Road to the beach lara runabout. Cyprus

In Cyprus, there is a unique place where rare species of turtles are born - this is Lara Beach. This is the place where the green Mediterranean turtles and loggerhead turtles hatch. You can not only watch the birth, but also see the adults that come to lay eggs on this beach. On a 70-meter sand spit, each clutch is marked with a special basket with the approximate date of hatching. It is strictly forbidden to touch them because of the crabs, which are still waiting for defenseless turtles. Babies can also be seen, usually they are kept in the aquarium for about 5 days, and then released. If the abdomen is white-green, it is a representative of the green Mediterranean, and if it is dark, then it is loggerhead.

Beach view

Swimming and sunbathing is allowed on Lara Beach, but it is strictly forbidden to put umbrellas in the sand. There are practically no people in this place, so you can admire the rare turtles to your heart's content, as well as calmly rest.

Places for laying eggs

How to get there

You can only get there by car, and it is better that it be an SUV. From Paphos you need to move towards Peyia until the junction on the E701 road, and then along the F706 highway to the entrance to the reserve, where you will have to drive another 10 km.

Time and cost of visit

You can come here at any time and be free. But there is nothing to do here in the late evenings and nights.

// atroxx.livejournal.com

It was decided to start this day from the "turtle" beach - Lara. The guides unanimously asserted that it was possible to reach it only by an all-wheel drive SUV, along the impassable roads of the Akamas Peninsula. There was no SUV, but there was a white Micra, and yet it was decided to try, get to this mysterious place.

From Paphos we moved towards the popular Coral Beach, they did not call on the beach itself, leaving for the next days.

After a few kilometers, near the village of Peyia, we saw a small picturesque temple.

// atroxx.livejournal.com

The Church of St. George, stands on a high bank, below you can see a small port, covered with a stone pier.

// atroxx.livejournal.com

Opposite the temple, an island rises in the sea.

// atroxx.livejournal.com

A scenic road winds up to the beach along the seashore. Despite the warnings from the guidebooks, I would like to note that the road is quite passable, even in a small car.

// atroxx.livejournal.com

Sometimes there are signs confirming that we are moving in the right direction. Near the beach, on the mountain, there is a cafe, from which, going down the stairs, you get to the famous beach.

// atroxx.livejournal.com

Looking ahead, I will say that Lara turned out to be the dirtiest beach on the island, of all that I have ever visited.

// atroxx.livejournal.com

The only reminders of turtles are the masonry sites marked on the sand.

// atroxx.livejournal.com

Not particularly impressed by this place, we moved to reverse direction to the rocks of Aphrodite.

Temple of Panagia Catholics, on the way to the "Rock of the Greek".

// atroxx.livejournal.com

"Saracen stone", according to legend, was thrown into the sea by the legendary ancient Greek defender of the island Digenis Akritis. He lived in the Byzantine era and guarded the island from the Saracen conquerors, rolled huge blocks into the sea, destroying the ships of enemies.

// atroxx.livejournal.com

So, we continue our story about. Today we will tell you about one of the most popular beaches in Antalya - Lara Beach. Recall that in the previous part we wrote about the tourist center of the resort -.

When we went to Antalya, we had no idea what we were going to do there and planned to orient ourselves on the spot. As a result, the day of arrival was spent exploring Kaleici, and on the second day we decided that it would be nice to get acquainted with the Antalya beaches. Because the closest thing to where we lived was Lara beach, then we went there.

Lara beach in many guidebooks is called the best beach Antalya - "blue flag" for cleanliness, everything. Ok, soon we will find out the whole truth, we will show what is hidden.

Lara beach on the map of Antalya

How to get to Lara beach

From the city you can get to the beach by buses No. 06, 07, 08. From Kaleici, from Ataturk Avenue, there is a bus No. 38. The road from the center of Antalya to Lara will take about 30-45 minutes. The fare is somewhere around 2-3TL. Lara beach will be the final stop on almost all routes.

You can get there faster and more comfortably by ordering. This is more suitable for those who travel with children. If necessary, you can be provided with a child seat.

1) Well, we are going to the beach by bus.

