This presentation describes the northern third of the island, considered by many to be the most beautiful and unspoilt part of Cyprus. This is the furthest east you can venture in the Mediterranean, with Turkey just 40 miles away. Still relatively undeveloped, the north has beautiful beaches set against a backdrop of the stunning Besparmak Mountains which extend for about 80 miles/128 kms along the North coast, interspersed with villages and groves of olive and carob. Here you can explore for miles on tracks unpolluted by traffic and with fantastic views in all directions.

The Turkish north, which proclaimed itself the independent Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983, remains unrecognised by any country other than Turkey, and has thus been denied foreign finance. There are daily flights from the UK to Ercan (7 miles east of the capital city of Lefcosia) which have to touch down at Istanbul or Izmir, a consequence of non-recognition. When the island was divided in 1974, the Turks took the more beautiful and fertile region, which still remains less visited than the Greek south. In recent years, Turkish Cypriots who left in the 1970s have been returning, mainly from Britain and Australia and, increasingly confident in the status quo of partition, are investing in the future. There has been a rise in commercialism and a big drive towards boosting tourism, with increasing levels of construction along the coast, but outside the main towns of Girne (Kyrenia) and Gazimagusa (Famagusta), it’s easy to find the easy-going way of life and rural, tranquil charm of fifty years ago. Turkish Cypriots are friendly and hospitable and crime rates are very low.

From the middle of May to the end of September, the sun shines about twice as much in North Cyprus as in London and it rarely rains! Low humidity and light sea breezes means that high summer temperatures of around 30 degrees centigrade are comfortable. Warm sea temperatures – still around 20 degrees in December – lead to one of the longest sub-aqua seasons in the Mediterranean. And although one can expect changeable weather during Spring and Autumn, March and October each average more than 250 hours of sunshine.

The favourable climate means that any time is a beautiful time for flowers. Even in the autumn and winter, yellow oleanders decorate the hills and multi-coloured anenomes and crocuses appear before Christmas. Late winter and spring sees an explosion of colour with the orchid family, scarlet poppies and crown daisies coming into bloom along the waysides and throughout the fields. Butterflies abound at this time. North Cyprus is home to 347 species of bird including the massive griffon vulture and their numbers are swelled by millions of migrants who use the island as an important staging post on their flight to the Middle East and Africa. Reptiles include lizards, the European chameleon and nine species of snake, all of which are harmless with the exception of the Blunt-Nosed Viper.

There are endless opportunities for outdoor activities including swimming, snorkelling and diving. Some of the larger resort hotels offer water-skiing, parascending, jetskiing, windsurfing, canoeing and kayaking. There is year-round walking on marked trails in Forestry Department land, and the Besparmak Mountains provide the setting for numerous hikes, horse-riding, paragliding and mountain-biking. Something for everyone!

North Cyprus has five distinct areas. 1) In the West, around Guzelyurt, is the market garden of Cyprus with mile upon mile of citrus groves and vegetables. 2) The long northern coastline has sandy beaches and rocky coves and is backed by the dramatic Besparmak mountains with romantic Crusader castles clinging to the craggy heights. In the centre of this stretch lies the Venetian harbour town of Girne, an excellent base for exploring the region. 3) The eastern coastal area of Gazimagusa Bay is one long, sandy beach providing clean and safe bathing. Gazimagusa itself is a fascinating town with fabulous city walls and monuments built from the characteristic brown sandstone. 4) The vast expanse of the Mesaoria Plain lies between Gazimagusa and Lefkosia and here fertile soils support large arable fields. 5) The Karpaz Peninsula (“panhandle”) is the jewel in the crown of North Cyprus. Everyone who bothers to visit this isolated region falls in love with the peace and seclusion where tourism is almost wholly absent. Stunning beaches attract marine loggerhead and green turtles who come ashore from May onwards to lay their eggs.

Cyprus offers a microcosm of history and a complexity of modern day politics. Just as Constantinople was always a bridge, so Cyprus was always a stepping stone, where culture after culture left its footprints. Lovers of ancient history can study Bronze Age remains at Enkomi, a Persian palace at Vouni, and visit Phoenician and Greek settlements at Salamis and Soli. The Roman influence lasted for nearly 400 years followed by the Byzantines for a further 850 years. In the 12th century, Richard the Lionheart captured Cyprus on his way to the Third Crusade and then sold it to Guy de Lusignan to raise money for his army! The next 300 years saw Norman French occupation under the Lusignan Crusaders, and it was during this period that the wonderful Byzantine castles of St. Hilarion, Buffavento and Kantara were refortified and embellished, and the castle and town of Nicosia (now Lefkosia) was created.

When the Venetians came on the scene in the late 1400s, they set about fortifying the castles at Girne, Gazimagusa and Lefkosia, adding massive towers and widening the walls to carry canon. Today it’s possible to walk around many of these mediaeval ramparts and marvel at the mighty architecture. The Ottomans then ruled for the next three centuries from 1571, and Turkish Cypriots today are the descendants of these mainland Turks who settled at that time. They are Muslim, though generally not especially devout. The British arrived in 1878, valuing Cyprus for its strategic location, and stayed for nearly 100 years. Today, many ex-pats live and work in the north. Finally, Cyprus gained its independence in 1960, and the island was partitioned after much strife, in 1974. Lefkosia is now the only divided capital city in the world with a barrier known as the “Green Line”.

For more information about North Cyprus, see:
the North Cyprus Tourism Centre website