Karpaz Peninsula

The Karpaz is the long thin peninsula running northeast off the island, and it is the emptiest part of Cyprus: scrub, olive and carob, small villages, and a single road running out to the tip. A national park covers much of it. Several hundred donkeys, descended from working animals released decades ago, roam free across the peninsula and have become its emblem. Golden Beach on the north shore is a several-kilometre run of sand behind dunes with almost nothing built on it.

What you actually see

• Golden Beach - kilometres of dune-backed sand with minimal development.
• The wild donkeys - free-roaming herds across the peninsula.
• The scrub landscape - olive, carob and maquis with few buildings.
• The empty road - a single route running the length of the peninsula to the tip.

When to go

April to June and September to November are the best. Summer is hot and the peninsula has little shade. Turtles nest on Golden Beach in summer and the sand is protected at night then.

Honest expectations

Facilities are minimal: fuel, food and accommodation are scarce and spread far apart. The donkeys are wild, will crowd cars for food and have injured people; feeding them is discouraged. Bring ID for the crossing points and fill the tank before setting out.

Nearby

Apostolos Andreas is at the tip, and Kantara castle guards the neck of the peninsula.