‘’Spilia tis Athasias’’ which actually means cave of the almond tree. It is a small tunnel mine believed that it was excavated hundreds of years ago, for mineral exploitation. Near the small tunnel you can see some almond trees within the dense pine forest. Hence the name of the hiking trail leading to the cave ‘’Spilia tis Athasias’’.
The trail starts as a rural road for about 200 metres and then continues as a narrow path through the pine forest. The whole trail is within the larger area of Machairas Mountain Forest. Click here for the starting location on Google maps. Once you reach the cave which is the end of the trail do not hesitate to go in (not for the fainted-hearted though). Just be very careful and have company with you, which you should do in general while hiking.
Official Info from the Cyprus Forest Department
Start Point: Loose surface road starting from Vavatsinia - Kionia forest road, 3 kilometres outside Vavatsinia village. Accessible only from this end, ramblers have to return to trail start.
End Point:At location Spilia tis Athasias
Estimated Duration:2 hours (1 hour each way)
Difficulty Rate:2/3
Trip Length: 5 kilometres (2,5 kilometres each way)
Tip: Most of the hiking trail is actually an unpaved rural road , so if you wanna cheat and walk less to reach the cave , you can drive closer. On the other hand , it is an easy and very enjoyable hike , so I suggest that you don't cheat and give it a try.
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