MONT OLYMPE

The highest point of the Troodos massif and Cyprus (Όλυμπος/Olympos, Mount Olympus) is 1,952 m high. Here you can enjoy views over the whole island and, to the north, sometimes as far as the Turkish coast. But the site itself is marred by the presence of a 50-hectare British military base (RAF Troodos) at the summit. This houses a huge radome, an electronic intelligence station for the Near East, a telescope for the UK Space Agency and a dozen soldiers permanently stationed here, who forbid photographing the installations. However, the area around the base is accessible by car (4x4 in winter), on foot or via the ski lifts at the Troodos ski resort. The base stands on the site of an ancient Greek temple which, according to Stabon, was dedicated to Aphrodite Akraias ("of the heights"). Formed of ultramafic rocks (cooled magma rich in iron and magnesium), Mount Olympus is locally called Chionistra/Χιονίστρα, meaning "frostbite". Indeed, it's one of the coldest places on the island, with temperatures often negative and around 3 m of snow between January and March (48 days of snowfall/year on average from November onwards). The name also avoids confusion with Mount Olympus (2,917 m above sea level) in Greece, which was, according to ancient beliefs, the domain of the gods of Greek mythology. The Cypriot Mount Olympus here is surrounded by black pines and can be circumnavigated on the pleasant Artemis trail.