An Ayia Napa quad bike safari sends small groups of riders from the resort onto sandy tracks, red earth and clifftops along the south-east tip of Cyprus. For more days out, the wider range of tours in Greece sits one click away.
This page covers what the safari includes, its length and start times, pickup points, quad or buggy, the ground you cross, who can drive, the town of Ayia Napa and its monastery, Cape Greco, Konnos Bay, Protaras, the Paralimni villages, clothing, safety rules, how a quad bike works and how to ride one, the right months, weather, other beaches, Nissi Beach and the questions travellers ask.
What does an Ayia Napa quad bike safari include?
An Ayia Napa quad bike safari comes with your own machine, a helmet, a safety talk and a trained leader. One operator also covers the hotel transfers both ways and third-party insurance.
The day begins with a transfer from your hotel to the start point. Riders pick up their quad and helmet there. Then comes a full safety talk, and the first operator says the tour always opens this way. Afterwards a qualified professional teaches the riding basics. The operators describe the machines as very easy to handle.
On an Ayia Napa quad bike safari, the leader takes the group over dirt tracks, paths and roads. Another operator names an English-speaking tour guide for all nationalities. One operator runs buggy safaris beside its quad trips. Riders get the same briefing and the same safety gear. The first operator also promises plenty of photo chances along the route.
The second operator spells out its list. It names a full safety briefing, safety gear for each person and a tour led by a qualified professional. It adds third-party insurance for the quad or buggy. Its stop list includes the Ayia Napa Sculpture Park. The first operator describes its quads as high quality and powerful.
The listings also say what stays outside the tour. One operator leaves out food and drinks and asks guests to carry cash for extras and tips. That listing also asks for a signed waiver before the ride begins. Pack a little cash for your Ayia Napa quad bike safari and read the waiver calmly at the start.
How long is the safari, and when do the tours start?
An Ayia Napa quad bike safari is a half-day outing of two to four hours. Tours start in the morning, and one operator adds an afternoon departure. The exact start time depends on the operator and on your hotel.
Operators differ on length. One lists a 3.5 hour tour, with a morning start and an afternoon start each day. Another runs for 2.5 to 3 hours, on Tuesdays and Fridays only. Both its quad trips and its buggy trips last that long. A third gives two to four hours and warns that all times are only approximate.
Season matters too. The twice-a-week operator stops its trips at the close of September. So check the day and the month when you plan an Ayia Napa quad bike safari. Groups that want four or more quads or buggies can ask that operator for a private safari.
The twice-a-week operator asks for bookings 24 hours ahead. For more than three vehicles, it can run a private safari on any day of the week. That includes days outside its two set ones. The first operator sells its 3.5 hour tour as a ride through the Cape Greco and sea caves area.
On the morning trips of the twice-a-week operator, hotel pick-up falls between 9 and a quarter to 10. The exact time depends on the hotel. After the briefing, that ride heads on and off the road toward Cape Greco National Forest Park. The daily operator plans four stops on its Ayia Napa quad bike safari, then returns.
Where are guests picked up for an Ayia Napa quad bike safari?
Hotels in Ayia Napa and Protaras are the pick-up points. A driver brings guests from there to a quad station, and a transfer returns them afterwards. The Ayia Napa quad bike safari starts and ends at that station.
Two operators in our research describe the Ayia Napa quad bike safari in the same order. First, a vehicle collects you at your hotel. Next, you ride to the quad station, which is the base for the whole tour. The tour leaves from that station and returns to it. One operator lists the hotel drop-off along with the pick-up.
Both operators name hotels in just two resorts, Ayia Napa and Protaras. Neither lists a third town. If your bed is somewhere else on the island, check with the operator first. One of them adds that the pick-up time depends on the hotel. Your slot can differ from your neighbour’s.
The two resorts are close. Protaras sits about 10 km northeast of Ayia Napa. You can walk across Ayia Napa, yet Protaras has no public transport. A transfer from the hotel door removes that problem. For the Ayia Napa quad bike safari, nobody asks you to find the base alone.
Driving yourself is the other choice. A travel site says a rental car helps with the wider area. It adds that traffic and parking in the centre of Ayia Napa can be a problem. The hotel transfer skips that worry. You step out of the hotel, and the van takes you to the quad station.
