Troodos National Forest Park

Troodos National Forest Park covers the high core of the Troodos mountains, around 9,000 hectares of pine and cedar forest centred on Mount Olympus, the island's highest peak at 1,952 m (locally called Chionistra). The park was proclaimed in 1992 and is managed by the Cyprus Department of Forests. The wider Troodos region was recognised as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2015 for its rock formations, including one of the best-preserved ophiolite sequences in the world. Note this is a Geopark designation, not a World Heritage Site.

The park is built for walking. Around ten marked nature trails run through it, including the Atalante and Artemis loops that circle Mount Olympus, the Persephone (Persefoni) trail south of Troodos Square, and the Caledonia trail that follows the Cold River down past the Caledonia (Kalidonia) waterfall. The forest holds a large share of Cyprus's plant species, many of them endemic, and the high ground gets enough snow in winter to run a small ski area on the slopes of Olympus.

Walking the Troodos trails

• Start at the Troodos Visitor Centre or Troodos Square for trail maps and information.
• The Atalante and Artemis trails are gentle loops; Caledonia is steeper and follows the river.
• Summers are cool at altitude but bring water; winters can be cold with snow and ice.
• Wear proper walking shoes and check the weather before heading up.

The park is the natural base for the wider Troodos mountains and pairs well with the painted churches and monasteries nearby, including Kykkos Monastery and the wine village of Omodos. For the rarer endemic forest, the Cedar Valley lies to the west in the Paphos forest.