Olympos (Chionistra) is he highest point in Cyprus.
Cyprus is a medium size island in the mediterranian sea, located between Greece & Turkey.
Olympos lies in in the Troodos National Forest Park in the center of the island and covers 9337 hectars.If you like demanding mountains with extreme climbs etc. this place is certainly not too interesting for you: You can drive close to the top by car and then continue on pleasant trails on foot. The beauty of the area lies elsewhere: It has a magical touch, because it is wetter, cooler and greener than the rest of the island, and snow usually lies thick from mid-January to mid-March (not on the rest of the island). Due to the combination of warm sun and crisp dry snow, it provides ideal conditions for skiing. A ski lift operates on Mount Olympus and equipment may be hired. The area is also great for a variety of activities such as hiking or mountain-biking.

There are no 'Routes' here, but nice trails with nature- information as you go: Info on Trails

Please note: If you find any errors or outdated info on this page or want to add
more information, please send me an eMail, so I can correct it, or I can give you editing privileges.

Getting There

Cyprus has airports at Larnaka and Pafos, with flights from most of Europe
and the Middle East. North Cyprus has an international airport at Ercan,
but only Turkish airlines fly there.
Bus services run within and between towns every day except Sunday.
Those between major cities are cheap, frequent and efficient.
If you want to travel on a Sunday, you'll need to get a service taxi.
They're good for most places in the Republic, but they tend to take roundabout routes

Red Tape

No Permits, no Fees.

When To Climb

The snow in winter is often very loose and requires snow-shoes.
When it is packed you can usually walk on it. (slopes can be slippery)
Around April you can usually walk on the trails normally again.

Camping & Accomodation

Mountain Conditions

Daily Snow conditions for skiing and trails : WindowOnCyprus

Cyprus Info

First stop for top-notch Cyprus info is Lonely Planet's Destination Cyprus
It's pretty much all here: The Cyprus Home Page has pages on tourism, the Cyprus problem, sports and news, as well as a huge picture gallery and much, much more.
From the Greek side of the island comes Window on Cyprus, with everything from aliens and animals to philosophers and villas.
From the Turkish side you get the excessively titled North Cyprus, A Corner of Earth Touched by Heaven, with history, archaeology, food and a large slice of blue sky.
For the official tourist lowdown, try Kopiaste!
Get the other side of the story at the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
There's another Kopiaste (this time without the exclamation mark) which has links galore to all things Cypriot
The Cyprus Visitor's Directory links you up to bars, activities and transport services all over Cyprus
Chat your fingers off at the amazingly well-populated Cyprus Café

Scenes around the Mountain

Here are some pictures I took on my day on the mountain that don't actually show the mountain,
but give an impression on how the area looks.

Images