Divided Cyprus TRNC National Day Tour

Saturday 14th November – Nicosia

• Arrival in Cypriot-controlled Cyprus at your own leisure. The Mediterranean island is well served by various budget airlines.
• Check into our comfortable hotel in Nicosia, the only divided capital city on earth.
• Meet up with your YPT guide and the rest of the tour group in the evening before heading out for a welcome meal and drinks.
• Overnight in Nicosia.

Sunday 15th November – Kyrenia – TRNC National Day!

Morning

• After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll board our private transport and cross into Northern Cyprus on foot via the famous Ledra Palace crossing, for decades a symbol of the division of the country but now a symbol of progress.
• We’ll head to the stadium where the military parade will happen along the main road, and take our seats opposite the invited guests including the President of the TRNC and hopefully the vice-president of Turkey.
• Tour Highlight – TRNC National Day Celebrations which may include a military flyover and a military parade with tanks, APCs, and anti aircraft vehicles.

Afternoon

• We’ll head to the port town of Kyrenia (20 mins drive) on the north coast of the island, where we’ll get some lunch
• We’ll find our spot to watch the second part of the celebrations – an air show over the stunning harbour.
• Check into our hotel for the night.
• We will hit the town with our optional pub crawl joining in with the locals to celebrate their national holiday! We will hit up a few popular spots and then head to our favourite hidden gems for a truly authentic local experience.
• Overnight in Kyrenia.

Monday 16th November – Kyrenia

Morning

• After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll make our way to the historic Saint Hilarion Castle which was built by the Byzantines in the 11th Century to defend the coast from Arab pirate raids. Today it offers stunning views over the Mediterranean and the mountains of Cyprus.
• We’ll continue along the winding route following the crest of the Kyrenian mountain range until we get to the remains of a Turkish tank perched perilously at the side of the road. No YPT tour is complete without posing for pictures on top of a tank, but this one has possibly the best view of any YPT trip!
• Visit to the ship which was used in the Turkish invasion / liberation of Northern Cyprus – it’s now been converted into a museum at a dry dock. Nearby a collection of tanks used by the Turkish and enemy tanks from the south captured during the war. A lot of North Korean vibes here!
• Our journey will then take us to the 13th century Bellapais Monastery where, after exploring this historical site, we’ll sit down for a traditional kebab lunch overlooking beautiful views.

Afternoon

• We’ll pay a brief visit to the small village where Lawrence Durrell wrote Bitter Lemons
• Visit to Amaranta. A vast empty housing development that is now a concrete ghost town. This notorious development was started by a Geordie drug dealer and fraudster, Gary Robb. He sold the properties off-plan, sometimes several times over, ultimately the customers/investors were left with only concrete foundations they didn’t even own.
• Amaranta is perfect for a spot of urbex!
• Return to Kyrenia for some free time before heading out for an evening meal.
• Overnight in Kyrenia.

Tuesday 17th November – Kantara

Morning

• After breakfast, we’ll check out of our hotel and head to our first stop of the day: Kantara Castle which is a Byzantine-era fortress that offers stunning views over Cyprus and the chance to see both coastlines converge into the panhandle.
• We’ll then continue North-East along the coast road stopping for lunch with an ocean view on the way.

Afternoon

• Arriving at the Karpaz Peninsula we’ll first feed the donkeys which roam freely along the road! It’s surprisingly hilarious to watch them dribble their favourite treat of cucumbers all over the place…
• Our next stop will be an active Greek Orthodox Monastery where we may be lucky enough to catch a service in session and meet the bearded Orthodox priests who run the place. The monastery was abandoned when the ottomans took over in 1570s but continued as the local Greek Orthodox church until Turkish invasion in 1974. The British used parts of it as military garrison when they took over Cyprus.
• We’ll then hit some rough and off-the-beaten-track roads as we head to the northernmost tip of Cyprus. Here there is a solitary military outpost and a gigantic flag, you are only 100km from the coast of Syria.
• We’ll head to our Exotic hotel by the beach for the night.

Wednesday 18th November – Larnaca

Morning

• Optional dawn swim for those brave enough to enjoy the November waves!
• We’ll head to the epic ruins of Salamis, an ancient Greek city-state at the mouth of the River Pedieos. According to tradition, the founder of Salamis was Teucer, son of Telamon, who could not return home after the Trojan war because he had failed to avenge his brother Ajax.
• There is even a well preserved Roman amphitheatre here and you’ll be surprised to find it mostly to yourself due to the small numbers of tourists in Northern Cyprus.

Afternoon

• Head to Famagusta for lunch and the chance to buy genuine Turkish delight and baklava
• Tour Highlight – Explore the recently re-opened Varosha ghost city. Empty since the 1974 Turkish invasion, what used to be the hotspot of international tourism, is now a vast area of abandoned, ruined buildings serving as a time capsule from 1974.  It has remained bullet-riddled and abandoned ever since.
• As we near the end of our tour, we’ll cross the border back into Cypriot-controlled Cyprus where we will have a treat for country collectors!
• After the border, we’ll visit the British Sovereign military base of Dhekelia which is one of two British Sovereign Base Areas on the island of Cyprus. Home to British police, fire brigade, fish and chip shops, and other familiar British features, they don’t have checkpoints or passport control to enter but are a must-visit for country collectors!
• At the military base area, we’ll finish off our tour with a stop at an authentic British Pub for a cold pint and fish and chips.
• Check into our hotel in Larnaca and enjoy a farewell dinner and drinks with the group.
• Overnight in Larnaca.

Thursday 19th November

• Breakfast at the hotel and the chance to enjoy a morning swim at the pool or the nearby beach.
• End of tour, airport transfers, and onward travel can be arranged,