Quad or buggy: what is the difference?
A quad bike has handlebars and a seat that the rider straddles, much like a motorcycle. A beach buggy is a separate vehicle that one operator runs beside its quads. Each carries up to two people on an Ayia Napa quad bike safari.
Start with the quad, the machine that gives the Ayia Napa quad bike safari its name. The word means an all-terrain vehicle on four wheels. Its tyres hold low pressure, and it has handlebars. The rider sits on top of it and drives it the way a motorcycle is driven.
Under the standard definition a quad is made for one rider. Tandem models, however, carry a driver plus a passenger. That matches the safari pages, which put up to two people on each quad.
The buggy is a different design. Wikipedia calls vehicles with side-by-side seating UTVs, or side-by-sides. It treats them as a second class next to the quad. The operator pages do not say which design its buggy follows. They say only that it takes up to two people. Ask the operator if the seating matters to you.
One operator offers three ways to ride. You can take a quad alone, take a quad with a second person, or take a beach buggy for two. Quads and buggies start from the same station and get the same instruction talk. The operator calls both very easy to drive on its Ayia Napa quad bike safari.
A second operator books by the vehicle, not by the head. One booking is for a single quad, ridden by a driver alone or by a driver and a passenger. A pair of friends can therefore share a quad or take one each. Either choice works for an Ayia Napa quad bike safari.
What ground do the quads cross?
An Ayia Napa quad bike safari crosses a mix of surfaces. One operator describes dirt tracks, paths and roads. The route runs both on and off road towards Cape Greco National Forest Park.
Dirt tracks give the ride its rumble. Another operator sends riders deep into Cape Greco National Park along them. A listing for a half-day ride says the quads leave a cloud of dust behind. Riders hurtle along country tracks beside a rugged coastline. The same listing mentions viewpoints, bays and coves along the way.
The route also takes in high ground. One listing names Ayios Epifanios Chapel, perched on a hilltop, as a place the quads reach off road. A different operator makes the same chapel its first stop. It points to panoramic views of Ayia Napa from there.
The soil in this corner of Cyprus is red. The town sits close to Cape Greco and forms part of a wider area called Kokkinochoria. The Greek name means “Red Villages” and comes from the strong red tone of the earth. A regional reference calls this red-soil area fertile.
One operator calls the countryside around Ayia Napa and Protaras unspoilt. It says the ride takes you beyond the beaches, down hidden paths. An Ayia Napa quad bike safari is a ride over tracks, paths and roads, not a day on the sand.
Roads sit among the tracks and paths, so the quads do not stay on dirt the whole time. The ground changes from one stop to the next. Every Ayia Napa quad bike safari follows that pattern. Drivers and passengers face different rules, covered next.
Who can drive, and who can ride as a passenger?
On an Ayia Napa quad bike safari, drivers must be 18 and hold a valid licence, says one listing. The same listing sets the lowest age for taking part at 6, and children of that age cannot drive.
Another operator running an Ayia Napa quad bike safari asks for a full driving licence and rejects a provisional one. Guests must also bring a passport. A person who cannot show both the passport and the licence is not allowed on the safari.
Two operators allow up to two people on each quad. A listing explains that each quad takes either one person alone or a driver and a passenger. Children need an adult over 18 beside them at all times. This rule decides who sits where.
The same listing asks every guest to sign a waiver form before the tour starts. It marks the ride as not suitable for expectant mothers, for guests with back problems or for wheelchair users. It adds that height, weight or age limits can apply, and it tells guests to bring a valid driving licence.
That listing also advises against the ride for families with small children. Another operator says its Ayia Napa quad bike safari suits couples, singles and groups of friends. It adds that families are welcome when the children are older.
Two operators call their quads very easy to handle. Even so, each driver must bring the licence on the day. Without the licence, nobody takes the handlebars on an Ayia Napa quad bike safari.
What is Ayia Napa, and why do travellers go there?
Ayia Napa is a resort town on the southern coast of Cyprus, close to its eastern tip. Travellers go for sandy beaches by day and nightlife after dark. Tour operators also run an Ayia Napa quad bike safari from the resort.
