Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Grzegorz

According to an ancient legend, Błędów Desert was created by the devil, who tore the the bag of sand at the local church tower.

In fact, the sand is the remaining of melting glaciers. However it overgrown after some time. The present appearance of the countryside made people already in the thirteenth century, when they began to use land here, water and cut down forests. A narrow layer of the soil was destroyed and the sand appeared again. At the beginning of the 19th century, the desert had 80 km2. Now the sand is overgrowing again, and the desert is shrinking.

Since 2010, some projects have been initiated to save this unique area. Błędów Desert is often referred to as the Polish Sahara. This similarity is often used by the filmmakers. In the past, it was a training area for army. Today, you can find here the remains of fortifications however the part of the desert is still a military area.

Błędów Desert is best accessible from the village of Chechlo and Klucze, where you can follow the tourist trail. A popular way to see the beauty of this unique European piece of desert is from horseback.

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In summer, the mountains are the only place of the island, where you’ll find rivers full of water, waterfalls and lush green trees. Below the highest peak you will find Troodos mountain resort – a place with shops, hotels and campsites. From the mountain resort, you can take the marked trails in the valley. Most of them lead along the streams, which even in the warmer months such as August or September have a lot of water. Pathways usually lead through the small mountain villages with typical Mediterranean architecture of narrow streets and Orthodox churches.

Trails of the Troodos National Park

• Atlanta Trail Trail – 9 km long. A nice easy walk.
• Caledonia Trail Trail – begins a short distance from the Presidential Cottage. 2 km long, ending in a place called Caledonia Falls. The trail runs along the river Kryos Potamou.
• Artemis trail – to the top of the highest mountains. 7 km long. In addition to the pleasant scent of gigantic pines, educational descriptions of trees with beautiful views of the whole Cyprus.
• The trail from Dendro Psila Pouziaris – begins at the junction of the roads into the forest and Platres Potamos Mesa. Trails and paths can be combined in various ways and you can choose the length and difficulty of the route.
• Persephone Trail – at easiest trail. It provides a view of the village of Pano Amiantos and a view of asbestos mines.

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