Kambos: Where Rural Beauty Meets Tradition
The cherry season will soon be upon us with lively cherry festivals organised in various villages across the island throughout the month of May.
One of Cyprus’s most popular cherry cultivating villages is Kambos tis Tsakistras, tucked away in the north-west area of Marathasa valley in the Nicosia District.
The village boasts a breathtaking unique natural feature: olive and lemon trees grow alongside cherry and kiwi plantations, a phenomena not found anywhere else in Cyprus.
And that’s not the only highlight of the village. Along with its unique architecture and picturesque village square that is accompanied by the sounds of the nearby Kambos River, the village is also known for its tradition of making natural essential oils from oregano, laurel and myrtle as well as rosewater made from specific wild roses. These are favourite pastimes for locals who also indulge in making delicious tea from cherry stems.
The drive to the village is a long one, yet the winding roads reveal spectacular views of the countryside with the Morphou Bay as a stunning backdrop. Historically, the village prospered due to its copper mine. Once the copper reserves where exhausted, the forest and cedar valley that surrounds the village provided wood and enabled the locals to develop several logging factories that were established in the periphery. Today, villagers sustain themselves with their cultivated produce and their traditional, natural products.
Defined by its traditional architecture made of wood and stone, visitors can easily be accommodated with a hotel and restaurant in its centre, a local fruit market, a butcher and barber shop. Although visitors may feel completely removed from the rest of the world as they navigate their way into one of Cyprus’s most enticing natural beauty, Kambos is also where one can experience an enriching combination of nature and tradition.
Dont’ forget to eat some cherries!
A branch of a cherry tree