Before choosing an Ayia Napa quad bike safari, it helps to know the size of the town. A census counted 3,200 residents who live there all year round. It also counted 40,000 people who are active there.
Red soil gives the wider area around the town its name, Kokkinochoria, which means Red Villages. A mayor, an alderman and a city council of six members run the municipality. The government of Cyprus gave the town the rank of a main urban centre. It chose this rank because of the town’s weight in the economy.
The centre is compact. A travel wiki calls the town small enough to be just about walkable. That suits a rider on an Ayia Napa quad bike safari. Bicycles and taxis are widely available. Traffic and parking in the centre can be a problem for a rental car.
The first tourists, mainly Scandinavians, came for the beaches. The town began as a family holiday destination. Later it grew into the dance party capital of the island, a little like Ibiza in Spain. It was also the first city council on the island to put its meetings on a live webcast.
Around the turn of the twenty-first century, the town became a summer favourite for fans of UK garage music. The same wiki calls it the premier nightlife location of Cyprus.
British visitors still lead the numbers, and Russians and Scandinavians also holiday in the area. Beyond the clubbing, sandy Mediterranean beaches draw travellers from all over the world. An Ayia Napa quad bike safari gives them one more day out.
What is the story of the Ayia Napa Monastery?
The town behind every Ayia Napa quad bike safari is named after a Venetian-era monastery. This monastery stands in the middle of town, beside the square that now holds the clubs. Its present building dates to around the year fifteen hundred.
The name behind the Ayia Napa quad bike safari has two parts. Ayia is the Greek word for holy. Napa is an old word for a wooded valley, or dell. Dense woodland once surrounded the settlement, back in ancient times. The name suits the place as it was then.
Locals tell two stories about how the monastery began. In the first, a hunter was chasing his prey. Inside a cave, he came upon an icon showing the Virgin Mary. A monastery for her rose around that cave. Over time, its name, Virgin Mary of Napa, shrank to Ayia Napa.
The second story tells of a Venetian noblewoman. Her parents forbade her to marry a commoner, so she ran away and lived at the site as a nun. The Venetians built a church there around the year fifteen hundred. Riders on an Ayia Napa quad bike safari set out from a town whose name rests on these two stories.
Local tradition says that only the monastery stood here until the late eighteenth century, and nobody else lived nearby. Nikolaos Kemitzis, from Thessaloniki, then settled in Panayia, a village in the north-east of Ayia Napa. He had quarrelled with the Ottoman authorities who ruled Cyprus. So he chose a new home near the monastery.
A travel wiki lists the monastery as the one cultural site worth visiting in the town. It gives travellers a look at history beside the adventure of an Ayia Napa quad bike safari.
What is Cape Greco, and why is it a protected area?
Cape Greco is a headland of southeastern Cyprus that sits next to both Ayia Napa and Protaras. Its land forms a National Forest Park, and an Ayia Napa quad bike safari rides into it on dirt tracks.
Famagusta Bay ends in the south at this cape, and the land belongs to Ayia Napa Municipality. No other point under the government of the Republic of Cyprus lies further east. In antiquity the headland was called Cape Pedalion. Strabo records that Aphrodite held the trapezoid-shaped hill above it as sacred.
Two bodies protect the cape that an Ayia Napa quad bike safari crosses. The Forestry Department, part of the Interior Ministry of Cyprus, runs the National Forest Park. BirdLife International also counts the cape among its Important Bird Areas. Birds of prey and other species cross it on migration in large numbers.
Common kestrels, honey buzzards, pallid harriers and red-footed falcons all squeeze through the cape on migration. Black francolins, Cyprus warblers and Cyprus wheatears breed there. Illegal trapping still threatens the birds.
One operator describes the park as natural beauty that stays unspoiled, and as a conservation area. Its Ayia Napa quad bike safari runs partly on dirt tracks and paths and partly on roads inside it.
Along the coast of the park, the Sea Caves are carved naturally into limestone cliffs. People also call them the “Palaces”. That operator says the caves spread along 500 metres of rocky coast, cut into sea cliffs ten metres high. A travel wiki adds that the caves lie beneath a cliff and can be viewed from above.
