The Persephone Trail, a short walk to the Makria Kontarka viewpoint

Of the trails around Mount Olympus, the Persephone is the shortest and the easiest to do on a whim. You don’t need a car if you’re already at Troodos Square, and you can be there and back in a morning. Signs and official notes call it Persephone or Persefoni, and I describe it here from what ANETroodos publishes.

Where it starts

The trail notes put the start 150 metres from Troodos Square, towards the police station, at 1,733 metres. One detail is worth knowing. One company page says south of the square and the nature park page says north, both towards the police station. I’d ask at the information centre on the square, which is also the centre for the national forest park.

What the walk is like

It is 3 km one way. The first two run through very dense black pine forest, and the end reaches Makria Kontarka, which the company describes as a place with superb views. As it isn’t a loop, you return along the same path, so I’d reckon on about 6 km in all. The whole route lies within Troodos National Forest Park.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Platres on Expedia and filter by area before price.

Plants and animals

The notes are generous on wildlife. Among the endemic plants they list golden oak, Cyprus skullcap, Troodos catmint, Cyprus germander, Troodos sage and manouthkia, an evergreen shrub with pale pink flowers. Among the birds, Bonelli’s eagle, the jay, the wood pigeon, the partridge, plus the endemic Cyprus warbler and Cyprus wheatear. And among the reptiles, the Cyprus viper and the endemic Cyprus whip snake.

Picnic sites and bikes

For eating outdoors there are three picnic sites nearby. Kampos tou Livadiou is 2 km from the square towards Karvounas, and Armyrolivado and Livadi tou Pasia 2.5 km. The company also uses this trail in its mountain bike routes, which drop from the square towards Caledonia and Platres or towards Prodromos, so you may meet cyclists.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Persephone Trail and pick one that fits your day.

The park around it

Limassol Tourism credits Troodos National Forest Park with 9,147 hectares around Olympus, between the top of Chionistra and Moni forest at 700 metres. It counts some 750 plant species and protects the park’s wildlife, from griffon vultures, ravens and scops owls to the mouflon, the island’s wild sheep. To my mind this short trail is the easiest way to get a feel for that forest without planning a long hike.

How I’d do it

I’d go first thing, before the heat builds, and then link it to something longer. The Artemis Trail and the Atalante Trail start very close by, and heading down towards Platres there is the Caledonia Waterfall. If views are what you’re after, see also the viewpoints in Cyprus, and for other routes, the guide to hiking in Cyprus.

Where the bus does not go, a car does: compare car hire in Limassol before you arrive rather than at the desk.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Platres on Booking.com and filter by area before price.