Northern Cyprus

6 – 13 April 2008

Birds and flowers in the foothills of the Besparmak mountains

North Cyprus is a sparkling corner of the Mediterranean almost forgotten by time. It has all those magical attractions: a rugged mountain range, a sparkling sea, fairy-tale Crusader castles, ruins of a glorious abbey at Bellapais, evocative classical ruins at Salamis, Byzantine painted churches and Ottoman mosques. Mix in the main ingredients, flowers and birds in abundance and the perfect recipe is on hand for a rewarding spring holiday.

One of the most attractive features of this region is the backdrop of the Besparmak range (the five finger mountains) of craggy limestone mountains that peak around 1300m (4,250ft). Hidden among these lofty peaks are the three Crusader castles, St Hilarian, Bufavento and Kantara.

Colour abounds in April when the crown anemones brighten the olive groves and the red, yellow, white or even pink turban buttercups decorate the hillsides. Overhead the birds are arriving for the summer or migrants are heading through to more northerly destinations.

There are excellent chances of seeing two birds that nest only on Cyprus. The Cyprus warbler is found here in scrub and open woodland, the Cyprus pied wheatear on more open ground. As well as these two endemic birds, though trickier to find, there are endemic subspecies of scops owl, coal tit, short-toed treecreeper, crossbill and jay. A mysterious Middle Eastern gamebird, the black francolin, is often heard, and sometimes seen in dense vegetation in grassland, crops and marshes.

Wetlands are fairly numerous in this part of Cyprus, some in the form of reservoirs and others more natural but some do depend on good rains in the winter season.

In spite of international isolation, life goes on in northern Cyprus in a very relaxed way. Tourist development has lagged behind which adds to its attraction leaving this part of the island relatively unspoilt. With improving relations, it is now possible to travel between the north and south through check-points with relative ease.

We stay at the Riverside Holiday Village in individual chalets set among lemon and almond trees, in the tranquil foothills of the Besparmak mountains. It offers comfortable accommodation and good food with opportunities for a varied morning birdwatching walk.