Teisia tis Madaris, cliffs and views on the Madari ridge

To my mind, the Madari ridge is the great landscape of Pitsilia, and Teisia tis Madaris is the shortest way to walk it. On maps and signs it also appears as Teichia or Tisia tis Madaris. I describe it from the ANETroodos trail notes and from what Limassol Tourism adds about the forest.

Where it starts

The start is beside the Madari fire lookout tower, at the top of Mount Adelfoi, 1,613 metres up, close to where the Doxa soi o Theos trail ends. By car you approach from the Chandria to Polystypos road, and the company warns that the last 800 metres are a loose, steep and rough track. The loop is about 3 km long and runs at roughly 1,600 metres.

Cliffs and geology

What defines the trail are its tall, impressive cliffs and several areas of geological interest, according to the notes. From the path you look over the Mesaoria plain and Morphou Bay. To make sense of the rocks, the Troodos Geopark explains how these mountains formed on the ocean floor. Teisia tis Madaris links with the Doxa soi o Theos trail and with the Madari to Selladi tou Karamanli path. That one, according to the company, looks towards Morphou Bay, the Mesaoria and the Troodos range, passes through a cedar forest about halfway and connects by a 2 km surfaced road with the Lagoudera to Agros trail.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Agros for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

A protected forest

Limassol Tourism lists Madari, in the Adelfoi forest, among the five Troodos nature reserves included in the Natura 2000 network. It speaks of unique forest ecosystems, with black pine and pure stands of golden oak and juniper, around 40 endemic plant species and many rare birds, three of them endemic. The trail notes add the Troodos rose, the Cyprus cedar and the Cyprus crocus, and among reptiles the Cyprus viper, the Cyprus lizard and the black whip snake.

Walking up from Doxa soi o Theos

If you’d rather not drive to the tower, the linear Doxa soi o Theos trail is 3.8 km long. It leaves the Kyperounta to Spilia road, 2 km from Kyperounta and 5 km from Spilia, and reaches the tower along the ridge between 1,400 and 1,600 metres, with views in every direction. There is a drinking water fountain at the start. Put the two trails together and you have a good mountain morning.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Teisia tis Madaris on GetYourGuide.

Planning the day

I’d stay in Agros or Kyperounta and head up early. Later on I would head down to Lagoudera to see Panagia tou Araka, which sits at the foot of the mountain. The island’s other routes are in hiking in Cyprus, and similar panoramas in the viewpoints in Cyprus.

If you would rather go at your own pace, see the car hire deals in Limassol: the earlier you book, the more cars are left to choose from.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Agros for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.