The same wiki lists a walk along the coastal E4 path, a road route, and boat trips to the caves. So an Ayia Napa quad bike safari is not the only way there. It adds that swimmers can climb into the water and reach the cave entrances.
One operator’s Ayia Napa quad bike safari stops at the Ayii Anargoiri Chapel, which stands inside the park. The park holds hardly any buildings. Under the chapel lies a cave, and people believe it holds the blessed water of the saints. Local legend also gives the cape to the “Ayia Napa sea monster”.
What can you see around Konnos Bay?
Konnos Bay is a beach fringed by pines, about 8 kilometres from the centre of Ayia Napa. Riders on an Ayia Napa quad bike safari see it from a viewpoint above the water.
The beach lies on the border between Ayia Napa and Paralimni, and a travel wiki calls it wind protected. One operator says the sea there is the bluest imaginable. It also says the viewpoint gives a clear view of the coast.
Operators plan the bay in different ways. One ends its Ayia Napa quad bike safari at Konnos Bay Viewpoint, the final stop before the ride back. Another lists a photo stop at a viewpoint over the glittering azure water, after the hilltop Ayios Epifanios Chapel.
That second operator’s Ayia Napa quad bike safari adds a stop at Cape Greco. There, a dramatic clifftop reaches out into the sea. Its ride closes with the chance to see the sea caves of the area.
The wiki also says the high points on the cliff at Cape Greco give wide views out to sea. A separate half-day 4×4 tour names the Sea Caves and Lovers Bridge. It then lists Konnos Bay, the Cave of Cyclops and secluded churches.
What is Protaras, and which beaches lie nearby?
Protaras is a tourist resort in the Famagusta District of Cyprus, about 10 km from Ayia Napa. Its sandy beaches fit the free hours around an Ayia Napa quad bike safari.
The Municipality of Paralimni runs the resort. Long ago, a city-state called Leukolla stood in this area, with a small, safe harbour. Protaras also carries the nickname “the land of windmills”.
Riders who finish an Ayia Napa quad bike safari find clear, sky-blue water along this coast. Fig Tree Bay is the beach that visitors learn first. Its water is calm and its sand is fine, and sunbeds and umbrellas stand ready. A coffee bar sits just above the bay.
Fig Tree Island lies right beside the bay. It is small, with rocks and a little greenery, and swimming out takes real effort. Green Bay is a public beach with a snack bar close by. A swim there ends an Ayia Napa quad bike safari well. It is also the dive site that draws the biggest crowds.
Underwater statues at Green Bay suit first-time divers. Divers also visit the Blue Hole, Malama Bay, the Chapel and Decosta Bay. Cyclops Bay sits on the border with Ayia Napa.
Families and Cypriot holidaymakers fill the resort. It is calmer than its neighbour and has little nightclub life. The town is small and walkable, and no public transport runs here.
A short walk begins opposite Fig Tree Bay and ends in Pernera. It stretches the legs well after an Ayia Napa quad bike safari. On the outskirts, the stone church of Ayios Ilias crowns a rocky crag with a panoramic view.
What do the villages around Paralimni offer?
Workers in the tourist sector of Ayia Napa and Protaras commute from Paralimni, the area’s main commuter town. A visit shows everyday island life close to your Ayia Napa quad bike safari.
In Greek, Paralimni means “by the lake”. A shallow lake lies beside the town. Rain fills it in winter, the only wet season, and the water dries up at other times. In the early twentieth century, the whole lakebed was turned into farmland.
The town began on a hill between Deryneia and today’s site. In the fifteenth century it moved inland, which kept it away from pirates. Its first settlement bore the name Saint Demetrius, and that place keeps the name today.
The central square holds a big church, cafes, bars and shops. Large supermarket chains such as Carrefour have branches in town. Enosis Neon Paralimni is the local football team. Cafes around the square suit a break after an Ayia Napa quad bike safari.
Red soil rich in zinc covers the land around Paralimni, and it grows potatoes known for being very nutritious. Farming made the town wealthy before tourism arrived, and it still matters today. Windmills once pumped groundwater from aquifers to feed the fields. A number of them now stand derelict, replaced by electric or diesel pumps.
