Hiking in North Cyprus

North Cyprus is "a hiker's paradise", says Helen Ochyra in the Observer. Its rugged coastline is both spectacularly beautiful and quite unspoiled by tourism.

The country is very cheap, partly because it remains, sadly, "Europe's pariah state", shunned internationally since its birth 34 years ago, after Turkish troops invaded the island.

For walkers, it contains "the Mediterranean's best-kept secret" – a 143-mile trail that runs along the "knobbled spine" of the Kyrenia mountains, dividing the verdant coast from the "harsh, dry interior". The views from the ridge are wonderful, three "imposing" Crusader castles line the route, and the varied wildlife – including hoopoes and clouds of butterflies – provides a delightful distraction.

North Cyprus Walks (0090 533 845 3935) offers a week's guided walk from £340 excl. flights.