Limassol
  • Ayia-Napa
  • Larnaca
  • Limassol
  • Nicosia
  • Paphos
  • Polis
Adventure Parks in Cyprus
Fun
Adventure Parks in Cyprus
Attractions for Children and Adults
7222
Dmitry Gridin
Author: Dmitry Gridin
Translation: Inna Guseva
26.05.2021

What to do if adventure is that what your heart desires? Of course head to adventure parks! Cyprus has four of them at your disposal. Today we will review and compare them all.
All four of adventure parks are located in the mountains. Most of them (three out of four) in Troodos and one not far from Limassol.

But what exactly is an adventure park? As a rule it’s an area equipped for physical recreation. Sometimes it’s just climbing but some places offer a wide variety of activities of all kinds suitable for people of all ages. Adventure parks of Cyprus are quiet diverse when it comes to the complexity level and types of activities.

Alright, enough chitchat, meet the Fantastic Four.

1

Marina's Rope Park. Kakopetria

Adventure Parks in Cyprus

www.marinasropepark.com.cy

Opening hours: from 10:00 to 19:00 daily. The only exception: the park is closed on 24-25th and 31st of December, as well as 1st of January. What is not a big deal, who would hit it on winter holidays anyway?

I arrived to the place on a warm autumn morning. The road to the park is perfect except the last 50 meters that could be quite challenging for lowrider drivers. Despite the location of the park almost right in the middle of a touristic village, I was surprised finding the place to be peace and quiet. The only sound was coming from the river flowing nearby.

All the staff I met was represented by an Indian looking man in his thirties at the bar. He is a bartender. And an instructor. Maybe he successfully mastered some other professions, which couldn’t be determined at a brief glance too. However English language doesn’t belong to that list and I’m not much in Indian, so we communicated with the help of some kind of sign language. Apparently there is more staff when they expect big groups there, but otherwise it’s at its minimum.

Well, what we have here… The main activity of this place is a rope park. It is, loosely speaking, ropes tied to the poles at different heights. Every section is different in complexity of task and has its own features.

Frankly speaking, I always questioned myself who on Earth would need that activity and find it interesting while I was passing by this kind of constructions. But this time when I was right in the middle of torturing my Indian fellow with my weird sign language (and it took long time indeed) suddenly a family with 7 years old looking girl arrived to the park. So I could witness how exactly everything works there. And now I should admit it that this activity turned to be quite interesting one. Why not to try it once or even twice? However I still think it’s a questionable and a bit ridiculous activity to do it myself, it could be a great fun for children and teenagers, especially for those hyperactive ones. While their parents could have some rest at a very simple café with assortment of six fast food options.

The rope park has three levels:

Junior level for children from 2 to 7 years old. It’s the lowest level with a height of around 1 meter. The obstacle course is easy. Or rather it could have been easy for me and for a seven years old too, I guess. But for 2 yo kid? Are you serious? I’m pretty sure the administration couldn’t be sincere about that. Well, there are children, who even become kung-fu masters at 3. But if your kid is not much into all this kung-fu thing, I have serious doubts he or she would master this track in their second year of life.

Level 1. The height is 3 meters from the ground.

Level 2. The height is 7 meters from the ground.

Every next level is more complicated than the previous one. For example some sections have two planks you should walk on and some only one. The rest is almost the same for the top levels: each of them has nine sections including Zip line. The last one is a wire rope you use to get down. You have 2 hours to complete the level. In reality, according to my observations, it takes about half an hour for an average child to get to the finish, without being in a hurry.

So, how exactly the whole process works? The most difficult part of it is to explain to the instructor that you want to try the track. If you succeed in this one the rest will be much easier. You will be equipped in two minutes: with a helmet and a special vest with a clasp. Next step is to go up the wooden tower, open the door to the park and…go! No boring instructions, oohs and ahs and scary teachable stories about someone who didn’t listen to the instructor and fell down. Everything is quick, simple and more or less safe.

Except the rope park there is one more activity. But there is no single word about it on the website. It’s a carting for small kids. Instead of cars — electric quad bikes. They are able to reach speeds of 15 kph, have a real gas pedal and look way more impressive than those cheap plastic jeeps and mercedeses children are driving around in many other parks of the world.

