The jewel of the island, the Akamas National Park is in the northwest.  Ideal for walks and offering stunning views to both sides of the island it has to be the main magnet for visiting this quieter and less developed region.  Development in the northwest is only about 8 years old and the area still retains its agricultural feel.  Polis is much smaller and far more intimate than Paphos and the razzamatazz of mass tourism has not quite reached here yet.  The northwest also gives easy access to the Paphos mountains and has some very large and interesting villages such as Droushia, Neohorio, Pomos and Pyrgos.  It is an area to be explored with a great many beaches, many of them completely empty.

Well off the usual tourist circuit is Pyrgos, a sleepy uncommercialised fishing village and an ideal base from which to explore lovely unspoiled countryside, to visit Cedar Valley and (if you are lucky) glimpse the fleet and elusive wild mouflon. There are a couple of tavernas and coffee shops, banks, a post office and market. The village claims to boast the best climate in Cyprus and the sunsets here are dramatically spectacular. Very much an ethnic area with no bars or souvenir shops. Above Polis, on the way to the heavily wooded Paphos Forest are the traditional villages of Lysos and Peristerona.

A little further west is Aphrodite’s Beach (Asprokremos), a particularly good beach with a welcoming taverna. In the hills above nestles the large and pretty village of Neohorio, the gateway to the Akamas National Park and the starting point for some excellent walks. From here the views are spectacular. This is definitely a region for those seeking a more peaceful Cyprus, an area where a car is a necessity.