotting a European chameleon crossing the road once. Cyprus water frogs, recently split from the Levantine species, can be found at temporary ponds and reservoirs.
