Northern Cyprus

Tours that take the strain out of enjoying Europe’s flora and fauna! Based in just two good quality hotels, these tours have direct flights, and these at kind times of day! And most importantly field trips will be kept to a maximum of six or so hours giving you plenty of time to relax before and after.

The Kyrenian Mountains are not so high, the highest peak barely tops a thousand metres but they are very dramatic, rising precipitously behind a very narrow coastal plain on which the elegant port of Kyrenia lies. The geology of these mountains is complex, Dolomitic Limestones and Marbles are mixed with highly eroded chalks and breccias, and in places by beds of pillow lava. History and geology combine to produce a landscape where much of the land lies relatively untroubled by modern agriculture and so flowers bloom prolifically in the sunny March days the island is famous for. Our hotel for the first half of the tour is a real treat – the lovely Gillham Vineyard Hotel. Beautifully situated at the northern foot of the mountains, the vineyards stretch out below the hotel towards the sparkling seas below. This is a very lovely place with wonderful food and of course wine from their own vines. 

Perched high amongst dramatic pinnacles nearby is the castle of St Hilarion. Here we’ll find the first of a surprising number of flowers that are endemic to the north of Cyprus, most of them centred on the Kyrnenian Mountains and many, like the St Hilarion Cabbage, Brassica hilarionis, growing on vertical rock faces. Though classy for a cabbage it is other endemics that might attract us more such as lovely Tulipa cypria which flowers prolifically in lush garrigue alongside Gladiolus at the base of the Koruçam Peninsula. Orchids are abundant and varied. Among them we’ll find the beautiful Kotschy’s Bee Orchid, one of the most striking of the Mediterranean bee orchids. There are many more, during the week we’ll find Ophrys lapethica, well-named Ophrys argolica elegans, Ophrys bornmuelleri, Ophrys mammosa and its close relative Ophrys transhyrcana. We’ll see drifts of the picta form of Green-winged Orchid often mixed with Anatolian Orchid. Others include Dense-flowered Orchid, Monkey Orchid, Holy Orchid, the charismatic Orchis punctulata, Giant Orchid and a confusing array of Tongue Orchids!

One can hardly drive far without a new site of antiquity emerging from the tranquil countryside. As well as St Hilarion we’ll visit others including Bellepais, its name of course meaning ‘beautiful country’ – the extensive remains of this abbey are indeed in very pleasant surroundings full of fruit, vines and wild flowers. To the north east of North Cyprus lies the ‘Panhandle’, or Karpaz Peninsula, extending all of eighty kilometres out into the Eastern Mediterranean. A wild landscape hardly cultivated and with few people, this is real haven for wildlife. Above one of the many pristine crescent beaches on the Karpaz are the well-preserved ruins of Ayios Philon church. This was the site of the ancient city of Karpasia, founded by King Pygmalion of Cyprus. There’s some faded but intriguing mosaic floor remains presided over by Starred Agamas whilst overhead fly Bonelli’s Eagles. We’ll search for Schneider’s Skink, Middle East Tree Frogs and European Blind Snake. A little night foray from our hotel might reveal Mediterranean Chameleon or perhaps Long-eared Hedgehog. Birdwatching around Cape Apostolos Andreas, right at the tip of the peninsula, is excellent. This an ideal place (and time) to witness bird migration as almost any species that migrates between Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe can potentially be found here. Many raptors fly over, including Long-legged Buzzard, Pallid Harrier, Short-toed Snake Eagle and Lesser Spotted Eagle. Woodchat Shrike, Masked Shrike and Eurasian Hoopoe will be arriving while Chukar, Black Francolin, and Audouin’s Gull are all resident as is the endemic breeder Cyprus Wheatear.