A Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise leaves the east coast of Cyprus and follows the Cape Greco shore to a swim stop in clear, shallow water. Day trips on land and sea from other resorts sit together under the tours in Greece on the home page.
The page covers what the boat trip includes, how long it takes and when it sails, where it starts, the boats, the resort of Protaras, Fig Tree Bay, the Blue Lagoon and its swim stops, Cape Greco with its sea caves, Turtle Cove, the sea turtles of Cyprus, safety on board and the questions travellers ask.
What does a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise include?
A Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise takes you by boat along the Cyprus coast. Each stop brings a swim. One operator runs it on a glass-bottom boat. The boat has two swimming stops, a bar on board, and seats in the shade and in the sun.
Through the glass panel in the floor, you see the seabed and stay dry. That same operator says the two swim stops leave room to snorkel and watch the wildlife underwater. A bar on board keeps the day easy for anyone who prefers to stay on deck. Seats in both shade and sun let each guest choose a spot.
On a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise, the lagoon itself is the main draw. One operator says the lagoon is reached mainly by sea. Its water is clear and shallow, so swimming and snorkelling are easy. The same operator calls the lagoon a peaceful escape from the busy beaches.
Another operator describes a different route for its Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise. Its listing mentions three places: Cape Greco with its sea caves, then the lagoon, then Turtles Cove. It says guests swim alongside sea turtles at Turtles Cove. The two operators sail different routes, so do not mix their stops into one trip.
A travel article on the Blue Lagoon adds two points. On a glass-bottom boat, the seabed shows through the floor, even for guests who never swim. The shallow edges of the lagoon are calm enough for waders. People who dislike deep water are not left out.
How long is a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise, and when does it sail?
One operator’s Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise lasts 2.5 hours. The first boat leaves at 11 in the morning and the second at 2 in the afternoon. The season lasts from late spring through October.
Inside those 2.5 hours, the boat makes two swim stops. This Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise runs on a set timetable. The operator says the boat sails every day in the season. Sailings begin in late spring, and the final ones run as October ends.
The same operator states that all sailings depend on the weather. In plain terms, the sea on the day decides whether the boat leaves. Leave one extra day free in your holiday, in case the sea says no.
Another operator lists its trips as three hours long. Its listing offers three slots: a morning trip, an afternoon trip, and a sunset trip. That is half an hour longer than the first operator’s cruise. The sailing times differ too, so read the details of the trip you pick.
A Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise of 2.5 hours is a short outing. The two daily sailings of that operator give you a choice between a late morning start and an afternoon start. Pick the slot that fits your day, look at the sky before you go, and arrive with time to spare.
Where does a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise start?
One operator sails its Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise from Protaras pier. A charter listing for a second cruise departs from the marina of Paralimni. The start point depends on the boat you choose.
According to one operator, the pier is where its 2.5 hour Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise begins. That listing says the glass-bottom boat sails from the pier itself.
A second listing places the start in the marina of Paralimni. Its vessel then runs along the Protaras coast. The listing names Cape Greco and its sea caves, then Turtles Cove, along with the Blue Lagoon. A yacht charter article adds that boats on this coast also board at Protaras and at Pernera.
The two names sit close together on the map. Protaras is a tourist resort, and the Municipality of Paralimni holds the administrative jurisdiction over it. Paralimni itself is a town in southeast Cyprus, about 110 kilometres east of the capital, Nicosia. Staff of the tourist trade in Protaras and Ayia Napa commute from the town.
Wikipedia says the town stands about 80 metres above sea level, near the coast. It was moved inland in the fifteenth century to avoid detection by pirates. The Greek name means “by the lake”. The town grew on a shallow lake that fills with water in winter.
Read your ticket before the day to learn the start point. The pier and the marina are two different places. Each Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise names one of them as its start, so confirm which with the operator.
What kind of boat runs a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise?
The boats differ by operator. One runs a glass-bottom boat with a bar on board. A charter listing describes a custom-built vessel for up to 100 guests on a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise.
The glass-bottom boat is the smaller of the two. Its operator also gives passengers a choice between sunny and shaded places to sit. A yacht charter article adds that glass-bottom boats on both Cypriot coasts show the seabed to guests who stay dry. Swimmers and non-swimmers alike can look down at the water.
