In many ways, Cyprus is an ideal destination for bouldering. With its location far east in the Mediterranean—closer to Africa and the Middle East than to mainland Europe—it stays warm year-round. “When northern Europe is rainy and cold, Cyprus is in its prime season,” Papakyriacou says. Unlike other European countries, where bouldering has been popular for decades, the island also provides locals and visitors alike with a sense of discovery—and even a chance for the most intrepid to solve and name new “boulder problems,” as the routes up a rock are called, of their own.
“When climbers come here from abroad, they get to be a part of the beginning of something,” says Silvio Rusmigo, a professional photographer in Cyprus who has been documenting the scene for several years, and whose images are published in the new guidebook. “There are not many places in the world where you get to do that.”
Bouldering’s beauty lies in its simplicity. The aim is to “top out” a rock, usually in the range of 10- to 33-feet tall. Unlike in climbing, there are no ropes, harnesses, or anchor points. All that’s needed are appropriate shoes, a crash pad at the base to break possible falls, and a razor-sharp focus on the task at hand. “It’s closer to a primal instinct,” Papakyriacou says. Free from the burden of excess gear, it’s also an ideal sport for travelers.
Papakyriacou—a software engineer in Nicosia, the island’s capital—got into bouldering on a solo trip driving around California and Arizona in a camper van. “Bouldering was easy to do by myself and a way to meet people on the go,” he says. When he arrived back home, he wanted to keep up the hobby. He was surprised to discover, however, that while Cyprus had an active rope climbing scene, bouldering did not exist. This was not for lack of rocks—the Akamas Peninsula features hundreds if not thousands of sandstone boulders—but simply because no one had gotten around to developing it. “Even though the boulders are in your face, people were just focusing on the cliffs,” Papakyriacou says.