Akamas National Forest Park
Unexplored nature and endless adventure
Undoubtedly, a visit to Ineia is incomplete without exploring the nearby Akamas National Forest Park. If someone wants to explore the western coastal area of Akamas, they can follow one of the routes to Lara, where they will have beautiful picturesque sandy beaches on their left and a wild landscape on their right, deep and narrow gorges, sloping areas that descend from the Laona plateau towards the sea and steep cliffs.
A short distance into the sea, some isolated rocks rise, known to the residents of the area as Karavopetres and fall within the administrative boundaries of Inea. Local legends tell of pirates mooring here during Arab raids and later, before raiding villages, monasteries, and chapels. Another legend mentions the Monastery of Panagia Vlou, (Tyflou). Today, only the solitary chapel of Panagia tou Vlou, a remnant of the monastery, remains in the area. According to the tradition, when the monastery was plundered by the pirates, Panagia could not bear the contempt, so she turned the ships into stones, which now lie petrified in the sea.
Following the coastal road past Karavopetres, at some point on the coastal road, you will discover a road on your right and following it, you will find yourself in the heart of Akamas, a natural and cultural monument of the island. The richness of the biodiversity and other natural elements of the area, as well as the importance of their protection, imposed the declaration of the area as a National Forest Park. The area has been declared a Protected Area Akamas National Forest Park and is included in the Natura 2000 network.
Flora
According to the Department of Forests, Akamas hosts approximately 650 native plants recorded in Akamas, corresponding to 40% of the total flora of Cyprus. Of these, 43 are endemic plants of the island. Two of them are even locally endemic, the Akamas Centaurea (Centaurea akamantis) and the Akamas Tulip (Tulipa akamasica). 28 threatened species have also been recorded (according to the Red Book of the Flora of Cyprus). Four of the threatened plants are restricted to Akamas, the Arbutus unedo, the Akamas Centaurea (Centaurea akamantis), the Akamas Tulip (Tulipa akamasica) and the Bellium minutum, while some of the others maintain a large part of their population on the peninsula, such as the Akamas Alyssum (Alyssum akamasicum), the Euphorbia thompsonii and the Aphrodite’s Dandelion (Taraxacum aphrogenes).
Fauna
The Akamas Peninsula is also rich in fauna. The area is one of the main migratory corridors of Cyprus and is of great importance for many bird species. Approximately 152 migratory species have been recorded to date, while some 15 bird species are classified as permanent residents of the area. There are also about 15 species of bats in the area, the monk seal “Monachus monachus” and of course the loggerhead and green turtles.