North Cyprus Nature
The natural beauty of North
Cyprus is evident from the moment you arrive, from the tip of
its mountains to the sand on its beaches. It’s not just Northern
Cyprus tourists who appreciate this, though;
Turkish Cypriots love their countryside and are
more than happy to share it with you!
Having an average of only
51 people per square kilometre, Northern Cyprus holds the
enviable reputation of being free of pollution, industry or high
concentrations of population. With 387 Km of coastline, and
pine, cypress and maquis bush covered hillsides, North Cyprus is
a wildlife haven.
The sheer variety of the
countryside in such a small country is one of the main
attractions of a
nature
holiday on North Cyprus. Within a ninety minute
drive, you can climb from secluded sandy coves right into the
heart of wooded mountains, or out onto a rocky peninsula jutting
into the ocean. This means the nature lover has plenty to see
and do all year round.
Turtles
The beaches of North Cyprus are amongst the
last in the Mediterranean to be selected by the turtles which
lay their eggs during the months of July and August. Two
Endangered species, the
Loggerhead and the Green Turtle immigrate
in hundreds every year. They dig holes as deep as one metre
during the night and 7 to 8 weeks later little babies appear.
North Cyprus can be considered the home for about 30% of the
Green Turtles of the Mediterranean. Since 1992, the Marine
Turtle Research Group has been recording the turtles’ activity
during the summer months.
Nesting
is normally from the end of
June into August, with
hatching some two months
later.
The site most intensively studied is the
famous Alagadi Beach about 12 miles east of Girne. You can
witness these unique events, by joining the researchers at their
base “The Goat Shed” at Alagadi just before sunset.
Bird Watching
It is possible to watch
nearly 350 different species of bird in Cyprus. However, only 46
are native to Cyprus, including 7 that are found only on the
island. 119 of the birds that can be observed are winter
migrants, 90 of which migrate to Cyprus regularly every winter.
Cyprus is on a North-South migration route. March to May is the
period for northward migration, and August to October for the
southward.
Wildflowers
The fields in North Cyprus
are alive with
wild
flowers during the spring, when the land is
carpeted with cyclamens, anemones, narcissi and
wild tulips. By
early summer, the citrus trees are in bloom, filling the air
with their heady scent, followed by the red blossoms of the
pomegranate trees. By autumn, Cyprus cyclamens and autumn
crocuses bloom on the northern slopes of the mountains.
Orchids
Because of their rarity and
beauty, orchids hold a fascination for all naturalists. There
are over 30 species of wild Cyprus orchid, which inhabit a
variety of spaces from shady tree roots to rocky crags. The best
place to see bee orchids is at Alevkaya forest station, where
there is also a fascinating
Herbarium, where you can identify
any mystery plants you’ve spotted.
Butterflies
As soon as the spring
flowers bloom in North Cyprus, the butterflies emerge. As you
walk through any area of flowers, clouds of these and other
species butterflies will rise like flying confetti as you pass,
a glorious sight.
Herbarium
North Cyprus has more to
offer than its sun and sea, natural beauties and historic sites.
One surprising attraction is the North Cyprus herbarium, which
charms lovers of our wild flowers as well as providing a
research centre for botanists. Most people can confidently name
the more showy blooms in the countryside; shepherds and
foresters know dozens more. But how many of those seventeen
North Cyprus "endemics", found nowhere else in the world, would
you recognize?
The herbarium was opened
in 1989. Since then it has expanded to include examples of
nearly all the 1250 native plants species. For the guidance of
visitors it has special displays of flower photographs,
specimens of all those seventeen "endemics" photographs of the
oldest and biggest trees.
The herbarium is located in
the Alevkaya Forest Station on the Kyrenia mountain ridge.
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