Hiking is one of the most accessible ways to support your physical health and mental well-being. Beyond improving cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health, this low-impact activity also resets our attention and eases stress and anxiety by at least 28%. Just being out in nature for at least two hours per week can have a protective effect on depression risk, reduce cortisol (stress hormone) levels, promote better sleep quality, and decrease blood pressure levels.
It also helps with something many of us are wrestling with in our quiet periods. When we hike as a group, hiking doesn’t just get people moving; it brings them together, reducing feelings of loneliness and isolation.
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And while the rest of Europe may be throwing their hiking boots back into the cupboard until spring, Cyprus’s hiking season is only getting started. With its mild winter weather, lush green landscapes, and a mix of mountain, forest, village, and coastal trails all within a short drive, the island becomes one of the few places in Europe where you can walk through pine forests in Troodos in the morning and finish the day on a clifftop path above the Mediterranean. From waterfalls and cedar valleys to quiet inland ridges and sea-view routes, Cyprus in winter stays varied enough to keep even regular hikers curious.
One person who has built a thriving community of passionate weekend walkers is George Gregoriou. Born and raised in Cyprus, and now Academic Vice President for Regulatory Affairs at the University of Nicosia, he has been hiking the island’s trails for over a decade. In September 2020, during the pandemic, he and a few friends started a Facebook group called Cyprus Hikers to bring together locals, expatriates, Erasmus students, and other international students and visitors to the island who wanted to explore more of the island beyond hotel terraces and beach bars.
What began as a small circle has grown into a community of more than 28,000 members, with weekly walks that are as much about conversation as they are about kilometres. As George likes to say, Cyprus Hikers is “less of an exercise group and more of a social group” – a way to explore forests, ridges, and coastal cliffs with company, and a gentle reminder that winter here is not a season to endure, but one to step into.
Can you introduce yourself and explain how you came to start the Cyprus Hikers Facebook group?
My name is George Gregorio. I was born and raised here in Cyprus. I got my education in the United States. I spent 12 years, my student years, in the US, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctorate and postdoc in the United States all in Electrical Engineering.
I’ve been working here at the University of Nicosia for the past almost 30 years. I served as the Dean of the School of Sciences and Engineering for six terms, 18 years, and I am currently the Academic Vice President for Regulatory Affairs.
I love nature. I started hiking regularly with another hiking group about 12 years ago.
In September 2020, during the pandemic, along with another couple of people from that group, we decided to form a new group, the Cyprus Hikers, which now has over 28,000 members from all over the island, from five continents, and over 50 countries. Some of these people are non-Cypriots living on the island, expats, Erasmus and other international students, and past and future visitors to the island.
For example, many people join because they know they will visit in two, three, or four months, for a couple of weeks, and they want to learn more about potential hikes they can join. Or just people who are not even able to hike, but they follow our activities through pictures. I know some people in my neighborhood, including my wife, who has serious medical issues. They just follow us through pictures.
Your group has grown from a small, intimate collective to, as you’ve mentioned, thousands of members. The logistics behind managing the group and the hikes can be very time-consuming. Where does this passion and enthusiasm to continue promoting hiking around the island come from, and what continues to drive it?
It started as a hobby, but now it has gradually become a passion indeed. I find myself voluntarily spending quite some time planning and preparing the announcements and other material, which is communicated to our members, in order to make sure that the group runs smoothly. This is the sixth year that we have been running this group, so most of the hikes we will do this year we have already completed in previous years.
I have more than 110 trails on my list, and in a typical season, we do only about 40-45, including a few summer hikes. So, I already have the descriptions and information ready. These days, I am spending less time preparing the announcements, other than some minor edits.
What keeps me going is the smiling faces of the hikers expressing their happiness and satisfaction with the opportunity to enjoy nature.
Let’s discuss the hikes. When does the hiking season begin, and how do people go about joining a hike?
We start hiking from early October when the weather is more suitable, and we run through the end of May regularly. We hike every weekend, and we alternate between Saturdays and Sundays. That way, we satisfy both the people who have more free time on Sunday, as well as those who prefer Saturdays.
The members know in advance the dates of next month’s hikes, but the destinations are chosen on Monday or Tuesday before each hike. The reason we do that is so that we know the weather forecast more reliably and can make a more suitable decision.
We have a Facebook group page where we post all the activities, detailed announcements of the hikes, postings of pictures after the hikes, calls for carpooling, and reservations for lunch as a group after a hike. We don’t always follow the hikes with lunches, but at least once a month, we try to do that. We also organise several picnics throughout the hiking season. After all, we are less of an exercise group and more of a social group.
I wouldn’t like to see every individual driving his or her car to the mountains, so we promote carpooling to our hikes. In this way, we also assist people who do not have a car. There are many people now living in Cyprus who do not own a car, so they need a ride. In Nicosia, we have a meeting place where we do carpooling consistently. For the other towns, Paphos, Limassol, and Larnaca, I have created Messenger groups to enable communication among people living in those towns, so that they can arrange for carpooling.
Some hikes require pre-registration if we are taking a bus to the route, while others you only need to turn up on time at the meeting point. However, we do ask anyone interested in joining a hike to sign a Disclaimer and Waiver of Liability Form before hiking with us.
We’re coming into winter. What are some of the winter hikes you would recommend during this period?
Winter is quite special as we do what I call “spontaneous” hikes in addition to our regular hikes. For example, if on Monday or Tuesday the snow comes, I will put an announcement out to join me on the day or thereabouts, and we will go up to enjoy the snow in the mountains. It’s such a beautiful feeling to be stepping on fresh snow and to be able to see the trees covered with snow, beautifully dressed in white.
