"While tourism has changed the coastal areas of the island, the interior of Cyprus suggests something else, an era before cruise ships and holiday resorts. The ancient Greeks considered Cyprus to be so beautiful, it was the "playground" of the gods and the birthplace of the most beautiful, Aphrodite, the goddess of love. "And while there is very little chance of meeting deities on my journey, I seek to seek the 'eternal' areas of the island on a route through the Troodos Mountains and the vast forest of Paphos in the west of the country."
Thus begins Jamie Lafferty's lyrical journey to Cyprus on behalf of National Geographic. His journey starts from the path of Artemis, passes through Agros, the Monastery of Kykkos and ends at the beach of Lara in Akamas.
See National Geographic's journey here
A similar journey is hosted at the Huffingtonpost by Dimitris Balis. Specifically, he states "this is not the Cyprus you imagine. Even the Cypriots themselves began to look at it differently and discover, mainly due to travel restrictions, a different, alternative side of the island of Aphrodite.
This Cyprus, of course, has the element of the sea, but you do not necessarily have to combine it with the element of the sun. After all, the product "sun - sea" is so prominent and will remain the tourist asset of the Mediterranean island.
The villages in the Troodos Mountains, not only are reviving and have thousands of permanent residents, but are beginning to become a tourist attraction. The old hotels are being renovated, new ones are being built, while the agritourism accommodations are becoming fashionable, in old, small buildings.
This is the Cyprus that I recommend, without ignoring Ayia Napa and Protaras, highly "industrial" tourist areas, along with Paphos or even the capital Nicosia, whose center -at last- after ten years of works, the Square Eleftherias, was performed to the public and is excellent, while Ethnarchou Makariou also walked.
I recommend you, therefore, and I suggest you find a few days, so that you can experience something different, mainly in mountainous but also in coastal Cyprus. And do not be tempted to compare with Greece, it is not necessary. To live each area, for what it is ".