When you are in Cyprus, either as a visitor or as a resident and you have not visited or even walked part of the valley of Ezousa, this means that you did not see nor learned anything about the island. The valley, in all its length, from Tripylos until the coasts west of Acheleia includes unique beauty and enormous value of ecological and geological systems.
The valley formed by the river of Ezousa over millions of years "chiselling" thousandth by thousandth the hard rocks of Troodos. A few kilometers from its mouth, one of the most beautiful and rare phenomena on the island were created. A huge hill, stood in its path. The river undermined the base for thousands of years until someone great earthquake "helped" and the hill collapsed.
The ruins of the hill, falling from a height of 70 meters into the river bed, forced it to change course and move a few hundred meters east. In the hill’s place, was a huge, vertical cliff and east, huge rocks "testify" and reveal the brutality exercised at the time of collapse.
In itself this phenomenon is amazing. If combined with the rich and very rare flora and fauna available due to the rough and inaccessible hill it becomes unique.
The cliff is located in the village of Episkopi in Paphos, which you can find 11 kilometers northeast of the city of Paphos. From the roundabout you find at the entrance of Paphos while travelling from Limassol, follow the right path going straight for 11-12 kilometres and you will find yourselves in the shade of the rock.
There is one more route, from Acheleia to Agia Varvara, after Episkopi. It is much shorter and much more interesting. The bad thing with it is that to reach the village you will have to "descend" the height of the river, which has a small bridge, which during the winter, overflows. Nevertheless, despite all the difficulties, it is a very beautiful route and it will show you the most stunning images of both the rock and debris, as well as the village that "climbs" from the river up to the top of the western slope of the valley. You can observe a great part of the valley of Ezousa, without any obstacle to the view.
The village of Episkopi, is an old worship place of the Hellenistic period, hosting the Environmental Information Center. It is housed in the renovated buildings of the old school and has a huge environmental treasure, such as knowledge, study and recording but also the care of a large part of the ecosystems of the valley of Ezousa. Along with the environmental centers of Troodos, Pano Amiantos and Athalassa, they are the "nurseries" through which lovers and protectors of Cypriot nature of tomorrow will emerge. A visit to Paphos cannot be considered to be complete if the environmental information center of Episkopi is overridden.
The old core of the village, is built with the same sandstone as the round hills and is located north of the rock on the narrow recess of the slope. The streets are intensely uphill and in some cases almost vertical taking you through beautiful old, traditional houses. In the area under the rock, the houses are 'buried' in the debris, as if it were built at the time they collapsed, thousands of years ago.
If you travel to Episkopi of Paphos, firstly consult your maps. Use a GPS system if you have one, because if you expect to find guiding signs, you will be looking for them in vain. You will find them nowhere, but only when you will have already reached the village.
Episkopi of Paphos, the Environmental Information Centre and the Valley of Ezousa, have a kit to give to their visitors. It is a destination worth sacrificing your time for a visit at any time of year.