The lake shelters the Cyprus grass snake. The snake was declared extinct in the nineteen sixties, yet it was found again in the nineteen nineties. The lake is now a Site of Community Interest. Red fields, old windmills and a protected lake round out the picture beyond an Ayia Napa quad bike safari.
What do you wear and bring on an Ayia Napa quad bike safari?
For an Ayia Napa quad bike safari, wear suitable footwear and carry a valid driving licence plus money for extras. One operator’s listing names exactly these items and adds that the ride leaves out food and drink.
That listing names only one piece of clothing, and it is footwear. The same page describes riders setting off along country tracks and leaving a cloud of dust behind them. Choose your shoes first, before you leave the hotel for a morning or afternoon ride.
The same listing wants cash for extras or tips. Meals and snacks sit outside the ride, so anything you buy on the day costs extra. Plan your cash before the Ayia Napa quad bike safari starts.
Another operator asks for more paperwork before its Ayia Napa quad bike safari. Its questions page tells every rider to carry a passport along with a driving licence. Without both documents, a guest cannot do the safari.
Two operators describe photo stops along the route, so a phone or camera earns its place in your bag. One operator hands out the quad and the helmet at its own quad station, after the hotel transfer. You carry no riding gear yourself. That keeps your packing list for the Ayia Napa quad bike safari short.
- Suitable footwear
- A valid driving licence
- A passport, if your operator asks for one
- Money for extras or tips
- A phone or camera for the photo stops
What safety rules and gear do the riders follow?
On an Ayia Napa quad bike safari, the safety talk comes first, before anyone rides. Riders then put on a helmet, and one operator says each person also receives the safety gear it provides.
One operator says its tour always begins with a full safety talk. A qualified quad bike professional then explains how to ride the quads. The group sets off only after that lesson.
A second operator describes a similar order for its own safari. Each person gets the provided safety gear and the safety talk, and then the instructor shows how to ride. That operator says a qualified professional leads the whole tour.
A third listing says the safety briefing comes from the tour guide. Only then does it tell riders to put on helmets and climb onto their quads. The same listing says the tour guide speaks English and welcomes all nationalities.
That listing also sets firm rules. Before the tour starts, each rider signs a waiver form, and nobody takes part without one. The listing rules the ride out for guests with back problems and for expectant mothers. An adult older than 18 must supervise children from start to finish.
Two operators call their quads very easy to handle. Even so, an Ayia Napa quad bike safari still gives every rider a riding lesson before the start. The operators’ pages give no speed limit and no riding order.
Ask about both during the talk. Then follow your instructor’s words for the whole Ayia Napa quad bike safari, from first lesson to last stop. The safety gear, the helmet and the waiver all come before the ride, never during it.
What is an all-terrain vehicle, and how does a quad bike work?
An all-terrain vehicle, or ATV, rides on low-pressure tyres, has handlebars and a seat the rider sits astride. The four-wheeled ATV is called a quad bike, and you ride one on an Ayia Napa quad bike safari.
ANSI, the American standards institute, describes an ATV by its low-pressure tyres, straddled seat and motorcycle-style handlebars. As the name says, the machine is built to cope with a wide variety of terrain. The same machine is also called a LUV, short for light utility vehicle. With four wheels, it counts as a quad bike.
On an Ayia Napa quad bike safari you sit on top of the quad and work it like a motorcycle. At low speed, the extra wheels give steadier balance than two wheels do. In ANSI’s wording, each ATV carries one operator. Makers have also built tandem models for a driver and one passenger.
Three and four wheels are the usual count, and the quads of an Ayia Napa quad bike safari have four.
Models with six or eight wheels exist for specialised jobs. In the late two thousands, ATVs on sale in the United States had engines from 49 to 1,000 cubic centimetres. Deep treads on certain ATV tyres work well on rocky, muddy and root-covered ground.
Sport models are generally small and light, with two driven wheels and a manual gearbox. Larger utility models send power to every wheel, and their top speed reaches about 70 miles per hour. They can haul small loads on racks and tow small trailers.
Royal Enfield built the first powered four-wheeler in the late nineteenth century, with bicycle components, for road use. The name ATV first described six-wheeled amphibious machines of the mid nineteen sixties and early nineteen seventies.
