If you are looking for something different whilst planning a trip to North Cyprus and you enjoy the great outdoors, then there are a growing number of specialist tour operators adding itineraries to accommodate the likes of the walkers, bird watchers and divers amongst us.

North Cyprus has so much to offer those who love an environment orientated holiday, and the world seems to be taking a stand of sorts against mass tourism these days, so it’s nice to see that there are companies who are grasping all that is beautiful about this part of the island and promoting its unique qualities in terms of nature and the environment.

You can do your own research to see what takes your fancy, but we will detail some of the different types of holidays that you can take in North Cyprus, and some of the organisations which can offer some great deals and packages to suit your requirements.

Walking Holidays

There are a variety of companies offering walking holidays which focus mainly on the cultural and historical as well as wildlife and scenery.  Whilst walking with these companies there are scheduled visits to historical sites, cultural centres and other places of interest for example.  When you are doing your research you will find that most of them have a detailed itinerary already available to view, so that you can see exactly what’s planned for the trip and where you will be staying.

Try www.responsibletravel.com or www.kudutravel.com and also check our article on walking groups which gives useful information on ways to go about joining a group when in North Cyprus.

Bird Watching

There are a great many interesting species of birds which are either resident or migratory in North Cyprus, and companies are quick to promote the island’s worth as a great bird watching country.  Specialist operators offer packages from 7 to 12 nights usually, and you will visit different parts of the island renowned for their bird spotting opportunities.

Try www.ornekholidays.com and check our article on birds in North Cyprus and where to see them.

Activity Holidays

If you fancy some action whilst you are visiting or even living in North Cyprus then there are tour operators who can organise an array of sporting activities for you to try, such as paragliding, diving, quad biking, tennis etc.  If you fancy something a little more sedate then there are themed holidays which will allow you to try your hand at making bread and local cheese and take part in traditional village life perhaps.

Try www.iah-holidays.co.uk / www.ornekholidays.com / www.ecotourismcyprus.com, and also check our articles on land and water activities to choose from when in North Cyprus, as well as opportunities to experience a more eco-tourism themed holiday.

Diving

Diving in North Cyprus is a fantastic opportunity to add to your existing catalogue of dives, improve your skills and attain additional certificates, or to learn from scratch.  North Cyprus is well known for its wonderful marine life and some excellent dive sites, with shallow waters that are ideal to learn the basics of diving.

Try www.cyprusholidaysave.com/cyprus/scuba-diving-north-cyprus or check out our in-depth article on diving which gives some useful information on companies and ways to go about diving whilst in North Cyprus.

Orchid Hunting

There are some specialist groups which can take you on walks to some of the best countryside in North Cyprus, where you will be able to find many different and rare varieties of orchid for which the island is famous.  On the itinerary will also be the chance to sample some of the many historical sites that North Cyprus has to offer.

Try www.walksnorchidsnorthcyprus.com.

Golf

What holiday destination these days doesn’t have the opportunity to swing your clubs should you so wish?!  North Cyprus doesn’t disappoint in that area either, and you can book a package deal that will give you the opportunity to try your hand around this challenging but excellent 18-hole championship golf course, Korineum.

Try www.directtraveller.com/north-cyprus/golf-holidays or www.cyprusparadise.com/golfpackages.

Cycling

If you are a cycling enthusiast then how about trying out a weeks mountain biking which will take you from one side of North Cyprus to the other?  Tailored packages to suit, or a set itinerary – the choice is yours – with transfers and bike transportation all accommodated.

Try www.cyprusactive.com

That’s our round up of the more specialist type holidays available here in North Cyprus, and we hope it’s given you some food for thought!

Formed in the early 1990’s, they work hard to protect and conserve the current bird population of North Cyprus at a time when the birds’ local habitat is dwindling through tourism development, and the numbers of birds are depleting due to hunting and hotter and dryer summers.

The organisation’s main aims are:

To protect the birds of North Cyprus as well as their habitat

To stop and prevent the killing of birds to excess as well as indiscriminately

To ensure that current laws and regulations are enforced

To encourage and bring together people who are interested in birdlife

To help promote the observation, study and publication of the subject of birdlife in North Cyprus.

Unfortunately under KUŞKOR’s constitution they are unable to take foreigners as members presently.  However, there is hope on the horizon for those of us who wish to participate in becoming a member, and one man is beginning to make headway by forming a group called The Friends of Kuşkor.  His name is Steve Cale, he’s a tour guide, bird artist and author of Where to Watch Birds in North Cyprus.

KUŞKOR has a small office which is generally open on most weekday mornings, and it’s located in Kyrenia on the second floor of the office block behind the Vakıflar Bank which is next to The Colony Hotel.