Considering the prices:

  • 2 hours on Junior level: 7,5 Euros
  • 2 hours on Level 1: 15 Euros
  • 2 hours on Level 1 and 2: 25 Euros
  • Private (instructor will follow you on the track): 20 Euros/1 hour
  • 5 min quad bike ride: 6 Euros
  • 10 min quad bike ride: 10 Euros

2

Adventure Mountain Park. Kiperounta

Adventure Parks in Cyprus

www.adventuremountainpark.com

Opening hours: during summer season (April to October) the park is open daily from 9:00 to 20:00, Monday is a day off. In winter season (November to March) it’s the same except it opens at 8:00 and closes at 18:00.

The park is located near a remote road surrounded by beautiful forests and few interesting sights. They have more serious attitude to everything here. Unlike in the previous one, the number of activities is bigger (however there are no rope tracks in it):

What they offer you here:

1. Archery. Probably it’s not the main activity you would travel for but it could be a “starter”.

2. Paintball. Available only for groups. It’s no different from anywhere else, maybe just the area itself looked too small to my opinion. This space is more suitable for being on a stakeout methodically shooting the enemies than for running around.

3. Laser tag. For those who are unfamiliar with this kind of activity: it’s the same thing as paintball but with laser rays instead of paint bullets. The location is close to the paintball, on a separate small area.

4. Forest paintball. Well, the name speaks for itself. This is the place to unleash your running demands. The surrounding is provided with plenty of forest — run and shoot as much as you like. But all the forests are growing in the mountains, so it’s an activity for tough participants.

5. Hiking. For some reason there isn’t such an activity on the list on their website but it is included to the price list in the park. They organize hiking to Madari Mountain. You can experience one of the best, or even actually the best one panorama view of Cyprus on its top. The main mountain of Cyprus — Olympus, Limassol, Nicosia and both south and north seashores are visible from a viewing platform. The distance from the park to Madari is around 3 km as the crow flies but in fact the way there and back is 13 km long and takes 4 hours minimum. The trail goes on top of the mountain range so you will be able to adore the beautiful view all the way long.

6. Climbing. There is a special rock climbing wall on the territory of the park. This attraction will suit both for “amateurs and pros”, at least that is what they say in the ad. In reality it’s actually too small and easy for pros but perfect for those, who want to try this activity for the first time. For kids above 8 years old.

7. Orienteering in the forest. People from former Soviet countries could get some nostalgia. The main goal is to be the first one who gets to all the key points in the forest having only a map and a compass.

8. Tyrolean traverse. That’s quite unusual activity. You enter an insurmountable obstacle course by walking a tightrope between them. Well, it’s not literally walking a tightrope, you fix the clasp on the rope and crawl it caterpillar-style. Tyrolean traverse could be a very effective training especially for those, who interest in climbing and mountaineering.

9. Teambuilding. The list of activities is the same but more focused on doing everything as a part of a group.

10. Camping. That’s pretty clear, I guess.

11. Botanical garden. The owners of the park (it’s a family business though) created a botanical garden on their own. There’s no point to expect much from it but you can visit it out of curiosity during your break between the main activities.

Also there is a full-fledged big restaurant in the park. The main specialties of the menu are meze and smorgasbord.

Price list:

  • Archery — 8 Euros for an hour and 5 Euros for the equipment
  • Climbing — 15 Euros / an hour
  • Paintball — from 14 to 48 Euros per person
  • Orienteering — 7 Euros for a session
  • Tyrolean traverse — 6 Euros per person
  • Camping with your own tent — 6 Euros a day; with a “rented” tent — 10 Euros a day
  • Teambuilding — from 240 Euros per person
  • Meze in the restaurant — 14 Euros per person

3

Sparti Platres Rope Adventure Park. Platres

Adventure Parks in Cyprus

www.spartipark.com

Opening hours: during winter season the park is open only during the weekends from 9:00 to 16:00. In the summer season it is open 5 days a week (Monday and Tuesday are days off).