Honda sold its first sit-on three-wheeler in the late nineteen sixties. Its balloon tyres made up for a lack of suspension. By the late nineteen eighties, makers had stopped building three-wheelers over safety concerns. Four-wheelers took over, and they are the quads you ride on an Ayia Napa quad bike safari.
How do you steer, brake and ride a quad bike on loose ground?
A quad has handlebars like a motorcycle, and the driver has to shift their weight to ride it. Before an Ayia Napa quad bike safari sets off, a qualified professional explains how to ride.
Two operators of an Ayia Napa quad bike safari describe the same start. Guests collect a helmet at the quad station and hear a safety talk first. The riding lesson follows. One operator describes the handling as very easy, and says the route mixes dirt tracks, paths and roads.
A United States government website lists ATV safety tips. One tip is to ride without a passenger. With a passenger on board, the driver finds weight shifting difficult or impossible, yet driving an ATV calls for it.
Three-wheeled ATVs, called ATCs, corner differently. Cornering is more challenging on a three-wheeler than on a four-wheeled machine. Its rider must lean into the turn to counterbalance the weight and keep it stable. Throttle steering is another technique on ATCs, commonly used in soft terrain and at high speeds.
Careless operators of three-wheelers can roll over at high speed. A quad has four wheels, so on an Ayia Napa quad bike safari these three-wheel techniques are background only.
Safety courses and educational literature have made accidents fewer and less severe for ATC and ATV riders. One operator says an Ayia Napa quad bike safari is led by a qualified professional on dirt tracks and paths.
Which months suit an Ayia Napa quad bike safari?
From April to November, the coast of Cyprus stays warm for about eight months. An Ayia Napa quad bike safari fits that stretch. One operator runs its quad and buggy safaris until the end of September.
April opens the warm season. Coastal days average 23 to 25 degrees Celsius, and nights fall to between 13 and 15 degrees. The season ends in November, when daytime averages are 24 to 25 degrees and nights average 14. Over the full year, daytime averages on the coast reach 26 degrees, with 17 degrees after dark.
June and September sit at the edges of the warm season, warm but not harsh. The coastal average high is around 30 degrees by day, and nights cool to around 19. July and August form the hot middle of summer. At that time the coast averages about 37 degrees by day and 28 after dark.
These figures cover the Cyprus coast as a whole, not the town alone. Read them as a rough picture of an Ayia Napa quad bike safari in summer. The sea around Cyprus averages 17 degrees in February and 27 in August, depending on the location. Winter is the wet, changeable season, lasting from November until mid-March.
In January, other coastal places in Cyprus average 16 degrees by day and 9 at night. In March and December the figures are 17 by day and 8 at night. The operator listings give no opening date for these months. Ask the operator for the first and last days of its Ayia Napa quad bike safari season.
What happens to the safari in rain, wind or great heat?
Rain falls mainly in winter on Cyprus, and the summer is generally dry. A summer Ayia Napa quad bike safari rides under almost cloudless skies and high temperatures. Rain in the warmer months adds little or nothing to the island’s water.
Rainfall comes mainly between November and March. In winter, small depressions move east across the Mediterranean, and each causes roughly a day of unsettled weather. Around 60 percent of the yearly rain, which averages 500 millimetres, falls from December to February. Rain totals differ each winter, so check the dates before booking an Ayia Napa quad bike safari.
Wind is the next question for riders on a rugged coast. Wind speeds on Cyprus run from light to moderate, and the direction shifts. Strong winds occur at times, yet gales are infrequent and are mainly confined to exposed shores and high elevations. Fog is infrequent on the island, and visibility is generally very good.
Heat matters in July and August, when the coastal average high reaches around 37 degrees. The air holds 40 to 60 percent humidity in summer and 60 to 80 in winter. Inland values drop lower around midday. Summer days are long. Midsummer brings 12 to 13 hours of sunlight a day, against 5 to 6 in winter.
None of the operator listings states a rule for heat, rain or wind. They give no weather plan and no cut-off date for poor conditions. Ask each operator what it does when rain, wind or heat arrives, then book your Ayia Napa quad bike safari.
What beaches and sights in Ayia Napa fit the rest of the day?