The organisation can also be contacted on + 90 (0)392 815 7337, or by post at PO Box 634, Girne, or via one of its members Martin Marancos at marancos@kktc.net or check out their website www.kuskor.org.  You can also find their previous published bird reports via the wonderful Environmental Bookstore NHBS www.nhbs.com

You also can find out more about the tours that Steve Cale is involved with by visiting our article on specialist tours, and if you would like to know more about the proposed Friends of Kuskor Group and to express your interest in joining then please email Steve at steveshrike@aol.com.

Other groups which are also very much involved with conversation and birdlife are the North Cyprus Biological Union, and the organisation in the south of the island BirdLife Cyprus, which is affiliated with BirdLife International www.birdlife.org.

To visit Karmi take the coastal main road from Kyrenia until you reach Karaoğlanoğlu, and take a left turn signposted for Edremit and Karaman.  You will make your way up the mountain passing through the village of Edremit and its popular little Basket Shop, up past the small and private Hilarion Holiday Village and then Treasure Restaurant, bending round sharply to the right, and then on into the village.

Once an EOKA stronghold, it is now home to a varied foreign population from Europe and North America.  The once dilapidated and derelict properties of Karaman were taken under the wing of the Ministry of Interior and Housing in 1979, and were given away for nominal amounts to foreigners on a lease basis, in return for their restoration.  Leaseholders were also subject to rules and guidelines to keep the village’s originality when restoring property.  In the 1980’s the Ministry of Tourism took over the running of Karaman and the rebuilding of the village as a whole, they also took over the development of infrastructure such as the electric, mains water, street lighting and roads.

There are around 160 houses in the village, mostly now used as holiday homes or part time residences, although there are a few full time residents in Karaman.  There are also still some freehold properties in the village, meaning that they had foreign pre-1974 title and as such are not subject to the same lease agreement.  You will find that the ground floors of these houses in Karaman are often referred to as ‘donkey rooms,’ and indeed they were just that in times past!  Being a mountain village, donkeys were a valuable source of labour, as well as heat, and they were housed on the ground floor overnight meaning their heat rose to keep those sleeping above warm.

The centre of the village houses an old Greek Cypriot Orthodox church, although it was never consecrated as such.  It is open to the public at various times of the year, such as at Christmas for carol singing and on some Sundays, but the local village shop may be able to open it for you should you find it closed when you choose to visit Karaman.

You can find local shops such as the village shop which also serves as social meeting place, providing postal services and internet access should the need arise when you are visiting.  There is also the local pub, The Crows Nest, where you can view local art for sale whilst having a well-earned pint.  A gallery opposite the shop sells locally produced art as well as photography prints by well-known Karaman resident and photographer Jean Clark.

There is also the Spot Bar which is open in the summer months, it has a wonderful view over to St Hilarion in the evenings.  The central village restaurant is called Levant and it reopened in the summer of 2008 and has proved very popular with visitors and locals alike.  It would also be worthwhile mentioning the Halfway House restaurant which is located on the main road just a short distance before the village, it’s run by a young Turkish Cypriot man and his mother.  The Halfway House is a small but very popular eatery serving delicious mezes along with meat and fish dishes, all freshly prepared and very more-ish!

Karaman is an extremely popular place for those who wish to be away from the hustle and bustle of the main coastal towns, and it’s also a great place to stay for those who wish to be as close to nature as possible.  There are plenty of walks to be had up into the mountains and across to the village of Ilgaz further west, but a stroll around the village, with its pretty individual houses, back streets and cobbled paths may be enough for some.  The local pond, lovingly cared for by local residents, has its own colony of terrapins which are a delight to see if you can spot them sunbathing on the water lilies!

Needless to say that Karaman and its surrounds are a place where you can find a wide variety of flora, and its also a great place from which to see many of the migratory birds as they cross the Kyrenia mountain range as they head southwards in autumn.

Karaman is sadly however being slowly encroached upon by the inevitable property development, together with a new and rather unsightly restaurant, with developers keen to play on the village and its idyllic location to encourage property buyers to purchase nearby.  However, the village itself will hopefully be allowed to retain its rustic charm and continue to attract visitors for years to come.

The Karpaz peninsula has some breathtaking beaches, wonderful walks and is littered with ancient churches, monuments, remains and ruins.  Part of the area is also now a designated National Park, where feral donkeys are allowed to roam free and nature is pretty much left alone.  The Karpaz is also largely an agricultural area producing crops, and you will find that most local inhabitants have animals and land, but tourism also obviously plays a large part in the economy too.

There are now many places to stay on and around the coast and the Karpaz peninsula’s villages, and as the welfare of the environment becomes ever more important, accommodation is being built for the more environmentally minded tourist.  You can choose from very basic accommodation such as beach huts on stilts, or opt for a B&B style pension or even holiday apartments.