Lara beach

In general, Lara beach is very long - about 10 kilometers in length. The part of the beach closest to the city is, in fact, municipal, and therefore free. You will see an overview of this part below. Further, a string of various cafes for tourists begins, with paid sun loungers, and even further, somewhere in the last 3-4 kilometers of Lara Beach, hotels are occupied. This part of the beach is the most comfortable, so if everything described below seems a little wild to you, then you should just book one of the hotels on Lara Beach, with its own dedicated area, where everything will be clean and well-groomed.

2) Having landed at the terminal, the first thing we saw was not a beach, but a rather extensive park area.

3) The park, however, looks more like a public open-air crematorium. The huge area is lined with small stoves, built of brick or cast from concrete. Turks are scurrying around them, who come here for picnics with their whole families. The approach to barbecuing is definitely original. We don’t remember seeing this anywhere else.

4) Have a good rest. They take out the floor of the apartment to nature. Including grandfather and his favorite mattress.

5) But in general, given that the heat at that moment was about 40 degrees, it all looked "a little" strange 🙂 Here you can fry anything without ovens, just put it in the sun.

6) The grandmothers decided to get bogged down.

7) Immediately behind the park, about 1.5 kilometers to the east, there is a paved path along which, on one side is the beach, and on the other, there are various cafes, showers, changing rooms, etc. This part of the beach is absolutely free.

8) If you want, you can use beach accessories for money, and if you don't have such a desire - a towel on the sand and no problem.

10) Most of all it is in those places where there are no sun loungers and where, most likely, little care is taken at all.

11) The trash cans are overflowing, but no one is in a hurry to empty them.

12) The first 500 meters of the beach are filled as much as possible, mainly by Turks, and then the number of people per 100 meters decreases exponentially.

13) But this half a kilometer, this is such a pure Turkish adok, where everything is mixed - children, grandmothers and swimmers, wrapped from head to toe in rags, mothers ...

15) Thin and fat, but equally gloomy hairy men ...

16) Gerard Depardieu? 😀

20) Considering that Lara beach, excluding the territory occupied by hotels, is several kilometers long, it is not entirely clear why the Turks huddle together with such persistence on this small heel at the very beginning. Well, we make our way through the crowd to an empty part of the beach.

21) Someone has laid bricks right in the middle of the beach. Literally.

22) Having reached the mark of 1 km from the beginning of the beach, we finally came across a place that seemed to us suitable for relaxation.

24) This part of the beach is located opposite the Red & White restaurant. It can be accommodated here as on ordinary sun loungers for 10TL / piece.

25) So it is on super-turbo-VIP trestle beds for wealthy gentlemen.

27) There are practically no people!

28) And the beach is much cleaner. Not perfect, but almost.

29) Snorkeling on Lara is a pointless activity, we did not find anything interesting in the water. So, small gray fish and that's it. Dragging and surfing on Lara is pointless, we never caught a pipe in the water. So, little turbid waves and that's it.

30) Lara beach itself is not bad. Such a strong middling. Covering - coarse sand, in places with pebbles. The entrance to the water is moderately gentle. We were on the beach 2 times, in the morning and in the afternoon. The second time, the waves were noticeably more noticeable and the water became more turbid. But there was no debris in it. The temperature is more than comfortable.

31) Above the beach, planes come to land every few minutes. Not as low as on St. Maarten, after all, the airport is not close to the beach, but 5 kilometers away, but it's still cool.

Lara Beach belongs to the Cyprus resort of Paphos. But it is not located in Paphos itself, but away from the noisy resort area, on the Akamas peninsula. The peninsula is overgrown with juniper bushes - being here is very useful for the city lungs, tired of the polluted air. Access to the beach is free.

Lara Bay Beach is located in a bay framed by a long cape. There are practically no strong waves here. The water temperature in Lara Bay is always a couple of degrees higher than in Paphos itself. The entrance to the sea is gently sloping sandy. Due to all of the above factors, Lara Beach is one of the best places in the vicinity of Paphos for a secluded holiday and recreation with children. You can snorkel at the stones of the cape framing the beach - the water is the most transparent here. Do not confuse Lara Beach with Lara Beach on the coast of Northern Cyprus.

There are no hotels on the beach itself or in its vicinity. The nearest town with hotels is Peyia. There are several small hotel-villas there. Coral Bay, a secluded resort area in Paphos, is also nearby. But if you are planning to rent a car, then you can safely stop in Paphos. The journey from Paphos hotels to Lara Bay will not take more than an hour.

