NICOLA IOANNOU enjoys a different type of holiday under canvass in the great outdoors

I will be the first to admit that I am not what you would call the outdoors type; I enjoy temperature-controlled, extravagant hotel rooms and iced water with lemon delivered to me poolside just as much as the next urban luxury-phile. However, as many experience in the current economic crisis, my tastes sometimes exceed my pockets.

When some friends suggested I go camping for the weekend with them for the first time, I reluctantly accepted. While packing I conjured up images of gleaming animal eyes watching our tents in the darkness of the night and us, dehydrated and hungry, scavenging for berries to survive under the Cyprus sun.

Driving up to the Polis Chrysochous camp site in Paphos - with zero rear view mirror visibility thanks to my three bags containing absolute essentials, including a first aid kit much to my friends’ dismay - I soon realised what camping in Cyprus can really be like.

Families sat around tables watching glowing televisions, radios blasted, people laughed as they enjoyed a beachside drink at the bar, and people hurried towards the bathrooms to have showers after a dusk swim. “This is domesticated camping,” one of the men bluntly stated as I chuckled at how apprehensive I had been, “real camping is a completely different experience,” he added.

Whatever you want to call it, five years later I am an efficient camping convert and go to the Polis site every summer, not just because it saves me a fortune, but also for the adventure. The novelty of waking up outdoors and literally having the beach at your front door, spending the day basking in the sun and the night around a comforting fire with a group of friends, before contently falling asleep to the sound of the ocean and rustling trees truly make camping a great way to spend a summer weekend or holidays. Not to mention that at just €1.50 per person, plus €2 a day per tent, you can enjoy the same beaches as guests of the luxury Anassa hotel down the road for one hundredth of the price (and we’re talking about the cheaper rooms here).

Camping really comes into its own though at night, when you get to build fires and toast marshmallows, and generally just completely relax. After a long day at the beach, nothing beats sitting around a campfire eating some slow cooked and well earned Cypriot barbequed food: souvla, fish, halloumi, pitta - you name it, it just seems to taste even better while you are lounging around your makeshift outdoor home.

In Cyprus there are campsites to suit everyone’s tastes, all offering cheap overnight fees and equipped with facilities like bathrooms, drinking water, launderettes, tables and snack bars.

Beach lovers can set up tent in the Polis, Yeroskipou or Pegeia campsites in Paphos or at the Governor’s Beach site in Limassol. There are four mountain locations in state forests to accommodate those who prefer long hikes in the woods; the Troodos, Stavros tis Psokas, Kampi tou Kalogyrou, and Platania sites are all situated in the mountains.

Troodos campsite is located right near the village square. It has around 250 camping spots and is run by the local council. As well as showers, running water, a small playground and BBQ facilities, it also has a small canteen and kiosk. There are also around 120 caravan sites with access to electricity. The site only operates from June to September.

Platania campsite is next to the village’s Troodos district forestry office. A smaller site, the area has around 35 tent and 17 caravan spaces. There’s a newer area under development that can also host 50 campers and 30 caravans. There are two separate amenity blocks, playgrounds for tots and cooking areas with around 70 tables. There is limited electricity and disabled access. It is open year-round for caravans and June-September for camping.

Kambi tou Kalogirou is located on the main Trooditissa-Prodromos road. It is more rustic with room for 80 tents or caravans or 300 people in total. There are two bathrooms, running water and around 12 tables.

The Stavros tis Psokas is on the west side of the Troodos range and located right near the forest ranger’s station. There is a small guesthouse and a restaurant also nearby. The area has all the facilities, including bathrooms, covered cooking areas, electricity access, washing up areas and disabled access. The area can host around 100 campers at once.

The beauty of camping is its freedom; you carry your accommodation on your back and go wherever you please, creating a base from which you can explore the surrounding area.

Camping with amenities is the perfect alternative for those who don’t shine to the idea of living it entirely rough, but want to experience something different - and much cheaper - than the usual hotel break. Almost always, Cyprus has the perfect weather conditions for camping in the summer, with no unexpected rain beating down on the tent or icy nights to worry about.

The whole process of moving over to the camping side of life has certainly been a learning curve for me; one summer when I took a group of friends visiting from abroad for an unforgettable camping experience on the island I forgot to bring torches, oil garden lanterns, or any form of light. Not having yet realised at that point that fires aren’t lit with leaves, the evening comprised of us sitting around the remnants of a one minute fire, surviving on the dim glow from other, more prepared, campers’ light. Admittedly a memorable experience with many laughs but not one to be repeated - camping just doesn’t feel right without some form of fire crackling to set the mood, and torches certainly come in handy when you want to get around the campsite at night.

In these tough economic times it seems as though camping is the way forward for those wanting to escape the suffocating heat of the capital and take a relaxing break in nature, having a portable base at the heart of popular holiday destinations. Indeed, according to the Forestry Department, the number of campers has increased in the past few years and in the summer months the campsites are jam-packed.

It is definitely an experience everyone should try at least once. Who knows? Maybe, like me, novice campers might discover that they actually love it despite previous misconceptions. Get a tent and food, round up family and friends, and head off into the great outdoors. Just don’t forget a torch.

Information on the mountain campsites available can be found on the Forestry Department website (www.moa.gov.cy/fd) or Tel: 26 815080 (Polis), 25 470903 (Troodos), 22 924423 (Platania), 25 422625 (Kambi tou Kalogirou), 26 991860 (Stavros tis Psokas)