There is some development starting to encroach on this area, with property developments and the marina sites at Yeni Erenköy for example, but hopefully strong controls will be put in place to keep the majority of the Karpaz a much treasured and valued area for years to come.

If you’re visiting or living in North Cyprus it would be remiss of you to not take the time to explore this fantastic area of the island.  Our various articles on the Karpaz will give you more of an insight into where to stay, what to see, the beaches, wildlife and how to get there, so please do take a look if you would like to know more.

It is accessible from taking the very scenic coastal road past Esentepe and onto the partially finished new road which will take you to Kaplıca.  You will then venture on to older roads turning right inland signposted for Büyükkonuk and Sazlıköy. Alternatively you can take the inland Geçitkale road to Iskele and Boğaz, turning left at the costal junction, following the coastal road for a few miles until you reach turnings for Tuzluca and Büyükkonuk.

The village of Büyükkonuk and its surrounding area is beautiful, and with efforts being made by its villagers to create a life of self-sustainability, it is fast becoming a great place to visit to see a unique insight into traditional Turkish Cypriot culture.  Today it is mainly an agricultural village, growing crops such as olive, carob, wheat and barley along with vegetables.  Livestock also forms part of the local population’s livelihood with dairy cows, sheep and goats providing milk and meat.

The community is being helped in its efforts by the Economic Development and Growth for Enterprises (EDGE) under the Cyprus Partnership for Economic Growth (CyPEG) project, and funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Turkish Embassy.  This funding has enabled various restoration projects to get underway, such as restoring the town square and church, and it has helped with initiatives to educate the local community on the importance of their heritage and environment.  The local municipality also has a committee dedicated to the involvement of its eco-tourism status and has received help with training its members from the William Davison Institute in Michigan.

Part of a visit to Büyükkonuk should be to see the traditional arts and crafts being made by the local village women, and Eco-Tourism festivals in April and October time have been held to enable visitors to see, taste and buy some of the local produce available.  So far these festivals have been a great success, and two were held in 2008 with demonstrations from villagers in the art of basket weaving for example, as well as macaroni and mud brick making!  Folk dancing displays and donkey rides were also part of the fun!

You can also visit the restored olive mill factory which has been turned into a functioning museum, with its equipment and explanations of the operation as well as its history, and within its grounds there are also some very interesting species of flora that have been grown to give visitors an idea of what can be found in the surrounding areas.  Büyükkonuk also has various trail walks around the local countryside where you can take in the views whilst watching for migrating birds, and perhaps have a picnic.  Kantara Castle, one of the famous Crusader  castles, is also located to the west of Büyükkonuk, a short car journey away.

In Büyükkonuk you can also find Delcraft, a company set up by Turkish Cypriot Ismail Cemal and his Canadian born wife Lois.  This company is dedicated to eco-tourism efforts, providing information, accommodation and holidays for the eco-tourism hungry visitor, and it also has its own craft shop.  You can learn more about Delcraft by clicking on this related article.

There are many places to bird watch, and a visit to any of the mountain castles in North Cyprus will give you a great view from which to watch for these birds – as well as providing you with a great day out walking in history.

Statistics state that you should be able to see around 347 species of bird, with 46 of these being natives of Cyprus.  That leaves 301 species, some of which spend the winter in North Cyprus, some will be migrating using North Cyprus as a resting point, while some will actually become residents for a short amount of time during breeding seasons.

You will often see families of Red-Rumped Swallow and Cliff Swallows in the springtime arriving and setting up nests in the rafters of properties, and surprisingly they seem to visit the exact same spot each year, immediately setting about re-building their nests after travelling hundreds of miles to get here!

You can also see flocks of migrating cranes, buzzards and bee-eaters amongst others, which are wonderful sights to see, each with their own distinct sound to distinguish them.  Other birds which you may also see during migration seasons are Golden Eagles, Griffin Vultures, Hoopoes, as well as the trusty old Robin.

There are many sites to bird watch from apart from the mountain castles and the surrounding countryside, and venturing to places like the reservoirs at Geçitköy near Güzelyurt, Koprulu in Famagusta and the Gönyeli and Kanlıkoy reservoirs near Lefkoşa should provide plenty of opportunity for you to see different species of birds.  If you travel further out to the end of the Karpaz Peninsula you will find the Klidhes Islands, which is a favoured area for sea birds such as the Shag and Cormorant.  Indeed, if you venture up into the mountainous landscape in general you will see a great variety of native species such as the Cyprus Warbler and Cyprus Wheatear, Francolin, Chukka (partridge) and Kestrel.

Sadly North Cyprus also suffers its fair share of environmental damage, which no doubt is affecting the natural habitat of native and migratory birds.  Property development and pollution from fly tipping all inevitably affect the environment, and along with hunting and longer, hotter and drier summers, all are taking their toll.  Hunting is becoming an emotive subject for many, with environmental groups claiming that some species such as the Francolin and Chukka are being hunted to extinction.

