The trail passes through the black pine forest where you will also encounter rare species of flora and rock formations of the area. You can find two perennial black pine trees (Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana) that are around 500 years old.
The places of historic interest are ‘The teishia tis palaias choras’ ruins of makeshift fortifications built in the last years of the Venetian occupation of Cyprus (1571 AD) by a group of Venetian generals attempting to defend themselves against the Ottomans.
The route circles around the top of Mount Olympos (Chionistra) at an altitude of 1,850 metres, offering an excellent view in all directions. The trail is located within the Troodos National Forest Park and you will find the Environmental Information Centre for the Troodos National Forest Park at a distance of 2.2km from the trail.
Flora While hiking you can study the endemic plants: Cyprus Skullcap (Scutellaria cypria subsp. cypria), Spurge (Euphorbia cassia subsp. rigoi), Cyprus germander (Teucrium cyprium subsp. cyprium), Troodos sage (Salvia willeana), Pondikangathos (common subshrub) (Astragalus echinus subsp. chionistrae).
Fauna The main species of fauna found in the area are:
Mammals Fox, hare, hedgehog.
Birds Bonelli’s eagle, Eurasian jay, Wood pigeon, partridge, Cyprus warbler (endemic), Cyprus wheatear (endemic).
Reptiles Cyprus viper, Cyprus snake (endemic).
| GPS coordinates of the starting point: | Lat: 34.933166 Lon: 32.871986 |
| GPS coordinates of the ending point: | Lat: 34.933221 Lon: 32.871964 |
| Altitude of the starting point: | 1,835m |
| Altitude of the highest peak: | 1,850m |
| Altitude of the end peak: | 1,835m |
| Starting point: | 300m from where the Chionistra road meets the Troodos – Prodromos road. |
| Length: | 7km |
| Estimated duration: | 2.5 – 3 hours |
| Difficulty rate: | 1 |
