Cyprus Finest (issue 2, Spring 2018) #8 Cyprus Finest (issue 2, Spring 2018) | Seite 7

USEFUL TIPS WHEN
PLANNING TO VISIT
THE GORGE
• Take precautions! respect the signs, especially
warning of the dangerous sites and possible
rock falls.
• Choose comfortable footwear, without any
heels, with reliable shoe sole, preferably
secure and quick dry. It is prohibited to wear
shoes or flip-flops: lots of slippery stones in
the area.
• It is not allowed to enter the gorge when the
weather is overcast. In a matter of minutes, rain
can turn a brook into a powerful stream, which
will ravage every and anything in its path.
• It is not recommended to enter the gorge
alone without first informing someone of your
plans. This site is not only beautiful; it is also
dangerous!
• Make sure to take a lot of drinking water!
• Be prepared to meet… wild goats. If these
animals appear on the trail, they can scare
you nuts. Just in case, take a stick or some
protective equipment with you in order to
fend off aggressive animals.
• The gorge is not far from Paphos but you can
reach it only by car, buses do not go there.
Not all wonders and secrets of the gorge are accessible to us yet. One of the
most astonishing and enigmatic places of Avakas is closed to tourists and
holiday-makers, it is impossible to get there without a special pass and
equipment. Some years ago, local shepherds discovered a door in the rock. The
scientists still have not completely mapped out the area, but at the moment,
a narrow path has been discovered which leads down to a dungeon, and at
70 metres deep, there are ancient catacombs, paths to rooms and underground
halls forming a labyrinth. This mystery dungeon has not been fully explored
yet, but arrowheads and pottery have been found inside.
Indeed, Avakas Gorge is one of the pearls of Cyprus. Although you’d have to
spend a day to explore it, you definitely won’t lack for excitement, thrill, and pleas-
ure, as you see Cyprus from a new perspective.
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