The ad proudly informs you that it’s “the first rope park in Cyprus” that also has “the fastest Zip-line in Europe” — 60 kmph.

Well, their closest competitor — Adventure Mountain Park looks way more modest by all accounts.

I came there on a weekend in winter season. It was full-house in the park on that day. It was kind of difficult to tell how many people were there exactly, but I’m pretty sure the total number reached one hundred. At least it was the only one from all four Adventure Parks with a long queue to the ticket office.

Apart from a tiny café and a small playground there aren’t any more activities here except the rope park itself. But it’s spacious and diverse. Here is exactly the place, where even 2 years olds will find something to amuse themselves with. Another plus point you notice immediately is that Sparti Platres Rope Adventure Park is organically integrated into the surrounding environment. While in Kakopetria they just cleared out the space and sticked poles with ropes here and there, it’s the different approach in Platres: the most part of rope routes are on the trees in the forest.

The park is comfortably divided into two zones:

  • Zone 1 for children from 2 to 10 years old;
  • Zone 2 for everyone above 10 years old.

Each zone in its turn has two lines. Lines are routes you can take. There are four different routes suitable for children (two orange for the youngest kids and two purple for children, who are a little bit older).

“Adult” zone offers you another five lines: yellow, green, red, blue and black. For those, who already turned 14 there are two Zip-lines. The height of the first one is 96 meters and the second one is 116. The basic ticket allows you to spend three hours in the park. So you can walk, explore and enjoy whatever you want. Each line differs from another, each has some interesting and unusual features, and the heights are also very different from one level to another. You won’t get bored.

It seems to be few instructors in the park but somehow they always appear right where they are needed at the moment. That means it’s not like the instructor is hanging around annoyingly starring at you all the time.

About the prices:

They are super tangled and twisted here and are written in different places (what is more they vary on the website and in the ad paper). Let’s sort them according to the age:

  • the entrance ticket for children from 2 to 5 years old will cost you 14 Euros
  • for 6-9 years old — 18 Euros
  • for 10-14 years old — 25 Euros
  • above 14 years old — 29 Euros
  • ticket that includes all kind of activities costs 32 Euros.

4

Sayious Adventure Park. Asgata

Sayious Adventure Park. Cyprus

www.sayiousadventurepark.com

Opening hours: daily from 8:30 to 18:30.

The most interesting Adventure Park that I saved for last. There is another article on our website about this Adventure Park that you can also read for more details; but here we are talking mostly about activities it offers, so we shifted the focus a little bit.

First thing that you notice entering the park is a friendly staff. While that poor Indian guy in Marina's Rope Park, suffering from being forced to talk English, literally tried to escape me by all means and the owner of Adventure Mountain Park gave me indifferent Giaconda-style smiles as if saying “Well, you can ask me whatever you want, by I don’t give a damn actually”, I was welcomed as a long-awaited guest at Sayious Adventure Park. There was one person, who offered me a cup of coffee and promised to answer all the questions I would have.

This Adventure Park is the biggest and the most interesting in Cyprus. “Family focused” in it’s finest, by the way. The staff is parents and their three sons. These guys are really great. A very rare case when the staff is not fawning or visa versa making disdainful faces but treat you as an equal. As your friend and mate. I haven’t notice this kind of approach nowhere in Cyprus, not to speak about Adventure Parks.

Sayious Adventure Park is located in the mountains not far from Limassol. The mountains are not very high, so the daily temperature here is always a little bit higher comparing to other three parks.

So what we are offered here?

1. Off road buggy tour. There are no specific routes for that. Everything is defined by eye (and I’m not speaking only about buggy tours now). First the instructor looks at the skill level of the participants and only then picks the route that will match it. But it’s not only the route that could be chosen. They offer ordinary 625 cc buggy for inexperienced guests, as it is everywhere else. But for experienced and advanced extreme fans there is an exclusive offer: small single-seat sport 300 cc buggy that will give you a lot of great memories while driving. You can’t see this type of cars anywhere else in Cyprus.