After an Ayia Napa quad bike safari, the town offers sandy beaches such as Nissi, Makronissos, Grecian Bay and Pernera. It also has a municipal museum, a sculpture park and ancient tombs on the coast.
A morning of dust ends well with a swim. An Ayia Napa quad bike safari leaves the afternoon free. Grecian Bay is the closest sandy beach to the centre of Ayia Napa. It stretches along three coves east of the small fishing harbour. Katsarka Beach, close to the centre, runs for 800 metres but has little sand.
Makronissos Beach lies a bit further out than Nissi. It is at times less busy and more family orientated. Vathia Gonia Beach, also called Sandy Bay, is protected from the wind and has water sports. At Pernera Beach, divers can visit the Musan underwater gallery of sculpture by Jason deCaires Taylor.
Every beach has a water sports centre, so check where the swimming area ends and the powerboat area begins. The city council manages the beaches, and municipal stands lend umbrellas and sunbeds. In high summer, arrive early to claim a spot.
The Thalassa Municipal Museum on Krio Nero Avenue shows fossils, rocks, archaeology and sea life. One of its main pieces is a replica of the Hellenistic trade ship Kyrenia II. A visit fits a day around an Ayia Napa quad bike safari. The Ayia Napa Sculpture Park flows into a park of Mediterranean plants, cacti and succulents.
The Makronissos Tombs sit right at the coast and can be reached on foot. They are a cluster of burial chambers from the Hellenistic and Roman periods. With the museum and the park, they fill a calm hour between the Ayia Napa quad bike safari and dinner.
What is Nissi Beach, and how do you get there?
Nissi Beach is a 500-metre beach in its own cove in Ayia Napa, about 4 kilometres from the central square. It has earned the Blue Flag award for clean water, a fine cool-down after an Ayia Napa quad bike safari.
The islet of Nissi gave the beach its name. Nobody lives on it, and low local plants cover it. The water around it is shallow, so you can reach the islet on foot. After an Ayia Napa quad bike safari, that short wade is a cool way to wash off the dust.
Getting to Nissi takes little planning after an Ayia Napa quad bike safari. The beach sits about 4 kilometres from the central square.
Ayia Napa is small enough to be just about walkable, and bicycles are widely available with plenty of bicycle lanes. Taxis are widely available too; ask the driver to switch on the meter or agree the fare first. Traffic and parking in the centre can be a problem for drivers.
Nissi Beach is also a lively spot. The beach bar has music all day, with foam parties, catwalks and guest DJs. The sand holds two public volleyball courts. Water-skiing and windsurfing are on offer. In the height of summer, get there early to reserve your patch.
Makronissos Beach, a bit further away, is the calmer choice for families. Nissi suits the hours after an Ayia Napa quad bike safari, once the dust is off.
What do travellers eat and drink in Ayia Napa after the safari?
After an Ayia Napa quad bike safari, travellers can eat Cypriot food: charcoal-grilled meats, halloumi and meze. A travel wiki also lists a Greek souvlaki restaurant, a village tavern, a Thai restaurant and a Polynesian kitchen.
Dinner after an Ayia Napa quad bike safari draws on Cypriot cuisine, which Greece and Turkey influence heavily. Meat grilled over charcoal is called souvla or souvlaki, after the skewers. Pork, lamb, chicken, kid and beef are common. Cooks serve it in a pita or flatbread with a salad of cabbage, parsley, onion, tomato and cucumber.
Hungry after an Ayia Napa quad bike safari? Try a meze. It is a spread of small helpings, brought to the table one after another. Olives, dips, bread and a mixed salad open the meal. Fish, grilled halloumi, smoked pork and sausages follow. Hot grilled meats come near the end, and dessert can be fresh fruit.
Cyprus counts halloumi as its national cheese. Cooks slice it and eat it fresh, grill it or fry it. Seafood dishes on the island include calamari, octopus, cuttlefish, sea bass, red mullet and gilt-head bream. Well-known sweets are loukoumades, which are fried doughballs in syrup, and baklava.
A cold drink suits the dusty end of an Ayia Napa quad bike safari. Triantafyllo is a pink rose syrup, mixed with water or milk into a sweet summer cordial. Ayran is a traditional yoghurt drink.
