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Alagadi: is a small village situated about 15mins drive west of Kyrenia. Turtle beach is a 2 minute walk down to the sea and over to the right. Turtle beach is the first ‘real’ beach on the coast west of Kyrenia, and is famous for the turtle’s which lay their eggs here during June. The little hut down to the right with the turtle on is the local conservation group’s headquarters. See the special section on the Alagadi Turtles at the bottom of this page.
Benoz restaurant is on the right hand side on the road as you enter the village, serving great mezze, fish and kebabs.
St. Kathleen’s restaurant is straight down in front of the villas, again serving great mezze, fish and kebas. People from all round the area come to both restaurants, especially for Sunday lunch.
Kyrenia: is the main town on the coastline of the TRNC. There are a variety of shops & cafes in Kyrenia, but the main attraction has to be the beautiful harbour, which has a variety of good seafood restaurants and having one end flanked by the byzantine castle. The castle itself contains a variety of historically significant exhibits which must not be missed.
Kyrenia Castle & Shipwreck Museum: down in the harbour, you can’t miss it. Purchase tickets to enter both the castle and Shipwreck Museum (which is situated inside the castle) from the head of the drawbridge. We’d recommend you take at least 2 hours to fully explore the castle as there’s plenty to see and, as always, the views of the harbour from the top of the castle are great.
St Hilarion: about a 20 minute drive from Alagadi on the road out of Kyrenia back towards Lefkosia (Nicosia). Once the road flattens out at the top the castle is signposted. Take the right turn crossing the highway and drive up as far as possible to the base of the castle ruins. There are 3 levels to the castle, and the views from the top are simply spectacular. It takes about an hour to get to the top of the 3rd level (but the view per below is well worth it).
Bellapais Abbey:
A beautiful village in the hillside to the west of Kyrenia. The abbey was built around 1325 A.D., most of it is still standing and makes a stunning setting for an evening meal, or simply a lunchtime snack.
Karmi (White village):
situated in the hills to the east of Kyrenia. Karmi is a charming little village centred around a small church. The streets are narrow but great to walk around / explore and once again the views are great. ‘Levant ‘restaurant is situated in the village and is well worth a visit (book before going).
Lefkosa (Nicosia): is the capital city and is divided by the green line separating the Turkish north from the Greek south part of the city. Since 2004 it has become much easier to cross the various borders separating the south and north parts of the island. In April 2008, following the change in government of the Greek south, a further pedestrian crossing opened at Ledra Street. All you need is your passport and you can walk back and forth. Exploring the old walled city is a must and crossing over to the south is worth a visit if only to remind yourself how commercialism can change / ruin a city i.e. McDonalds and Starbucks (only joking!) Both governments are committed to finding a solution to the division of the island, but following separation since 1974 we do not expect a quick resolution.
Karpaz Penninsula:
to the north east of Cyprus lies the ‘Panhandle’ or Karpaz Peninsula. The region stretches from near Famagusta to the northern most tip of Cyprus. The Karpaz Peninsula covers a substantial part of the island and extends to 80 kms in length and up to 20 kms wide. One of the most unspoilt places in the whole of the Mediterranean region, the Karpaz is home to an outstanding variety of wildlife and its northern and eastern shores have some of the most beautiful and deserted beaches in North Cyprus – in fact in the whole of the Mediterranean.
The Karpaz region is rich in subterranean water reservoirs, so crops including fruit, olives and tobacco are grown in abundance, although in many of the small villages dotted around the region a tractor is still a novelty and many jobs still rely on traditional horse-drawn tools. The other main source of income for the region now is fishing, with the villages of Bogaz and Kumyali being the main centres for fishing in the Karpaz.
Activities
Golf : The Korineum golf and country club is a 5 minute drive west of Alagadi. There is a superb 18 hole course and a very good variety of spa and beauty treatments. The bar and restaurant facilities here also come highly recommended. Having a cocktail / beer on the veranda whist watching the sun set over the TRNC coastline is something special.
http://www.korineumgolf.com/home.asp
Paragliding & Scuba Diving can also be arranged. There are a number of operators displaying trips & tours down in Kyrenia harbour.
Also, take a stroll along the local Turtle Beach, the first main sandy beach to the east of Kyrenia. See separate section on Turtle Beach for more information.
Acapulco Beach Resort: The Acapulco Beach Club is about 5 minutes’ drive towards Kyrenia, where for an approx £6 entrance fee you can use the facilities, which include water sports, aqua park, tennis and many other attractions. There is also a casino and other entertainment facilities. There is an indoor pool with great facilities for children.
Shayna Beach Club: Shayna Beach Club is about 10 minutes’ drive towards Kyrenia, just past the junction which leads onto the main road into Kyrenia. This facility opened in June 09 and has a small but clean beach and a great outdoor bar / restaurant decking area overlooking the sea. Beach use is 5YTL per person, per day (approx £2). A large fresh chicken sandwich with a few fries is approx 10YTL (approx £4), so great value.
10 Pin Bowling: On the main road on the left between Alagadi and Kyrenia you’ll see a sign for 10 pin bowling.
Turtle Beach
Turtle watching on Alagadi Beach
As well as nesting on approximately 88 sandy beaches around Kyrenia, on the Karpaz Peninsula and Gazimagusa Bay, Alagadi Turtle Beach, is dedicated a specially protected area for these endangered Green and Loggerhead Turtles. The Ministry of Environment of North Cyprus works together with The Centre for Ecology and Conservation at The University of Exeter in Cornwall to monitor these creatures and work for their survival. The Society for the Protection of Turtles (SPOT) also works with teams from British universities to study nesting sites and release baby turtles securely into the sea at this “Turtle HQ”. You too can watch and help the turtles at Alagadi beach, join the SPOT team on their nightly surveys of hatching activity
Turtle Protection in Northern Cyprus
In an effort to protect the turtles, the Department of Environmental Protection has introduced measures between the months of May to October, prohibiting access to any beach between 10pm and 8am, as well as forbidding fires or lights on the beach and use of a speedboat within one mile of the shoreline. These safety measures also warn against throwing plastic bags into the sea, as the turtles can mistake them for jellyfish and die as they try to eat them.