There are groups who are trying to educate the general public about the need to protect the environment and to preserve nature and wildlife, although they do need more support and assistance in achieving their aims.  One such group is KUŞKOR which stands for The North Cyprus Society for the Protection of Birds (in Turkish obviously!)  They often hold educational lessons for children, advise on areas of special interest, and generally try to keep records of species’ numbers, migratory information and so on.

Please read more information on Kuşkor , the Friends of Kuşkor initiative as well as checking this great website from the Biologists Association BIO-DER, which includes a whole list of birds to see in North Cyprus along with the Turkish and Latin names.

Finally, what a great way to conclude this article, having just been summoned outside on a late November’s morning to witness the ascent into the mountains of what appeared to be a pair of late migrating Golden Eagles – magical!

There are an abundance of butterflies and also mammal, reptile and sea species, and you can find examples of wildlife anywhere in the mountains and along the unpopulated coastal areas.  North Cyprus is also famous for its wild flowers, especially the rare orchids that attract travellers from all over the world.

Cyprus is well known for its now rather depleted Moufflon population too.  This wonderful animal, which resembles a cross between a deer and a sheep, was hunted severely in the past and there ’s now just about 200 breeding pairs left, meaning the Moufflon is in danger of extinction.  You may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one or two towards Lefke on the western side of North Cyprus, or if you’re visiting the south of the island you may spot them around Paphos.

Obviously we must mention the Karpaz donkeys when talking about wildlife, because they are one of North Cyprus’s tourism treasures!  Many write that they are wild, but they have actually become undomesticated in recent years.  Many were originally domestically kept animals, but then abandoned during the conflict of the 1970’s and left to fend for themselves.  You will find them in the Karpaz region of the island, grazing in fields by the roadside.

It would also be remiss not to mention the mating season of both the loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) and green sea (Chelonia Mydas) turtles, which lay their eggs on the various sandy stretches of beach all along the North Cyprus coastline.  In other articles you will find information on how you can get involved with the organisations working to protect these species, and how to watch egg laying as it happens.

North Cyprus also has various species of snakes too!  Their numbers seem to be on the rise again after having been depleted after the fire of 1995.  You may frequently see them whilst walking in mountainous areas, but they can also be found in lowland areas too.  As with all snakes, they will generally not disturb you unless you disturb them!  If you are visiting North Cyprus and are bitten by a snake, you must seek emergency treatment immediately. Doctors will need to determine the correct antidote for the venom, so you should try to determine the pattern of the snake where possible. and

Small groups of monk seals and dolphins can also be seen of the coast near to the Karpaz Peninsula, and you may come across flocks of goats along the coastline too, some of which may be wild, but more than likely these days they will be domesticated and belong to a local farmer.

Other wildlife of note includes the various lizards that you will see scuttling around making lots of noise, as well as the yearly ‘screaming’ of cicadas, which can leave you quite deaf during daylight hours!  These insects have such a short life span, but the whole process of being born and maturing and then mating and starting the whole lifecycle again is fascinating!  The wonderful chameleon can also be seen slowly meandering along paths and in gardens, changing its colour as it goes.

The Karpaz National Park has been recently designated as a Special Protected Area in line with EU regulations.  Ecologically the area is home to more than 100 rare species of flora, and its beaches are also important nesting sites for the Loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) and Green Sea (Chelonia Mydas) turtles.  Historically within the national park area remains of the Kastros, the first human settlement on the island of Cyprus, have been found too.  So you can clearly see just how significant and important a region of Cyprus the National park truly is.

However, hunting has also been allowed in this area, thus allowing the possibility of already endangered animals to become dangerously close to extinction in North Cyprus.  In the recent past there have also been instances of the Karpaz donkeys being shot for encroaching onto private farming land, they have been blamed for destroying crops and damaging property.  Up until a few years ago the donkeys were housed within an enclosed area in the park, with rangers being employed to ensure that they were fed and watered.  All this was funded by the EU but the initiative seems to have fallen by the wayside.

Unfortunately there are now the beginnings of some rather haphazard development encroaching into this area too, with property developments beginning to creep further and further towards this protected land.  There has been much discontent over recent electrical power line installations as well, these were approved by local authorities to enable distantly located residents to have the benefits of electricity, but the installations have resulted in ugly electrical poles scouring the countryside.

Much is made of this area of Cyprus and its valuable ecological existence, and the issues associated with keeping it preserved.  The EU’s valuable involvement and various other studies which have taken place, along with the constant monitoring of turtle breeding and the activities of environmentally conscious groups may play a part in saving this national treasure in the years to come.

Please also see our other related articles about this area, as well as about other groups and organisations which are concerned with the environment.