Crusader Ride - Northern Cyprus

Arrive at your accommodation. Most flights arrive at night, but whatever the time we will be ready to greet you with refreshments.

‘Meet the team’ breakfast then off to the stable yard to select the appropriate horse for your holiday. Lunch is followed by a warm up ride of about one & a half hours, your first taste of our stunning landscape. This ride takes us through the lower foothills of the Kyrenia Mountains arriving near the village of Bellapais, taking in the exquisitely beautiful Gothic Bellapais Abbey, built by the French Lusignan Kings of Cyprus in the 13th Century. Your camera is a must.

A leisurely meander of approximately three & a half to four hours through the Kyrenia mountain, climbing ever higher and higher to a plateau underneath the lofty peak where Buffavento Castle stands proud. The highest and most remote of the crusader castles situated on the mountain ridge, it commands a panoramic view of the vast Mesaoria Plain and the northern coastline. A delicious picnic lunch will be served at an ancient settlement site surrounded by the island’s famous Olive Trees, giving you time to ponder and marvel at the skill of the early builders. We then make our way back to the stable yard.

Today we give you the choice “to ride or not to ride”. For those that wish to explore the island’s delights they can disappear into the historic harbour town of Kyrenia for some shopping or explore the nearby, unspoilt beaches. For those wishing to be in the saddle we offer a “Pub Ride” through the olive groves to one of the many local hostelries for a snack lunch and a few beers (Don’t worry the horses know the way home)

This morning we box the horses up and drive for about 2 miles to the base of the Besparmak Mountain Range. We ride for about 5 hours today, skirting the forest tracks, stopping for a picnic lunch just above the Sourp Magar Monastery. This is a beautiful spot with an unbelievable silence and heady scent of pine trees. You will have plenty of time to visit the monastery, once a famous place of pilgrimage for Armenians on their way to the Holy Land, whilst the horses have their lunch and a rest. We then return to the horse box via the north face of Besparmak enjoying the sweeping views down to the sea and if we are lucky a bit of eagle spotting.

Today we come down from the heavens and take a stroll along the old coast road, no longer easily accessible by car it's total peace and tranquillity and clear blue ocean waves and rocky headlands. Past farms and ancient carob trees wandering goat herds and grazing livestock we head for the Eagles Nest and little know oasis perched high above the Mediterranean sea where we meet Barbaros a colourful character renown for his collection of artefacts retrieved during his many diving exploits. We will have a leisurely lunch & a few drinks before returning home.

Well today's the biggie! We take you and the horses back to the base of Besparmak but this time we go right instead of left and follow the mountain track underneath the soaring heights of Buffavento Castle with it’s aged battlements towering above us. This is a huge ride of about 25 kilometres so we take it nice and slow enjoying the Mesaoria plain laid before us. ‘Mesaoria’ means land between the mountains and on a clear day we have super views across to the Troodos Mountains. We descend slowly until we reach the Absinthiotissa Monastery, a perfect picnic spot for our lunch. After lunch we continue our ride passing through a typical tiny Turkish village and along the base of the mountains underneath the mighty Turkish Flag, painted across the mountains it is the largest flag in the world. Here we start to rise again going over the top of the Kyrenia Mountains affording us dramatic views of the northern coastline and Turkey beyond.

Alas, departure day. Come back and see us again soon.