Traveller's101

Welcome To Bafra

Up until 2007, the town of Bafra – known as Vokolida before the Turkish invasion of 1974 – was a very quiet little town with the longest stretch of untouched and unblemished golden sand beach.  The beach stretches 1.5 km in length and the sea that washes in and out is crystal clear and clean.  In an effort to promote tourism, however, and bring some additional funds into the economically challenged Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC), the Turkish government pledged $300 million for an investment project to help build up the area. Today, Bafra is the home of Kaya Artemis Resort and Casino.  This is the first of fourteen hotels and resorts that are planned for the area, and the decision to implement this economic restructuring of the area was put into place in 1999.  This massive resort was built to resemble the Temple of Artemis, one of the remaining Seven Wonders of the World that is located in Ephesus, Turkey.   

As the biggest thing in Bafra, the establishment takes up quite a chunk of coastal property facing the Mediterranean Sea, such as Thalassa Cyprus Real Estate Project.  It is very hard not to notice when making a seaward approach to Cyprus.  It is currently the largest tourism investment that has been made in the island on the other side of the demarcation line and it is most assuredly the largest hotel there.  The entire complex – spread over three acres of land – was designed more as an entertainment and vacation destination than just another beach front hotel.  It has 726 rooms, a 3,000 square metre casino, shopping centre, business centre, conference rooms, children’s play area, pools, spas, beauty parlours and more.  Visitors to Bafra never have to leave the beach or resort. Of the eleven resorts that were to be finished in the Bafra Beach area, the Artemis seems to be the only one that is open and catering to their customers.There have been issues between the government and Turkish investors regarding improvements to the area – such as the sewage system – that were to have been completed in 2007 that are still not done.

The Turkish government has pulled their land allocations from these investors. Building up of this supposed tourist area has progressed very slowly because of it, with the Kaya Artemis reaping all of the benefits. 

Bafra beach resorts

Visitors to Bafra who desire more than just the amenities of the hotel will need to travel away from the town into Bogaz or Famagusta in order to enjoy some of Cyprus cultural offerings.  There are a variety of museums, archaeological sites and excavations, hiking trails, and restaurants to be experienced and enjoyed while on the island.  Those who visit the country with the proper paperwork in hand can cross the Green Line demarcation zone into southern Cyprus and experience the Greek Cypriots take on the island. 
Additionally, visitors can find places in the area around Bafra that cater to other activities that the resort town may not necessarily offer.  Visitors can travel to the town of Amphora, five miles west of Kyrenia at Escape Beach, and take diving lessons from the school located there.  They will be able to go wreck diving and take day excursions around the entire island nation and see some of the most beautiful underwater scenery available. 

If diving is not a visitor’s forte, they can enjoy a day cruise on a luxury yacht leaving out of Famagusta and touring along the Karpas Peninsula.  Water skiing, wind-surfing, para-sailing, and jet skiing is also available from a variety of locations along the beaches of Famagusta and more adventurous tourists may wish to try their hand at paragliding. 

More earthbound tourists to the Bafra area may be interested in things such as hiking or horseback riding.  Famagusta offers visitors to the area numerous riding stables where they can take lessons or partake in trail rides through the Kyrenia Mountain foothills.  These trails are the ones that were once used by the Crusaders when they arrived on the island and many of them pass by old Gothic monasteries and Roman Byzantine castles.  There are also plenty of hiking trails available, guided or unguided, that visitors can get involved in and learn more about the area’s flora and fauna. 

Visitors who take a trip up to Nicosia can enjoy a day of go-cart racing at the Zet Karting circuit.  The track is 1200 metres long, 7 metres wide and comes in five different racing distances.  There are carts available for both adults and children.  Golfers will enjoy playing a round of 18 holes at the Esentepe Golf and Country Club.  Opened in 2007, this fairly new course has 7,500 square metres of fairways and greens, has been built with four different types of grasses, and is home to 285 olive trees.  It has a thirty bay driving range and a three golf academy.