Upon travelling from Kykkos Monastery towards the picnic area of “Stavros tis Psokas”, the excursionist will cover a distance of 26 kilometres through the forest of Troodos and then through the forest of Paphos. The journey is destined for… strong travellers. Even though the road is linear, apart from the first 2 kilometres, will offer you unique experience. It has been designed to pass by landscapes and valleys that make you “dizzy” with their altitude.
The forests with pine trees alternate successively with cedars, while in some areas the National tree of Cyprus, Latzia (golden oak) dominates.
You will find this kind of forests a few kilometres after “Kremmos tis Pellis”. A sign will inform you about the Latzia tree, and a path, carved by the Department of Forests will take you through the trees and onto the peak of the mountain slope that hosts them for over thousands of years.
If Cyprus has so many forests today, it is mostly due to the Latzia tree, since it is the first tree that grows immediately after a fire or a felling, and in this way it helps other trees develop.
If you find yourselves in this location, dedicate some time to walk along the path. The landscape under the shade of the Latzia tree, is transformed to an extraordinary, tropical one. The moss with the different shades of green, cover the rocks and match perfectly with the dark green colour of the upper side of the Latzia tree leaves, while the gold colour of the lower part of the trees, create a gold green kaleidoscope.
This gold green colour of the Latzia tree inspired great poets and composers.
