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A rugged sierra of hills, cloaked in pine forest and fringed by Cyprus’s last undeveloped beaches, the Akamas Peninsula is the country’s only remaining expanse of wilderness. Turtles lay their eggs on its coasts, and its forest trails – which are best explored with a 4WD vehicle – are a very welcome escape from the bustle of the seaside resorts (see Akamas Peninsula).

Legend claims that Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love and beauty, was born from the sea-foam on this pebbly bay, which is dominated by rugged limestone crags rising from the sea. Other myths say these boulders were hurled at the ships of Saracen corsairs by Digenis Akritas, the paladin of the Byzantine frontier.

A shady refuge from the summer heat, the 11-m (36-ft) waterfall, plunging into a thickly wooded gully, is named after the swallows (chelidonia ) which swoop around the falls and pool in summer (see Kaledonia Falls).

The towering cedars with their spreading green boughs give this valley high in the Tripylos mountain forest its name and aromatic scent. They are the same as the “cedars of Lebanon” mentioned in the Old Testament and prized by the shipbuilders of the ancient world. They grow at altitudes above 900 m (3,000 ft) and are only found here, in the Lebanon, Morocco and the Himalayas.

A jagged and often snow-capped massif, Olympus shares its name with the home of the gods on the Greek mainland. At 1,950 m (6,400 ft), its highest summit, Chionistra, can be seen all over the island (see Mount Olympus).

Graceful arched bridges criss-cross this rugged river bed. Built by the Venetians, they once carried camel-trains bearing copper ore from mountain mines down to Pafos. The Roudias bridge, near Vrecha village, is one of the best preserved.

Greener and better irrigated than the arid Xiros, the upper Diarizos Valley is studded with medieval churches, farming villages and arched Venetian bridges. The clear-flowing river trickles southwest, and like the Xiros eventually feeds the Asprokremmos reservoir, a mecca for anglers.

The 1,362-m (4,470-ft) Mount Tripylos, the highest peak in western Cyprus, rises above pine and cedar forests. There are fantastic views over the Tillyrian wilderness to the west and Pafos Forest to the southeast, but it is a little harder to ascend than Mount Olympus.

The rugged tip of the Akamas Peninsula is a great place to watch the sun plummet into the Mediterranean. Just under 3 km (2 miles) from the cape, a spring, the Baths of Aphrodite, trickles from limestone cliffs into a grotto concealed by fig trees and pink-flowering oleander.

This unique wetland is best visited in winter and spring, when its sparkling waters draw flocks of migrant flamingoes and other waterfowl.