Peten Travels Turkey | A Treasure Trove Of Orchids & Wild Flowers In Northern Cyprus

March 10th - March 19th

Brian & Eileen have spent long periods living and working in Turkey where they pioneered Landscapes countryside and walking books in the west and south of the country. They have led numerous orchid tours in Turkey and other parts of the Mediterranean. North Cyprus is a very familiar location for them since they have a home there.

North Cyprus is a sparkling corner of the Mediterranean almost forgotten by time. It has all those magical attractions; a rugged mountain range, a sparkling sea, fairy-tale Crusader castles, ruins of a glorious abbey at Bellapais, evocative classical ruins at Salamis, Byzantine painted churches and Ottoman mosques. Mix in the main ingredients, orchids and flowers in abundance and the perfect recipe is on hand for a rewarding spring holiday.

One of the most attractive features of this region is the craggy limestone mountain backdrop of the Besparmak range (the five Finger Mountains) which peak around 1300m (4,250ft). Three Crusader castles hide amongst these lofty peaks, St Hilarian, Bufavento and Kantara.

Colour abounds in March when the crown anemones brighten the olive groves and the red, yellow, white or even pink turban buttercups decorate the hillsides. Overhead the birds are arriving for the summer or migrants are heading through to more northerly destinations.

Flowers

The flowers in North Cyprus are every bit as prolific as the birds and this limestone region of the island has an especially good orchid flora. Amongst the orchids, Kotschy's bee orchid, Ophrys kotschyii, is a speciality to look out for as is the endemic elegant orchid, Ophrys elegans, but there are some other charmers, like the Anatolian orchid, Orchis anatolica, which is hard to beat for pure grace and elegance. Two other orchids which have a distinctly eastern distribution but can be seen here are Bornmueller's orchid, Ophrys bornmuelleri, and Ophrys levantina.

Away from the orchids, the flora in general is very rich with 16 species, endemic to North Cyprus alone. The famous black tulip, Tulip cypria, really dark crimson, is one we expect to find and here too you can see the turban buttercup displaying the full range its colour forms. Apart from the shining stars, the usual chorus backdrop of the flowers of the field will be in full attendance.

Programme

This tour will be centered on Hotel Mercure with daily excursions to places of botanical and cultural interest. Many of the excursions will involve walking, often uphill, so a walking fitness of 6 to 7 miles daily is recommended.

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