We've written a lot of articles on Foinikas. We've shown you it in Winter, Spring, Summer and the Autumn. We've driven through it, flown the drone over it, and even climbed up the rocks nearby to view it from the top of the valley. So which one should we use to showcase this popular and historical abandoned village, which lies on the banks of the Asprokremmos Reservoir?

Fortunately we have also produced a virtual tour of the area, which includes a summary of all the articles. So to find out more about the village, start here:

See our Foinikas Virtual Tour

Before we progress further up the Xeros Valley, I want to take you to the hills above Foinikas, purely because it is one of my favourite places in Cyprus. If you want to make the journey yourself, you should either prepare for a very bumpy ride, or a long walk. So instead, why not just enjoy our pictures. There are also some nice closeups of the local flora and fauna.

See the Article on Foinikas Hills

No sooner do we tear ourselves away from Foinikas than we meet another abandoned village, up by the river that spans the valley. Old Choletria was a victim of a big earthquake in the Fifties. And after subsequent landslides in the Sixties, the villagers were moved to a new village on more stable ground. These days there are still a few buildings that are inhabited, and if anything the area looks like its population is growing once again.

See the Old Choletria Article

From the main bridge by Old Choletria, the journey up the Xeros Valley turns into an off-road odyssey. We cover that in some detail with a few articles that will appear later in this series. However, I want to mention individual locations along the way first.

Sinti Monastery is a lovely old place, full of atmosphere. It reminds me of the monastery that features in the old computer game "Clive Barker's Undying". Very few people will know what I am referring to, but I will mention it anyway.

Getting to Sinti Monastey from along the Xeros Valley is fairly straightforward, providing it hasn't been raining a lot. If it has, all bets are off. If however you don't fancy doing any off-roading then you can drive there from Pentalia. There is a map explaining this in the article. It is well worth a read, as the place is fantastic.

See the Sinti Monastery Article

After Sinti Monastery we continue up the valley for a short while until we reach what passes for a bridge spanning the Xeros. During the winter rains it is often a washout, but for most of the year it is a fairly sedate ford. Soon we will continue upstream, towards Paphos Forest, but first I want to take you on a slight diversion to see some amazing ancient murals in a lovely old chapel.

To enjoy the murals properly you may want to bring a torch. For a link to the article with more information on the chapel, see the comments.

See the Agios Nikolaos Article Here