Infrastructure

In the photo of Lara Beach, you can see a vast desert sandy strip. The beach area is a protected area. Commercial activity is prohibited here. You cannot install your own beach equipment (sun loungers and umbrellas). There are no hotels, bars or eateries on Lara Bay Beach. Be sure to bring some snacks and water with you.

Not far from the parking there is a tavern "Lara Beach Restaurant" where you can dine. But the prices are quite high. To visit it, you will have to leave the beach area and walk about 2 km along the path along the rocks - not the most convenient option, given that there is nowhere to take a shower after the beach.

Turtles on Lara Beach

Females of the rarest hawk and green turtles come to Lara Bay every year. They lay their eggs in the local sands. The staff of the reserve enclose the nests with clutches of eggs with a metal mesh. Tourists can witness the hatching of little turtles - babies hatch 7 weeks after laying their eggs. Grown up males leave Lara Bay forever, and females return after 15-20 years to leave new offspring.

There is a scientific station on the territory of the reserve, whose employees are happy to communicate with tourists. You can learn more about the local turtles from them. At the Lara Bay Turtle Conservation Station, you can see turtles in aquariums and read information about them on special stands.

Reviews

In reviews of Cyprus Turtle Beach, tourists admire the privacy and purity of the water. However, the local dirt road causes negative emotions - the road is very dusty and bumpy, the passage is problematic for cars with a low stance. The disadvantages also include the inability to take a shower after salt water (no fresh water is supplied to the beach) and the lack of toilets. Also, there are no places with shade on the beach, due to the lack of personal beach umbrellas, tourists have to spend the day under the sun.

Panoramic view of the bay from the top of the cape

How to get to Lara Bay beach in Cyprus

Driving from Paphos will take the E701 highway (in the direction of Peyia). Then you need to turn onto road F706 and follow the signs to the entrance to the protected area. After entering the reserve, drive 10 km along a dirt road and leave your car in the parking lot at the Lara Area sign. Wooden walkways and stone steps lead to the beach. In total, the road from Paphos takes 40-50 minutes.

Map of the road route from Paphos to Lara beach

Tourists without a car can visit the beach as part of a tourist group. During the summer season, Cyprus tour operators organize jeep tours or quad biking around the Akamas Peninsula. Swimming on the Lara Bay beach is usually included in the program of such tours.

You can get from Paphos by public transport: first by bus # 615 to Coral Bay, then by bus # 616 to the turn to Avakas gorge - you need to ask the driver to stop in advance. From the bus stop to Lara beach - 2 km on foot.

A taxi from Paphos will cost 20-25 euros. Mobile taxi services are not available at the resort, but cars with private drivers are ubiquitous. Trips are paid both by meter and by prior arrangement.

Video about Lara beach and the road to it

atroxx

It was decided to start this day from the "turtle" beach - Lara. The guides unanimously asserted that it was possible to reach it only by an all-wheel drive SUV, along the impassable roads of the Akamas Peninsula. There was no SUV, but there was a white "Micra", and yet it was decided to try, get to this mysterious place.
From Paphos we moved towards the popular Coral Beach, they did not call on the beach itself, leaving for the next days.

After a few kilometers, near the village of Peyia, we saw a small picturesque temple.

The Church of St. George, stands on a high bank, below you can see a small port, covered with a stone pier.

Opposite the temple, an island rises in the sea.

A scenic road winds up to the beach along the seashore. Despite the warnings from the guidebooks, I would like to note that the road is quite passable, even in a small car.

Sometimes there are signs confirming that we are moving in the right direction. Near the beach, on the mountain, there is a cafe, from which, going down the stairs, you get to the famous beach.

Looking ahead, I will say that Lara turned out to be the dirtiest beach on the island, of all that I have ever visited.

The only reminders of turtles are the masonry sites marked on the sand.

Not particularly impressed by this place, we moved in the opposite direction to the rocks of Aphrodite.

Temple of Panagia Catholics, on the way to the "Rock of the Greek".

"Saracen stone", according to legend, was thrown into the sea by the legendary ancient Greek protector of the island Digenis Akritis. He lived in the Byzantine era and guarded the island from the Saracen conquerors, rolled huge blocks into the sea, destroying the ships of enemies.

To the right of the "Saracen stone" you can see the rocks of Aphrodite, according to legend, it was in these places that the goddess of love came ashore from the foam of the sea.