People ask me whether they need special gear for the hikes in the snow. I would say no. Temperatures here in Cyprus, even in the mountains, are very comfortable, two or three degrees. Usually, the sun is out after the snow has fallen, and we rarely get gusty winds like in the more northern countries. So, regular waterproof clothing and hiking shoes are fine. We are talking about snow, which is 15-20 centimeters at most.
For winter hiking, I highly recommend the Artemis Trail in the Troodos Mountains. It’s a circular trail at an altitude of 1850 m, which is the highest trail on the island. The total hiking distance is around 7 km, and takes approximately 2.5 hours to complete. I would classify it as an easy to medium trail on the difficulty scale. Even if parts of the trail are covered in snow, it is still fairly easy to follow.
Next on my list would be Almirolivado, which is not far from Troodos Square. The main hike is a 9 km circular trail that goes through the Amiantos Mines remnants, which give the impression of being on another planet. The trail passes by a lake, which is created by the seasonal rain and snow, and then continues along a rocky creek (known as “Loumata ton Aeton”) with several crossings over the water. In some parts, the trail is not well marked; however, hikers may follow blue markings on the rocks indicating the trail. In some other parts, the trail is narrow and rugged. On the difficulty scale, I would rate this to be a more difficult trail and would recommend hikers to carry hiking poles with them. If 9 km is not enough (or for some additional nature time), I would also suggest taking a short 2 km detour to visit a beautiful endemic 500-year-old Juniper tree that is just off the main trail, following a dirt road. Altogether, the hike takes approximately 4 hours.
Then we have the Madari Grand Circle, on the Madari mountains, whose peak reaches 1600 m and is the second-highest peak on the island. It’s a demanding trail, with elevation changes of about 600 m up and down. It starts at 1285 m (Selladi Karamanli), goes down to the trail’s lowest point at 1046 m before reaching Moutti tis Choras at 1174 m, then up to 1345 m (at Doxa si o Theos), then to 1600 m (at the Watch Tower), before the final stretch, which is steadily downwards back to Selladi Karamanli at 1285 m. Part of the trail is in dense forest with pine trees, golden oaks, cedar trees, and several other species of trees and bushes. Another part of the trail is along rock formations with very little or no vegetation. We call these natural walls “The Walls of Madari,” built by Mother Nature and not human hands. The hike is about 13 kilometers in total and takes around 4.5 hours.
One of my favourites for late autumn or early winter is Plati Valley. Plati water stream is one of the numerous streams in the area that make up the Diarhizos river. The autumn scenery with the various colours of the falling leaves, combined with the water flowing in the nearby stream, is absolutely stunning. There is always water in this creek. It’s a beautiful feeling, and you really feel that you are not in Cyprus for some reason. The trail starts at a small bridge where the Plati stream meets another stream. However, on the way to the starting point of the trail, you will drive past the medieval Kelefos (Tzelefos) Venetian bridge, which is the largest and most beautiful old bridge on the island. The hike is easy and takes around 4.5 hours to complete the 16 km.
I would also recommend Cape Aspro (Greek for white cape), just off Pissouri village. This hike follows an impressive coastline that is unique with its almost chalk-like white colour, distinctive morphology of the tall, steep rocks, and the contrast with the deep blue of the sea. Another highlight of the hike is seeing the wild goats, which are a favourite among the younger hikers. The trail is 10 km, totalling around 4 hours of hiking. It is quite a strenuous trail rated moderate to difficult. The trail is very narrow and rugged at some points and not well-marked at other points. Also, it is not suitable for people with acrophobia or phobias of heights, as the trail does extend to the edge of a cliff over 250 m above the sea. Hiking shoes are a must, and hiking poles are highly recommended.
And a bonus hike: Machairas forest, further up from the villages of Kapedes and Lythrodontas, part of the E4 trail. The trail is 15 km, takes around five hours, and begins at the Kionia picnic site and leads all the way to the Monastery of Prophitis Elias and back. The forward leg is all downhill, the return all uphill, with 500 m of altitude change. It is not surprising that this trail is rated as one of the more difficult adventures. But don’t be deterred, the sights are worth it! You go through a very beautiful gorge. Then you go through a very dense forest. There are amazing views of the nearby region from there. You can see Kornos and Lefkara villages, as well as the Lefkara water dam, farther away.
Have you noticed that there’s more interest in hiking in the last few years?
Certainly. I think that one of the positive outcomes of the pandemic is that it forced people to go out into nature more often. Maybe it has to do with the fact that we were only allowed to leave our closed homes once or twice a day for a short period, and people chose to leave the city and escape into nature. I have seen a lot of new hiking groups popping up, and it is very encouraging for Cyprus and its people.
As I said, it’s not only exercising, it’s also socializing. Many people contact me, and they are hesitant to come because they are alone. Their friends are not the type of people who will go and walk in the woods. They prefer to spend their weekends in coffee shops. I tell them, please join, and you will meet so many people with the same interests. They are all nature lovers. They are from different countries. They speak different languages. You will surely make new friends.
Do you see the benefit for Cyprus’s tourism industry to invest in more hiking?
Yes. We have the traditional narrative, which is to bring people to lie on our nice beaches. That’s one thing.
Of course, we need to go away from it, and I think we are going away from it. We are now building a reputation as a conference or events destination. Whether that is academic, tech, gaming, or alternative… we have quite a menu!
But we also have our beautiful culture and nature. The mountains, the forest, the villages, the monasteries, the churches, some of them dating more than a thousand years, and the UNESCO national heritage sites. Our island has so much to offer. It’s a shame to show only one very small glimpse of its beauty.
Photo: Cyprus Hikers