The vessel on the second Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise is custom-built. The listing says it was restored in the year two thousand and nine. The listing gives a capacity of up to 100 guests. It speaks for that one vessel only.
On board, the charter listing names these fittings:
- WiFi
- an audio system with outdoor speakers
- a refrigerator and a kitchen
- a spacious sun deck
The same listing states that the boat carries life jackets, GPS, radar and a VHF radio, along with other equipment. Ask the operator which boat sails on your date.
The Blue Lagoon is not a beach. The yacht charter article says the boat anchors. You enter the sea from the deck or from a swim ladder. Steps are there for everyone, and a jump for those who want one.
What is Protaras?
Protaras is a tourist resort on the southeast coast of Cyprus, in the Famagusta District. The municipality of Paralimni runs it. The resort is the starting point for a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise along the coast.
People lived here long before the hotels. Leukolla, an old city-state, stood in this area, and its small, safe harbour gave shelter to Demetrius Poliorketes. He lay in wait there for Ptolemy, who came after Alexander the Great. Ptolemy lost the battle and fled to Egypt.
The same coast now holds a modern holiday town. Dozens of large hotels, hotel apartments, villas, restaurants and pubs line it, and the sea is a clear sky blue. Ayia Napa, about 10 km to the southwest, set the pattern. Protaras is the calmer neighbour, with a smaller club scene, and it draws families and Cypriot holidaymakers.
One operator sails a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise from the Protaras pier. The boat passes Cape Greco, which is only a 10-minute drive from the town centre. On land, a travel wiki says the town has no public transport and is very walkable.
A small stone church, Ayios Ilias, stands on a rocky crag at the edge of town. Its top gives panoramic views over the coast. Visitors who join a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise see the same shoreline from the water.
Protaras is also a diving destination. Green Bay is the top dive site, with underwater statues for first-time divers. Decosta Bay, Malama Bay, The Blue Hole and The Chapel are further sites. Cyclops Bay, on the Ayia Napa border, is the leading technical site. A Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise stays on the surface, with swimming and snorkelling.
What is Fig Tree Bay?
Fig Tree Bay is a Blue Flag beach in Protaras. It is 500 metres long and takes its name from the fig trees close to the coast. A day in town can pair this beach with a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise from the same resort.
Anyone can enter for free, as at every beach in Cyprus, and sunbeds and umbrellas can be hired. A municipal car park sits within a short walk. The water is clean enough to hold the Blue Flag award. A travel wiki adds calm, clear water and a coffee bar on the bay.
An uninhabited islet lies off the sand. Swimmers reach it through shallow water, and low native vegetation covers it. The islet shelters the rest of the beach. The same wiki says the swim takes effort. A Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise offers open-sea swim stops, while here you swim out from the shore.
Families like this beach. Water-skiing, windsurfing and parasailing are available. Between April and October, lifeguards and lifesaving equipment cover the beach. They are there from 9 in the morning until 6 in the evening. A short trail starts opposite the beach and ends in Pernera.
The bay also has a past below the sand. Workers improving the beach once unearthed an ancient Greek tomb. Later the Paralimni municipality pumped sand onto the shoreline to stop erosion. For a family on a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise day, this beach is the easy land stop.
What is the Blue Lagoon on the Protaras coast?
The Blue Lagoon beside Protaras is a sheltered turquoise bay next to Cape Greco. Protaras lies on one side and Ayia Napa on the other. A Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise is the easy way to reach it.
Cyprus has two places with this name, so check which one a tour sells. The second lies far to the west, on the Akamas coast, and boats reach it from Latchi harbour. A yacht charter article puts the two lagoons about three hours apart by road. It says both have very clear water.
Neither lagoon has a road that a normal car can use, so boats carry the visitors. One operator describes the Cape Greco lagoon as a spot reached mainly by sea, with calm water. The same article says almost every cruise along the south-east coast stops here. A Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise is one of them.
The cape lies in the south-east of Cyprus and has limestone cliffs, and the stone also colours the water. Near the rim the sea is only 1 or 2 metres deep. Pale limestone and sand lie underneath, and that light floor makes the water glow turquoise.
