Koili to Coral Bay

CAUTION: Two streams need to be forded. For most of the year these are likely to be dry or a simple jump across. This year, after exceptional January rains, there was more water and it required ankle deep wading. During the actual storms, the route might have been impassable. Some rivers were over two metres deep with fast flowing white water.

This walk uses buses 614, 615 and 618. Get up-to-date times from http://www.pafosbuses.com/

Catch for example the 07:40 bus 614 from Karavella Bus Station all the way to Koili (pronounced Kili). The walk heads west for a long way on a little tarmac lane carrying minimal traffic. There are excellent views of the coast. There are some hair pin bends but no exceptional gradients on this leg. After a small settlement, the tarmac ends and a mud and stone track leads down into the Mavrokolymops valley. At the bottom, the first stream has to be forded. There was smooth concrete with shallow water flowing over it. The pipe under the ford must have been blocked with mud. Just after this comes the muddy section. Today it could be passed without difficulty. In the past there has been ankle deep unavoidable clay slip!

Follow the north side of the reservoir with good views of the dam. About half way to the dam, the trail heads west, uphill, towards a wide but quiet road. Follow this for 800 metres. Turn right, down quite a steep path, roughly north or NW. This path crosses fields of limestone, olives, carobs and hundreds of asphodels (in flower in February). It was the first warm day and the bees were active until a rain shower sent them home. After a fairly level leg, the trail drops down to another stream. This one was less easy to cross. The storms had cut a deep channel, hard to climb into and back out again. A few metres downstream, there was an easier place to cross the water. This involved scrambling off-path through the prickly vegetation. Anyone of average agility would have no problem.

On the far bank, head uphill, NW and later west. Several small paths look likely but head uphill to the larger path before turning west. This leads up to another quiet road. This is the final leg. Head roughly south between the houses. There is a place where you can short-cut, up a bank, through a small olive grove to join a larger road. This saves a few hundred metres. Cross the main coast road to enter Coral Bay village. The bus stop is a short way, west, down this road. The frequent 615 bus takes you back to Kato Paphos Harbour. From there get the frequent 618 bus back to Karavella Bus Station or walk the 3 km route insted.