Half day Safari Tour to Akamas Peninsula from Paphos

We didn't hire a car but wanted to see more of the island so I booked this trip as it had a good itinerary. Our great guide picked us up on time at the agreed location in Paphos and after some quick introductions with our fellow travellers off we went. It wasn't long before we were off road as we headed towards our first stop at Avakas Gorge. The walk into the gorge is maybe half an hour in and then half an hour out, but you get to see some of the beautiful landscape with a running commentary from our guide on the geology of the area plus the flora and fauna. Next stop was the Lara Bay turtle conservation area, which is an absolutely stunning bay where the turtles lay their eggs to hatch. A quick drive to the next bay where we had a stop for a drink at a cafe overlooking another incredible bay where (if you wish) you could take a refreshing swim in the beautiful sea. On the way back to Paphos we stopped off at the sea caves and the the Edro III shipwreck, both of which are worth a visit. All in all a great day, made even better by our brilliant guide and his knowledge of all things Cypriot. Obviously there's some walking involved so I would advise comfortable shoes, plenty of water and a sun hat.

The guide came to pick us up at the agreed time in a Jeep to take us to the gorges. We went there at 8:30 a.m. so there weren't many people, which was nice. After a quick hike with explanations about the region and anecdotes we were able to enjoy the landscapes, we then went to Turtle Bay (a little less impressive because there were a lot of people and so far, no turtles). We ended up at a small restaurant by the sea to drink and swim (if you wanted only, nothing obligatory). I recommend, the guide was great!

Shame on you!!! We booked and confirm a day trip for 14 people ( 10 childs) and you don t come You don t answer to phone calls , mail!!!! We paid 570 € and don t receive the refund Guys, don t book by this supplier there is many societies in Paphos to book directly with them Schnitzler jessica

The trip didn't get off to a good start and had to be changed from the original booking as trips such as this don't run on a Tuesday yet it let me book it for Tuesday. It was postponed to Wednesday then we received an email stating the trip didn't include lunch nor the Baths of Aphrodite as stated in the trip itinerary. Angelo was our Jeep Driver and arrived bang on time to pick us up from our hotel. We headed to the gauge and stopped en route to spot things and have a small guided tour. Our first stop was the Akamas Gauge It was a hike and slippery in parts. Sturdy footwear is definitely needed. Beautiful views and interesting. Then we headed to Lara Bay and the Turtle Conservation. We were able to watch nests being opened and baby turtles being taken out and released into the sea. Most hatch at night and head to the ocean but there were a few straglers today. Lara Bay is beautiful, such a sandy beach and just a wonderful place with a fabulous conservation area for the turtles. If the trip had lived upto its initial itinerary a 5* would have been given. Felt that we should have been informed way before 24hrs before the trip that the itinerary was wrong. Not good communication from Viator here.

We were collected from our hotel by Akis. He was very friendly and chatty. We got to hear about his ex wives, children, past jobs and political views, however this is where his imparting of knowledge stopped. The Land Rover he was driving Definitely had something wrong with it and it struggled in places you would hope a Land Rover wouldn’t. When we got to the gorge, Akis passed us over to his brother to walk us down through the nature reserve. We weren’t given any information about the site and just trudged down to the gorge where we stopped for about 2 minutes and then trudged back. We stopped once for him to point out goat poo and once for him to read off an information board. It was way too hot to do this walk in July and he told us that the day before a lady had to be taken to hospital with heat exposure. We were the driven to Lara bay, where we were expecting coffee and refreshments and to be ‘expertly’ told about the Turtle Conservation, we received neither. The whole trip was such a disappointment. My advice would be to drive to Lara Bay yourself and if you’re here in July or August please, please avoid the Gorges Nature Reserve, it’s just too exposed in the heat. We basically spent 2 hours being driven in a clamped out Land Rover and spent an hour on a beach next to the most basic of shacks serving warm soft drinks. NOT WORTH THE MONEY or time.

very nice excursion with an Akis guide at the top. The excursion was in English but Akis was also speaking French. Very beautiful landscapes I recommend

It is a fake advertisement, this price not includes the lunch and the Aphrodite bath. 3 hours of driving in an dirty uncomfortable car and no time for fun or looking around. Wasting time at a small bar without any attraction for the lunch of the drivers, who have run back for the next trip. DO NOT TAKE IT!

The first part of excursion was really nice. Gorge and the path are really amazing. Next stop Lara bay, but unfortunately there were no turtles - we only saw the turtles nests. Organizators didn’t brought us to the Third point -Aphrodite’s baths (explained that we ordered half day excursion and this point is not included. It is strange because neither in the ticket nor in the page there was not information re. this. ) Also in the offer and ticket there was mentioned that lunch is included, but appeared that not. A lot of things were not according offer, except this everything was nice.

You will see most of the highlights of Akamas, but you will not stay there for long. I would recommend going on your own. What we really did not like was that our group had to join other groups at the places we visited. If you get there you will be with more than 20 people walking around. The guide will tell something and that is it. I also think you could visit more places. After lunch we just went to a beach (because we did not want to go on a boat) and that was it for the afternoon. We were also not a fan of our guide. He was knowledgeable absolutely, but it felt also as he was just doing his job. We met the other guides, like George Michael (nick name) and he really did an effort. Unfortunately he was driving another jeep. In short, just spend your money on hiring a buggy of quad and go your own way.

It was great experience to go off-road. Experiencing Avakas Gorge was magnificent. Guide was also very funny and knowledgeable. But some of the stop-points were a bit dull and left me wondering that maybe there is something better in the beautiful scenery of Cyprus that is worth seeing. But overall, it was a nice and valuable trip with a number of pictures and experiences to remember.