Dates & Prices |
BOOK NOW |
Dates: June -July (available on request)
Price: £TBC
Single Room Supplement: £TBC
Deposit: £150 per person
Price Includes: Accommodation, all meals, ground transport, services of guides & holiday report
Not Included: International flights, travel insurance, entry to archaeological areas, drinks & other personal items
Conservation Donation: Butterfly Conservation
Leader(s): Dr Yiannis Christofides
Group Size & Travel: Minimum 3 & maximum 12 guests + 1-2 leaders.
Grade: Generally easy walking at a very gentle pace
Holiday Highlights
- A unique tour focusing on the butterflies of Cyprus
- Levantine Leopard, Grass Jewel, Dark Grass Blue are just some of the special species we will look for
- Led by local naturalist, author & very popular guide Dr Yiannis Christofides
- Two centre tour at a very slow pace designed for maximum butterfly watching in the field and to enjoy all the other fauna and flora we will encounter during the week
- Plenty of other interesting wildlife which we will also observe
- Tour supports Butterfly Conservation
Join our ever popular guide Dr Yiannis Christofides in Cyprus for a unique tour to look for the island’s most special butterflies!
Holiday Guide
Dr Yiannis Christofides is a botanist living in the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus. Having obtained a degree in Chemistry from the University of London he returned to his mountain village where he took up botany. This led to a new book on the Orchids of Cyprus. Several new plants were recorded for Cyprus and new locations were found for old ones. In 2018 Yiannis published his own up to date Illustrated Flora of Cyprus.
His interests include Orchids round the Mediterranean, the Floras of Cyprus, Greece and Turkey and also the flora of European Mountains. He takes a keen interest in other life-forms such as Butterflies and other Insects, Reptiles, Dragonflies and even Lichens. He likes to share his knowledge with members of his groups and his infectious enthusiasm makes him one of our most popular leaders. Yiannis is also knowledgeable about the geology and history of areas he visits.
Cyprus hosts a number of interesting species difficult to see elsewhere, such as the Levantine Leopard, a later species appearing from the middle of June onwards. The current species list for Cyprus stands at a total of 53. There are 3 endemic species (Paphos Blue Glaucopsyche paphos, Cyprus Grayling Hipparchia cypriensis & Cyprus Meadow Brown Maniola cypricola and 3 endemic subspecies (Eastern Festoon Allancastria cerisyi ssp. cypria), Eastern Rock Grayling Hipparchia syriaca ssp. cypriaca and the Hermit Chazara briseis ssp. larnacana). The Cyprus Grayling, Cyprus Meadow Brown, Eastern Rock Grayling and the Hermit will be on the wing during our tour. The following are some of the other species possible to see during the tour – Lesser Fiery Copper Lycaena thersamon, Lang’s Short Tailed Blue Leptotes pirithous, Little Tiger Blue Tarucus balkanicus, Small Desert Blue Chilades galba (a species of Cyprus, Southern Turkey and the Arabian Peninsula), Southern White Admiral Limenitis reducta,Cardinal Argynnis pandora, White Banded Grayling Pseudochazara anthelea, and Oriental Meadow Brown Hyponephele lupina. Whilst our main targets will be the Cyprus butterflies we shall also aim to see some of Cyprus other interesting fauna, including the endemic Cyprus Wheatear and Cyprus warbler, as well as some of its endemic plants and dragonflies. For more information please visit the Cyprus Butterflies website. This tour will appeal to the butterfly enthusiast seeking interesting species and who will enjoy exploring and studying the islands butterfly fauna as a whole. Our base for the week will be The Semiramis Boutique Hotel. It is a small family run hotel situated in the village of Platres in the Troodos mountains and within easy reach of the islands two main airports (Larnaca & Paphos). Platres is located in the centre of the Island on the southern slopes of the Troodos mountain range at an altitude of 1,200 metres above sea level. It has excellent road connections to the main towns of Nicosia, Limassol, Paphos and Larnaca. The southern coast with all its entertainment and beaches is around 35 minutes away by car. During the summer temperatures reach a balmy average of 28 degrees which makes Platres an ideal retreat from the heat of the coastal areas. There are numerous walks around the mountains, or, you can visit one of two waterfalls within walking distance of the hotel. The hotel itself has recently been refurbished and boasts peaceful gardens set underneath pine trees.
Day 1: Arrival and overnight in Larnaka. Search for Tarucus balcanicus, Zizeeria karsandra and Chilades galba before proceeding to Platres. Overnight Platres.
Day 2: Trooditissa area Prodromos. Our target species are Cardinal, Bath white, Purple Hairstreak, Holy Blue, Long-tailed Blue, Cleopatra, Southern White Admiral. The Nettle tree butterfly is very rare in Cyprus and we will travel the short distance to Prodromos to look for it. Eastern Rock Grayling, Cyprus Grayling, White-banded Grayling and Oriental Meadow Brown should be emerging now.
Day 3: Vasa, Mandria, Aphames. Today we shall look for Grass Jewel, Chilades trochylus and Lattice Brown Levantine Leopard (Apharitis acamas), Eastern Rock Grayling and also look for Dragonflies.
Day 4: Depending on whether we have been successful in finding the Levantine Leopard we will visit other known sites.
Day 5: We revisit some of the forest areas for White-banded Grayling.
Day 6-7:Visit mountain reservoirs for dragonflies.
Days 8: Departure
-
- OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
New holiday so testimonials will follow later
New holiday so reports will follow later
