Lost Places – Coppermine route

For centuries, Cyprus was the largest producer and exporter of copper in the ancient world. Pure copper and its alloys not only brought wealth to the island, but also formed the basis for the development of its great civilisations. These, in turn, undoubtedly contributed
to the technical progress of the entire Mediterranean world.

But, as is always the case, over time many of the mining areas were exploited and then simply forgotten. Sancytours is very attached to the island and is always on the lookout for such forgotten places. Join us in our search for forgotten and lost places and come with us to former mines, now covered by nature.

Tour group price from 299 Euro

 
Our Lost Places Tour – Copper Mines – takes us to at least two former mines. Impressive colour spectra in the rocks fascinate again and again. As the sun shines quite often on Cyprus, you will also see this true natural beauty and perhaps remember sicence fiction films when daring space travellers visited new planets.
It is also impressive how, over time, our nature puts a cloak over wounds that man has inflicted on the earth. During this Sancytours-Lost Places tour, we also pass through the no-man’s land between North and South Cyprus, but without crossing the border. We are always thoughtful when we see an abandoned village that has become a ghost town and how nature has already covered much of it.

The copper mine of Mathiatis dates back to ancient times and, depending on the water level of the lake, offers an excellent view of gossans (iron caps) and old tunnels. There are many old tunnels in the deepest part of the lake. From the upper part of the mine, you get a good impression of how the work was done in years gone by. Besides the light-coloured gossans (iron caps), you can also find small stones that look like crystals (gypsum). It is assumed that the mine dates back to at least the Archaic period, as a kiln discovered there has been dated to that time. Between 1934 and 1944, this ore-bearing formation was exploited, and copper and small amounts of gold and silver were also extracted.

The Skouriotissa copper mine, dating from 1914, is probably the oldest working mine in the world. At the end of the civil war and the invasion of the Turkish army, the ceasefire line divided the ownership of the country’s largest mining company, Cyprus Mines. The mine had to be closed and was sold to Hellenic Copper Mines Ltd.

However, operations continued on a small scale as the copper and pyrite deposits were almost completely depleted and further mining of the few remaining deposits was too expensive. The decline in copper prices also led to the complete cessation of mining in 1979. However, companies are reluctant to accept a total loss, and in 1981 Hellenic Ltd started to extract copper from leach residues, but had to stop in 1993 due to cost. Copper has been mined again at Skouriotissa since 1996, and its price on the market has risen considerably, making it worthwhile.

Please note

• We will pick you up at your hotel or arrange a meeting point with you. We will then take you on our exploration tour, without the stress, hectic pace and time pressure of other guests. Of course, by the way, we will not forget to show you interesting places to take pictures. We’ll find out what really interests and excites you. So our tour with you is very personal. Don’t worry, we won’t tell you any novels about the history, we’ll just give you some information and give you time to take in the impressions and / or take photos.
• We prepare sandwiches for the tour, drinks are also on board. If you prefer not to eat meat, vegetarian or vegan options are also available.
• We will pick you up at your hotel at 9:00. We won’t be doing any long walks, but you’ll still want to wear suitable footwear and, depending on the time of year, bring a hat or cap to protect you from the sun, or a jacket in case it gets a bit chilly. All in all, the tour lasts between 5,5 and 6 hours, it depends on you, because this event is only for you and your family, partner or friends that you book in.

These are your options to book your „Lost Places – MinesTour“, depending on how many people you sign up (max. 4 are possible):

• Lost Places Mines Tour  1-2 person, Tour price: € 299.
• each additional person (max 2), + 89 Euro

Our special service for you:

We will be happy to pick you up from your hotel free of charge if you are staying in the Agia Napa – Protaras – Paralimni region, or in Larnaca Destrict
(e.g. Oroklini – Pyla – Livadia – Larnaca City). Pick up is also possible for more distant routes, but we will then charge a small surcharge.

We are happy to accept your booking by email. Or book now using our online booking form. We will take care of the rest and look forward to seeing you.

Tags:
copper mine, cyprus exploration, ghosttown, lost places