Limassol
  • Ayia-Napa
  • Larnaca
  • Limassol
  • Nicosia
  • Paphos
  • Polis
Sparti Platres Adventure Park
Sparti Platres Adventure Park
Outdoor activities and fresh mountain air
5562
Translation: Maria Charnaya
03.09.2017

If your life in Cyprus feels too quiet and tranquil and you are looking to spice it up, you will definitely enjoy a visit to the Sparti Adventure Rope Park. Located in Platres and surrounded by mountains, Sparti offers more than 80 different activities, 11 zip-lines and a free-fall experience for the bravest visitors.

We came to Sparti as a group of six people — all with a different experience of visiting such places. It was interesting to compare our impression of Sparti at the end of the day — something I will share with you at the end of this piece.

The rope park is ideal for families: there are tracks available for children starting at age 3 and up. The main requirement is that you be in good healthy and weigh less than 100 kg. If you come with a group of 10 or more people, you get a discount of 10%. But even if you come here alone or as a small group, you should still book your visit in advance.

Another important thing to keep in mind: in addition to paying for entrance, you will need to leave 20 euros or your car keys as a deposit, which will be returned at the end of your visit.

The park’s website has detailed information on prices, rules, a «frequently asked questions» section and instructions on how to reach the park. All the information is up to date (e.g. it features visiting hours during Easter holidays).

The website also includes prices for different lines and activities. Next to the ticket office you will notice a map featuring all of the available tracks (shown in different colors). I recommend purchasing a full package, because if you want to have fun you might as well go all out! No matter what package you choose, you can expect to spend 2-3 hours completing your course. Each additional 30 minutes cost 5 euros. But three hours are enough to try all of the tracks, and some of them probably even more than once.

It’s nice to be able to get all the information you need online without having to call anyone.

My experience of vising advanture parks is quite limited — I’ve only been to one in Moscow. I endedup completeing only about 60% of what was availble, because I am afraid of heights and extreme sports. I liked the fact that Sparti offers tracks for people who are not too big on extreme activities. However, if you are into this type of stuff, you can always try the free fall jump or the 120-meter zip-line. 

Here is a list of things I liked about Sparti:

  • Before you go up, you will receive a safety briefing from one of the instructors, who will show you the way the park’s «click-it» safety system works;
  • The park’s safety system makes it impossible to completely disconnect from the safety cable. You can only completely disconnect at the end of your track when you on the ground;
  • The park is surrounded by mountains, so you get to enjoy gorgeous views as you have fun with your friends or family;
  • Sparti is unique — there is no other park like in Cyprus;
  • Zip-lines — besides walking on planks, logs and ropes, you can also fly over some parts of your tracks while being suspended on a special cable.

Things to keep in mind:

  • As you enter the park and before you go up, there will be someone to welcome you, give you equipment and a safety briefing. However, we didn’t notice that many employees and instructors on the ground in the actual park;
  • You can’t get back on the ground as you please. If you want to get back down, you will have to do so at a special location, unless something is wrong and you need to be taken down urgently, in which case someone will help you;
  • It is difficult to navigate the color scheme that symbolizes the different levels of difficultyon the tracks. So be careful before you choose your activity to avoid any unexpected challenges.

Pavel: I really liked the place and the view from the top of the hill. It feels like I climbed a mountain and reached its peak! The tracks are quite easy, but there were a few spots that made me really nervous. I am glad I came!

Sasha: I have some experience visiting places like Sparti. The best one I’ve been to was in Thailand, in Krabi Province, a couple of years ago. So I was pretty skeptical on our way to Sparti. But you know what? There were some things I really liked about it. There was nothing extraordinary about Sparti, nothing too extreme or new, but I liked the forest, the mountains, the fresh air and the company of my friends. Also, it’s a good way to get some exercise for an office employee like myself. The Petzl safety system is foolproof: you will be protected by two interconnected safety hooks that snap shut using special magnets located at the beginning and the end of each track. This ensures that you are connected to the cable using at least one safety hook as you move from one activity to the next. Of course, there is a way to bypass the safety system, but it is impossible to end up on the track without protection.

Anatoly: I liked Sparti because:

  • I had fun climbing trees and riding the zip-line (there are extended zip-lines too);
  • Everyone has a list of instructions (attached to every tree);
  • I was able to receive instructions in my native tongue (Russian);

... these are some things I would like to see there in the future:

  • A more obvious navigation system;
  • More employees in the actual park, in case you have a question or need help;
  • A quicker way to get off the track if you need to;
  • More transparent pricing;
  • Make the first track more interesting;
  • More control and oversight of the tracks.

Oxana: I had a great time! First of all, I was reminded of my fear of heights and had a chance to tackle it. Second, I enjoyed bonding with my friends and feeling like I am part of a great group of people who support and understand me. I liked sharing this experience with them. The park is very nice — it has a great location, beautiful pine trees and great views of the mountains. I realize that the tracks might have been too easy for some people. But for a novice like myself, they were just right.

Alexandra Malysheva’s blog: sparkling-photo.livejournal.com