2. Archery. Well, oh-kay.

3. Paintball. At the first sight the area for this game looks more spacious and interesting than in Adventure Mountain Park.

4. Enduro tour. This activity is a pure extreme sport. Quite unique in its kind by the way. Usually everything in Cyprus that has “extreme” prefix in its name is in fact related to it in a very vague manner and could be compared to the roller coaster ride. Enduro tour instead is an activity for real men and brave women. The point is that they equip you with a professional mountain bike and then… okay, everything that happens then depends on your personal skills. Here could be different versions of events:

  1. It’s the first time in your life when you are seeing a bike and you are intrigued.
    In this case you will get one of the oldest bikes (but in a good technical state) and they will teach you how to ride it. If you get used to it in one lesson, you could ride it on one of the easiest tracks. If not — no problem, come to have the second, third etc lesson.
  2. You are an amateur with experience but still not a pro in this sport.
    Then you will get a relatively new enduro together with the opportunity to improve your skills as well as a ride to more or less safe off-road track.
  3. You are a psycho and a total adrenaline junkie.
    They will find one of trial bikes special for you. Trial bike is the sleekest mountain bike. It doesn’t even have a seat. And truly, why would a psycho need to seat on their bike? Except crazy rides they also offer some lessons to pump your already terrifying abilities at the next level.
  4. You are only 6 years old but you already have that devilish flame in your eyes.
    It’s not mentioned in their ad but even then there will be a suitable small bike special for you. And it’s not some slow battery-operated made in China toy bike, but a real bike with a petrol engine. So if you are ready and your parents swallowed nervously but nodded to you, let’s go to discover the world of extreme sports! But of course it starts with lessons on a safe track.

An important and pleasant nuance: you will get every necessary equipment there.

Another important but unpleasant nuance: if you break something, you have to pay for it.

5. Carting. The cars are quite big and have engines of 100 cc. Tracks are made special for a lot of drifting. Available for everyone above 12 years old.

6. Teambuilding. Includes everything I already mentioned but for a group of your workmates.

The park doesn’t have its own restaurant, only a food truck with old-fashioned coffee machine. Well, despite it’s old school look, the coffee it makes tastes marvelous. Also there is a huge grill where you can cook everything you brought with you. Which is a great alternative to a restaurant in my opinion.

Prices: are a little bit tricky and usually depend on how big is the group of people you came with. We will list prices based on minimum number of guests in a group:

  • Enduro tour for amateurs — 50 Euros for an hour or 100 Euros for 2,5 hours
  • Enduro tour for advanced riders — 70 Euros for an hour, 140 Euros for 2,5 hours and 210 Euros for 5 hours
  • Trial bike — 50 Euros for an hour and 100 Euros for 2,5 hours
  • Baggy tour — 90 Euros (both for driver and a passenger) for 50 minutes
  • Baggy tour — 60 Euros (for a driver) for 50 minutes
  • Carting — 15 Euros for 5 minutes
  • Paintball — 25 Euros for a game with 200 rounds in ammunition
  • Archery — 50 Euros for 30 minutes

Adventure Parks in Cyprus

Although all four places are called Adventure park I would divide them into two different categories: rope parks and multifunctional attraction parks.

If we would compare them to each other it turns out that Sparti Platres Rope Adventure Park is better than Adventure Mountain Park at everything. It offers more activities, the routes are more interesting, not to mention the high level of the service. But the last one can still boast lower prices. Also because it’s not very popular it’s a quiet and calm place, what could be a plus pointtoo. Probably it’s more comfortable and cheaper for people, who want to try this activity for the first time to go to Adventure Mountain Park in Kakopetria first to decide whether it’s their cup of tea or not. It definitely won’t be boring if you have never done it before. So the park in Platres could be the next step for you.

There is no doubt which multifunctional park is better either. You will experience real extreme adventures in Sayious Adventure Park. Exactly how much you want or how much is okay for your budget. And of course the local service is absolute beyond comparison: those guys really love their work and share they positive vibes with guests making everyone feel good. So I recommend going there.

To sum up, of course the wider is variety to choose from the better. At least it is worth to visit them all because one of the important parts of every adventure is diversity.