Further in, the bottom falls away to between 5 and 8 metres. The water stays so clear that fish show far below the hull. From the deck of a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise you can watch the pale shallows turn into deeper blue.
What can you do at the Blue Lagoon swim stops?
At the swim stops of a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise you can swim, snorkel and wade in clear, shallow water. The boat anchors in the lagoon, and you step into the sea from it.
There is no beach here. Swimmers climb down the ladder or jump off the deck. The article calls the jump a choice for the brave and the ladder a choice for everyone else. The sea itself is the attraction, so plan to spend the stop in the water.
Snorkelling is the main reason to get wet on a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise. Fish show far below the boat even without a mask, and bream and damselfish are the regular sights. The article advises confident swimmers to bring a mask. It also lists snorkel gear and an on-board bar among the items that Blue Lagoon cruises include.
Non-swimmers are not left out. Waders can stay near the shallow rim with a pool noodle or a flotation vest. Crew members watch the sea. Glass-bottom boats along this coast let you see the seabed dry. A Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise stop suits swimmers and waders alike.
At the height of summer the water on this shallow coast sits between 26 and 28 degrees Celsius. Bring swim shoes for rocky edges, a hat, a towel and swimwear. Add drinking water and a pouch that keeps your phone dry. Pack them the evening before your Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise.
What are Cape Greco and its sea caves, seen from a Protaras cruise?
Cape Greco is a rocky point of Cyprus, found between Protaras and Ayia Napa. One charter listing says its Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise passes the cape on the way to its sea caves.
Wikipedia describes Cape Greco as a headland that closes off Famagusta Bay in the south. No other land under the control of the Cyprus government lies further east. A drive from the middle of Protaras to the cape takes ten minutes. A Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise reaches the same coast by water.
Along the shore of the national forest park at Cape Greco you find the sea caves. According to Wikipedia, nature cut them into the cliffs of limestone. Two other names for the caves are “Palaces” and “fairy caves”. On a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise you view them from the deck, not from land.
An article on sea caves in general explains how such caves form. Waves do the work, and the sea strips away rock fastest along weak zones in a cliff. Over time the waves widen those cracks. Each cave mouth you pass marks a spot where the sea has worn into the cliff.
The cape is a protected nature park under the Forestry Department, which belongs to the Cyprus Ministry of the Interior. Because birds of prey migrate through the cape, BirdLife International has given it Important Bird Area status. Cyprus wheatears and Cyprus warblers breed on the cape, along with black francolins.
Ancient writers knew the place too. Its ancient name was Cape Pedalion, and Strabo placed a sacred hill of Aphrodite above it. The hill is trapezoid in shape. Your Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise sails below a headland with an ancient name.
What is Turtle Cove?
Turtle Cove is a named swim stop on a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise. Operators spell the name in different ways: Turtle Cove, Turtles Cove or Turtle Bay. One charter listing says guests swim alongside sea turtles there.
The tour on this page names the sea caves and Turtle Cove in its title, next to the Blue Lagoon. A second operator runs a Protaras trip that calls at both the Blue Lagoon and Turtle Bay. Its boat makes two swimming stops, so there is time to snorkel and look at the wildlife underwater.
Turtles are wild animals, so no Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise can promise to show you one. A yacht charter article says snorkellers on the Cape Greco side sometimes share the water with a passing turtle. Treat any sighting as a bonus.
The order of the two stops changes from trip to trip. One charter listing sets out three trips of 3 hours each. Two names put Turtle Cove first and one puts the Blue Lagoon first. Check the name of the sailing you book if you want the cove early.
A Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise is as much a swim trip as a sightseeing trip. The sea caves show the coast from the boat, and the two stops give you time in the water.
Which sea turtles live around Cyprus?
Two species of sea turtle breed on Cyprus: the loggerhead, Caretta caretta, and the green turtle, Chelonia mydas. Know these two turtles before a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise, since operators here name a stop after turtles.
