Description

The Artemis natural trail is located at the top of Mount Olympus (Chionistra) in the Troodos mountain. It is a beautiful trail, which offers scenic views and a very easy one since there are no significant altitude variations, thus the surface is relatively flat. It is a circular trail, which goes around the Troodos mountain range.Its route is in parallel with Atalante trail and at some point they get really close so both trails can be combined together. The trail’s altitude is around 1867 meters and normally it needs approximately 3 hours to finish it.

Since the trail is on the highest peak of Troodos range, it is covered with snow (weather dependent) during the winter. In that case the difficulty level changes due to the snow and the duration of the trail can go up to ~ 4 hours to finish it.

Viewpoints

This trail is full of viewpoints. At the start of the trail you can see the coast of the occupied Morphou and as you go along the trail there are panoramic views in all directions, where you can view villages of Limassol, Paphos and Nicosia.

Beside the views of the surrounding villages, the trail passes through the “black forest” (black pine forest) of Cyprus, rare flora vegetation and several rock formations that makes the route very interesting since the landscape alternates all the time. It is worth to note that near the end of the trail, just about ~10 minutes walk after the Ski club, there is an ancient giant black pine, which is more than 500 years old.

The trail is in the National Troodos forest park, which is a NATURA 2000 area.

Starting points

When you reach the Troodos square, then take the road “Troodos-Proodromos” (road E910) and in about 1.8 km, there is a cross road. Take a left turn and in nearly ~500 meters you will see the start of the trail on your left. There is a small parking area there. If there is no space you can go a few meters further up, until you find a place to park your car.

The trail is well signed and also it can be found in google maps. Further GPS coordinates can be found in the following Natural trail information table.

Personal comments

I have done this trail in all seasons. My personal preference is to hike it in the colder months. This trail is really beautiful and has a lot to offer. What makes it differ is the alternating landscape. It starts with a walk in the forest then it goes through rock formations, which are really beautiful. It offers panoramic views most of the time and then it passes through the dense forest of black pines. It is remarkable.

It is indeed a very easy trail however the level of difficulty can change and this applies to all the trails in Troodos, when it is covered with snow 🙂. You simply need that extra effort to hike it and make it through. But, seriously now, the views with the snow are crazy stunning. The place is magical. It is totally worth it and I totally recommend it!!

Natural trail information

GPS map

Gallery

This post is also available in: Ελληνικά (Greek)