Brandy and zivania are popular drinks on the island, and beer is next in popularity. KEO and Carlsberg, two local breweries, lead the beer market. Commandaria is a popular dessert wine and the oldest wine in continuous production.
What is the evening like in Ayia Napa?
After an Ayia Napa quad bike safari, the Square is the first choice for nightlife. Clubs and bars there stay open until daybreak. A travel wiki says Ayia Napa is widely considered the premier nightlife location of Cyprus.
The night starts late, which leaves time to rest after an Ayia Napa quad bike safari. The wiki says the Square is practically deserted until half past 9. The scene picks up around 11 at night. Visitors who start at a bar at 8 and reach a club near midnight must reset their body clocks.
The Square is small, yet it packs in plenty of places to drink. Bars compete hard, and their promotional staff offer free shots or drinks to people on the street. The wiki calls these promoters persistent and advises politeness. They can point to genuine deals, but their aim is to earn money from you.
For a resort fuelled by alcohol, Ayia Napa sees very little anti-social behaviour, says the wiki. Visitors who follow general bar and club etiquette are very unlikely to meet trouble from clubbers, locals or the police.
Keep one rule in mind for the night after an Ayia Napa quad bike safari. If you plan to drink, do not drive, because local laws are very strict. The city has also shut down problematic establishments and upgraded its infrastructure, hotels and restaurants. Its stated aim is to discourage rowdy groups of young tourists.
Culture has its own evenings after an Ayia Napa quad bike safari. Each September, the Ayia Napa International Festival fills Seferis Square near the end of the month. Its programme covers theatre, opera, concerts and Cypriot and foreign folk dancing. It adds art and photo exhibitions, wood carving and silversmithing workshops, and culinary shows with halloumi cheese making.
What else do travellers ask about an Ayia Napa quad bike safari?
Which part of Cyprus does the Ayia Napa quad bike safari cover?
The town belongs to the Famagusta District. Cyprus has six districts, and Famagusta is one of them. The tracks of an Ayia Napa quad bike safari therefore run through the south-eastern corner of Cyprus.
The district is split. On paper it covers 1,985.3 square kilometres, yet the Republic of Cyprus holds only about 244 of them. Of the eight municipalities, only Ayia Napa, Paralimni, Deryneia and Sotira belong to that part, together with five communities.
The British base area of Dhekelia lies in the west of the district. The Karpass Peninsula forms its easternmost part. On paper the district capital is the city of Famagusta, but the administration sits in Paralimni.
How large is the island of Cyprus?
The area of Cyprus is 9,251 square kilometres. Among Mediterranean islands it takes third place by size, and it also takes third place by population. Only two Mediterranean islands are bigger. Nicosia serves as the capital, and it is also the biggest city.
The resort of Ayia Napa sits where the southern shore ends in the east. It lies beyond the British base area of Dhekelia. An Ayia Napa quad bike safari is a trip to that eastern edge, not to the capital.
Where do flights land for an Ayia Napa quad bike safari holiday?
Flights for the resort land at Larnaca Airport. A travel wiki gives the taxi ride from the terminal to Ayia Napa as 45 minutes. A shuttle bus runs on demand from the airport and needs 49 minutes.
The airport stands four kilometres south-west of Larnaca town. Its location is the Dromolaxia and Meneou area of the Larnaca District. Scheduled flights link it to all major European cities.
Larnaca is the larger of the two commercial airports in the area run by the Republic. Paphos International Airport is the other one, on the south-western coast of the island.
Which time zone applies on the day of the safari?
In winter, the clocks in Ayia Napa run two hours ahead of UTC. This setting is called Eastern European Time, or EET. In summer the clocks move one more hour ahead and the name changes to Eastern European Summer Time, or EEST.
The Famagusta District follows the same two settings. When you plan a morning Ayia Napa quad bike safari, read the start time on the local clock of Cyprus.
Which languages and which money does Cyprus use?
The country has two official languages, Greek and Turkish. Both appear in the name of the town: Ayia Napa in Greek and Aya Napa in Turkish. Official papers romanise the Greek form as Agia Napa.
The currency of Cyprus is the euro. That is the money to carry on the island, whatever the language on the sign. Note both facts before your Ayia Napa quad bike safari day begins.