Avakas Gorge

Paphos region is a place with lots of natural beauty locations. At Akamas national park, there’re plenty of locations that attract the attention of nature’s lovers.

One of these location is Avakas Gorge. Access to the gorge is through a trail that is in the banks of Avgas river. High steep rocky walls rise while walking through the trail which at some point narrows sharply. This is the entrance of the gorge. Initially the height is about 45 meters but walking further the height rises to 150 meters. The river flows all year round and is the life giver of the dense vegetation. The route is about 1,5 kilometres. For the dare devils the route continues through dangerous rocks and natural obstacles. The majestic route ends at the source of the river, in between the gorgeous vineyards of Pano Arodes village.

This specific gorge is characteristic of bio-diversity, where there is plenty of variety both of flora and fauna. The gorge’s residents are foxes, frogs, rabbits, eels and quite lot diversity of birds. This place is a heaven for bird observers, therefore every year a lot them visit the Avakas Gorge. The bird species are well protected by international law. On the old days the great vulture was living in the area but nowadays the vulture rarely can be seen. The gorge’s rich fauna can be observed through many of the signs installed by the Forests Department.

For the regular visitor, this is place of unparalleled beauty while is restful and cool during the summer season. The combination of running waters, cool breeze and total tranquillity is perfect if you want to come close to nature. The tranquillity of the area is attached to its name, because the name “Avakis” in ancient Greek means the voiceless. Therefore, Avakis means a place of total quietness. The smell of flowers, bushes and soil are intense and able to wake up ancient human instincts and remind us of our old lost connection to nature. Wide variety of vegetation offers a variety of colours and make the scenery unreal. The narrow lime stone rocks are hanging over looking like they are hovering and bushes with huge branches sprout overhead.

To reach the gorge, one must take the Paphos – Saint Gorge Pegeias street. From there on we enter the Akamas national park and we follow the dirt road for about 2.5 kilometres until we reach the Toxeftra cove while we take a right diversion, with a car, or by foot we continue for about 900 meters more until we reach the parking area. The gorge’s entrance is well hidden among citrus groves

Our visit to the gorge must be accompanied with our attention and respect. During the winter the Avgas river can be intense and dangerous. Also, during heavy rain there’s a change of rocks falling. The balance of flora and fauna is delicate, therefore any pick-up of bushes and flowers is strictly prohibited and the visitor must take care any garbage. The area is clean and must remain the same.

Therefore, if you are a botanist, geologist, bird observer, trails lover or a simple human trying to get close to nature don’t forget to visit Avakas Gorge