Kyrenia most beautiful lands cape on North Cyprus , thanks to the imposing line of high hills just south, which temper the climate and separate the area from the rest of the island. More than one writer has characterized the Kyrenia mountains as the quintessential Gothic range; the limestone crags seem to not only mimic the castles which stud them , but also suggest the delicate tracery of the Lusignan cathedrals in Nicosia and Famagusta , towns clearly visible from the heights, and the pointed arches of the medieval abbey at Bellapais, in the foothills . The ridge seems remarkably two-dimensional , rising to over a thousand metres from a very narrow coastal plain and running for some 70km roughly east to west ,but plunging equally swiftly down to the Mesatya (Mesaoria) plain to from a veritable wall. In particular it acts as an efficient barrier to moisture-laden cloud, with rainfall on the north flank a good fifty percent higher than on the inland side. Springs erupt suddenly partway down the seaward slopes, keeping things relatively green and cool even in high summer and permitting the irrigation of various orchard and market-garden crops. Under exceptional conditions, Anatolia’s Toros mountains are visible, 45 miles across the Karamanian Straits .
Sadly, the range has much of its original forest cover to fire, most notably in late June 1995, when an arsonist-set blaze consumed 180 square kilometres of forest and olive groves between Lapta village and Besparmak peak. Reforestation was botched, relying extensively on exotic, quick-growing species like mimosa rather than the native pine and cypress; natural regeneration was hampered by a spate of dry winters, and die seemingly endless bare hillsides left by stripping the burnt trees for paper-pulp milling are now a feature of the landscape. Ironically, many olive groves that escaped the conflagration have since been assiduously grubbed out by developers.
Kyrenia ,capital of the namesake district, is the linchpin of tourism here with its compact old quarter arrayed around a nearly circular harbour. When the distractions of the town have been sampled-within a day or two for most- Karaman (Karmi),Alsancak(Karavas),and Lapta(Lapithos),spectacularly set foothill villages in what was once the most forested part of the barrier range, beckon to the west. Hotels co-exist uneasily along the shore below ,with the fishing anchorage of Guzelyali (Vavilas) marking the end of the strip developed for tourism and (most) real estate development. Beyond the thinly populated Korucam (Kormakiti) peninsula, with its small Maronite population, makes a good destination for a day’s drive, and you can return via the southwetern slopes of the Kyrenia hills on scenic, if little-travelled, back roads.
Southeast of Kyrenia, the Lusignan abbey of Bellapais very much tops the list of things to see, despite its relative commercialization ; the surrounding village of Beylerbeyi(Bellapais) and its neighbours Ozankoy(Kazafani) and Catalkoy(Ayios Epiktitos) have always been sought-after dormitory annexes of Kyrenia, even before the current building boom. The Kyrenia hills themselves offer satisfying day-trip destinations: the celebrated castles of St Hilarion and Buffavento and the remote, abandoned monasteries of Absinthiotissa and Antifonitis. Down on the coast east of Kyrenia, a succession of excellent beaches- in particular Lara, Alagadi and Onucuncu mil-remain as yet almost undeveloped.
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Enjoying a picturesque location flanked by a range of craggy hills and the sea.Kyrenia is Tourism capital of Northern Cyprus. Kyrenia is built around a charming harbour-the most beautiful in cyprus-guarded by a mighty medieval castle. İts compact old town is full of bars, tavernas and restaurants, yet remains a tranquil place. The neatby seashore is lined with the best hotels in northern Cyprus . one star to five star Hotels in Kyrenia Northern Cyprus
