Take a trip to the mountains to discover an alternate view of the island. Rising to almost 2,000 metres above sea level, the Troodos peaks provide panoramic views of all corners of the island, a cool retreat from the heat of the coast and a popular destination for taking in the healthy mountain air and enjoying nature in all its majesty. Charming villages, some with cobbled streets and preserved folk architecture, nestle on terraced slopes among pines or amid vineyards and orchards. Wander through the village roads in the Solea Valley, known as the “apple valley” and Marathasa, known as “valley with cherry trees”. Those areas are renowned for their traditional architecture and their Byzantine churches and monasteries. Explore the traditional character of the villages of the picturesque Pitsilia, the interesting churches and the hospitality of their inhabitants and also the Wine Villages (Krasochoria), renowned for their vineyards and wine. A number of small wineries welcome visitors on wine tasting tours. Burbling mountain streams and nightingale’s songs are often the only sounds to fill in the air in a region that poets have waxed lyrical over. The Troodos mountains are where the painted churches of Cyprus can be found, superb examples of Byzantine art, ten of which have been listed among UNESCO’s World Heritage wonders. There’s much you can do, from mountain biking to playing tennis, angling in one of the dams, or even skiing in winter. A series of walking trails will take you through areas of exceptional beauty among scented pines, running streams and the occasional waterfall, stopping at a shady picnic site. Some of these form part of the European path E4, an international network of long-distance walking routes crossing the whole of Europe. The specific climatic conditions created by the high altitudes and the peculiar geological substratum may have contributed to the unique flora found in Troodos with nearly 800 different plant species, 12 of which found nowhere else in the world. Occasionally, if lucky, one may spot a Cyprus mouflon, a kind of wild sheep which roams free in the extensive forests. Birdwatchers may spot the rare and protected eagles or the colourful hoopoe with a pink body, a black and white crest and a call which can be heard from miles around.

Artist Georgia O'Keeffe moved to Santa Fe in 1949 and established it as her new home and artistic haven as it, according to O'Keeffe, expressed “the wideness and wonder of the world as I live in it.” Though she had been popular and recognized in New York art circles, she found her niche in the rugged New Mexican terrain where she immortalized flowers, shrubs, rocks, shells, and other natural objects through large-scale abstractions. The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum has over 3,000 works of art, including 1,149 paintings, drawings, and sculptures done by O'Keeffe from 1901 to 1984. The museum is also dedicated to O'Keeffe's contemporaries and the American contemporary and modernist art movements; artists such as Arthur Dove, Sherrie Levine, Jackson Pollock, and Andy Warhol have had their work displayed at the museum.

Pafos is located on the southwest coast of the island and is sheltered from the north by the Troodos mountains. It has a temperate climate, one of the healthiest in the Mediterranean. Beautiful countryside, a cosmopolitan resort, historical sights as well as sporting activities, the Pafos region has something for everyone at any time of year. Pafos, with its pleasant harbour and medieval fort, combines a dynamic holiday resort with spectacular countryside, unspoiled nature and sensational history. The region offers the possibility of enjoying both sea and mountains, as well as getting a taste of the island’s culture with its many archaeological sites. Feel the romance floating through the air in the place where Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty, once roamed. Swim in the sea by the rocks known as Petra tou Romiou, where she was believed to have risen from the waves, make a pilgrimage to her sanctuary at Kouklia, or visit the grotto near Polis where she supposedly bathed. Whatever you desire: activity, tranquillity, good food, fine wine, spas, nature, bird watching, scenic walks, golf, culture — the Pafos region offers it all.

The Seminary Hill Natural Area is a meditative wooded area on Seminary Hill. It overlooks Centralia, as well as the Chehalis and Skookumchuck River Valleys. The trailhead provides public access to steep trails, woods, and vistas.