Our local beach just a 15 min drive away was Yiannakis and there was lots to do within an hour’s drive, including several toddler-friendly walks.

Toddler friendly walks

Our first walk, which started outside the village of Kritou Terra, was to the Kritou Terra and Kremioris waterfalls. It was an easy 20 min drive to the parking lot and while no doubt you will have seen more impressive waterfalls, it was a fun and very doable 30 min walk with Romy walking the whole way there. It’s a circular walk and from the waterfalls you climb back up to the road and continue to the parking lot, around 15 mins.

Another fun walk we did was the Smigies Trail, a 3km loop that’s perfect for little legs. It’s an easy 15 min drive from Latchi and the walk offers wonderful views of the Akamas Peninsula, in the north-west corner of the country. The trail is marked on maps.me and there’s a sign when to turn off the path and head down the hill if like us you’re doing the shorter loop. We set off hiking at 7.30, were at the turn off just before 8.30 and back at the car by 9.

Around 45 min from Latchi is the Avakas Gorge, which was an awesome morning adventure.  It’s a quick walk into the gorge on a tree-lined path and we walked for around 45 mins before enjoying a picnic and then turning back as the gorge was widening up. Romy loved walking through the water and clambering over the rocks and when she didn’t fancy walking, it was very doable having her in the sling. The gorge gets incredibly narrow at one point, it’s really deep and it involves criss-crossing the river many times so hiking sandals are best. For a longer walk you could pop out on the other side.

We weren’t sure about driving there in our rental Kia Picanto but aside from a few large potholes and one steep bend that was touch and go to get up, the road is drivable so long as you go slowly and are very cautious. If you don’t have much driving experience, though, then perhaps renting a 4×4 jeep would be more fun.

The final walk we enjoyed was a very small section of the Adonis Trail. Again, it was no more than 15 minute drive to the parking lot and we walked around the coast to this viewpoint before turning back.

On our way back, we walked to the baths of Aphrodite and through the botanical gardens. Romy really enjoyed throwing sticks and stones in the water and climbing the many stairs around the gardens! Finally, we enjoyed snacks and a coffee at the Baths of Aphrodite restaurant and while the food wasn’t the greatest, the setting is something special.

Other Outings

We enjoyed many outings to the playgrounds and became locals at the La Plage cafe next to 1 of these. It’s a fantastic spot on the beach and we particularly enjoyed heading across for pre-dinner snacks of tzatziki and fresh bread and a sunset beer.

We popped into the nearby town of Polis to enjoy a few meals with the vegetarian mezze at The Herb Garden being so delicious we went back twice. The restaurant has a wonderful herb garden for running around and there’s also a tiny playground so it really is the perfect spot.

We made our way into Paphos one morning to explore the incredible floor mosaics that date from the third to the fifth century A.D, although Romy could not have been less impressed. Whilst in Paphos we enjoyed an ice cream overlooking the sea and headed to the local soft play – 2 activities Romy far preferred!

It was a magical holiday that had something for everyone. The adventures and hikes for us have got a little shorter but they’re no less special and it is even more wonderful to be with Romy and to watch her explore.