The word loggerhead refers to the big head of this turtle. A fully grown adult measures about 90 centimetres along the shell and weighs about 135 kilograms. In the Mediterranean, adults run smaller on average than in the Atlantic. They eat bottom-dwelling animals such as whelks and clams, plus jellyfish on long sea crossings.
A Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise sails around an island that is a common nesting coast for the loggerhead. Turkey is another.
The green turtle grows to about 1.5 metres long. Its name refers to the green colour of its body fat, not its shell, which runs from olive to black. Adults graze on seagrass in shallow water. The Mediterranean group of green turtles counts as critically endangered.
Only one to two hatchlings in a thousand reach adulthood and return to breed, the Cyprus fisheries department reports. It calls Lara-Toxeftra and Polis-Gialia the two key turtle habitats of the island. In the Lara-Toxeftra protected area, boats cannot use or moor until the end of October, starting in late spring.
How do you stay safe on a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise?
Safety on a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise starts with the boat. One charter listing says its large vessel is fitted with life jackets and radio and navigation gear. At the swim stop, guests step down a ladder or jump from the deck.
A yacht charter article describes the swim stop of a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise as shallow at the rim. There, the sea is 1 to 2 metres deep, and the middle falls to 5 to 8 metres. Non-swimmers wade with a noodle or a vest. The crew watches the water, and strong swimmers get a tip to bring a mask.
Plan for the sun as well. Wikipedia describes the summer sky over Cyprus as almost cloudless. The coastal daytime high is around 37 °C in July and August. The large vessel has a sun deck. One operator’s glass-bottom boat has seats in shade and in sun. Take a shaded seat when the heat builds on a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise.
Good turtle manners protect the turtles, and they keep you out of trouble. The fisheries department asks people to watch turtles from a distance, without touching them or giving them food. In its words, feeding a turtle to lure it, or swimming close to one, counts as harassment. Each animal chooses its own distance.
Harassing a protected animal on purpose is a crime, with a prison term of up to three years. A turtle visit therefore stays the turtle’s choice. Before you book a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise, check how the crew treats turtles at the swim stop.
What else do travellers ask about a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise?
Is a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise suitable for children and wheelchair users?
Children are welcome. One operator lists its Protaras trip as suitable for all ages and calls it a trip for all the family. The same operator states that its boat is not wheelchair accessible. That rule belongs to the boat. Ask about boarding before you book, especially if anyone in your group uses a wheelchair.
When does the Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise run, and what if the weather changes?
One operator starts sailing in late spring and stops when October ends. The weather decides whether a boat leaves on a given day. Wikipedia describes the winds of Cyprus as variable in direction and gentle to middling in strength. Gales are infrequent and mainly stay on exposed coasts. The weather rule still decides each Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise sailing.
Is last-minute booking possible for a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise?
One operator asks you to reserve places a day or more beforehand, at least 24 hours. It tries to fit in last-minute requests, yet that sailing can fill up fully in peak periods. Booking online guarantees your chosen date, according to that operator. The page does not say which days are busy, so book early rather than guess.
What are summer weather and sea water like for a Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise?
Wikipedia describes the island summer as hot and dry, running from late spring into mid-September, under almost cloudless skies. On the coast, July and August bring average highs near 37 degrees Celsius, with 28 at night. Humidity in summer sits between 40% and 60%. Between April and September, bright sunshine adds up to more than 12 hours daily.
The sea warms more slowly. Its yearly average is 21 to 22 degrees Celsius. It rises from 17 in February to 27 or 28 in August, depending on the place. From late spring to November the sea stays above 20 degrees. These are island averages, not a forecast for your sailing day.
What is Paralimni, the town behind the Protaras resort?
Paralimni lies in the Famagusta District of Cyprus and is listed with about 15,000 residents. Protaras comes under its administration. Wikipedia calls it the main commuter town for people working in tourism in Ayia Napa and Protaras. The name means “by the lake” in Greek. One charter listing places the marina for its Protaras Blue Lagoon cruise in Paralimni.
The town sits about 80 metres above sea level, 110 kilometres east of Nicosia. Wikipedia adds that the settlement shifted away from the shore in the fifteenth century because of pirate raids. The shallow lake beside it holds water only in winter and is dry the rest of the year.