lara bay turtle conservation station

Need a 4 wheel hire car or an organised safari trip. A chance to see the turtles at this time of year. Views fantastic no crowds just golden sand and the med at its natural best..

Recommend going with a guide so much to see along the way , quad biking made it thoroughly enjoyable wouldn't recommend driving saw some stranded cars in soft sand , great beach , when you get there's lots of turtle nests on the beach and a small open shed type building with a couple of tanks with baby turtles its vey basic the key is don't expect too much also the guides will advertise that you can hold the baby turtles this is not the case you are not allowed to touch them . the beach was not crowded at all very few people no amenities though but you could easily spend the day there BE WARNED the sand gets boiling hot so make sure you take some sandals or similar down to the water and something to lay , on go prepared water etc as there is nowhere to buy food or drink . It's not suitable for the disabled the path down to the beach is quite steep and uneven

This was a bit of a mission to find and we had to rent a quad hike to get to it but we found it first time considering the whole place is pretty much a maze. It was the right time of the year too but we didnt see any turtles. But we snorkelled and it was essentially the clearest waters that we had seen around the island . Visibility well over 15 meters under water and so many things to see .

We went on a Jeep tour which incorpated this beach but it was at the wrong time of year in jan so 'no turtles' Aug to sept is best time t visit

Lara Bay is a really nice beach. There's also an area where the conservation workers raise some hatchling turtles, which was interesting, but the turtles wouldn't be there until breeding season.

Nothing to report really as it was later in the year and they had moved on to a different area i suppose

A lot of reviews about getting to this site and the road conditions etc. The only thing I can add is that the site is very badly signposted and we drove past the actual concealed entrance for an hour before we decided we didn't feel safe to continue. Once we entered, it's obvious that the turtles MAY ONLY visit the site in season [june/july] and the only other information one gets is photos plastered on 2 open huts. Nothing else.Will suggest read the instructions to get here carefully from the other reviews and only thing I can add is that after you pass the SECOND café, the site is only 500 m away on the left, no further...!The only reason I have given this site POOR is it was for us in an off season time, but importantly can not imagine what more would be added during the main season, i may be wrong...!Otherwise the beach is not any different to other in the area.

Crystal clear water well maintained beach totally unspoilt as it should be.Very informative lecture by the beach guide

The track to get to Lara Bay is a long and windy and a bit hair raising in places to say the least, but our party managed it in our rental Nissan Notes so it is doable. On the way back, we also noticed once of the locals, driving back in a Beetle as if it was a surfaced road in the UK (i.e about 30mph- compared to our 5-10!), so I think it is probably just a bit hair raising for us as we are not used to it. (sandy, pot holes and some smallish rocks to navigate). However, it is well worth the trip, as the beach at the end is amazing (Note that when you see the Lara Bay Beach restaurant sign with the pictures of the turtles which makes you think you are there, you actually need to ignore this and take the third exit on the left after this turn). We stopped at this restaurant for a drink only, as we thought we were there. Glad I asked how much further the sanctuary was as we were going to turn back! The path down to the beach is quite steep and some of the steps are eroded, but we managed it fine with our 2 year old, so not two bad. If you have mobility issues though, I don't think you would manage it.The beach at the bottom is amazing (and by far the best beach in the Paphos area). I love a good beach and was disappointed by those I saw during our stay in the area (even the ones the rep described as 'lovely', apart from this one. The sand is fine and the beach is not crowded in the slightest, nor littered with sunbeds and umbrellas. The beach does have turtle nests marked off and some that have hatched and some that are yet to hatch (you can tell which from the back of the white signs marking each nest)..... all part of the experience.The turtle sanctuary itself is very small and mainly consists of information, which I found interesting. There are also about 10-15 baby turtles in a tank (about 2 weeks old). You can't usually handle them, although we were lucky whilst we were there that they needed transferring into the tank, which the warden allowed us to do and was a once in a lifetime experience. There isn't really anything else though, so don't go expecting some sort of zoo, else you will be disappointed. It is funded by the Cyprus government, but it is a shame they don't accept donations, because even though it is small we thoroughly enjoyed it and would have been happy to donate.The beach made it for me and given the activities with a toddler are fairly limited in the area, I would have quite happily driven down the track every day, just for the beach at the end, so well worth a visit.If you do go, good luck on the road! As a passenger the views are quite stunning in places.

We couldn't find it , we had maps, sat nav and guide books but we could not find how to access the area.

Well worth the effort - we walked from the Avagas river - but be aware hired cars may not be covered by insurance on these unpaved roads. So get out and enjoy the walk. Go rockpooling, look at the caves ... a great day out.

A very beautiful place that can be reached with a non 4x4 car even if the road is a little bit chaotic and hard to find.In September, we saw only a few tourists around and has a wonderful beach for ourselves. Unfortunately no turtle at this time of the year.Prefer the beach at the end of the peninsula were we found absolutely nobody. If you are willing to watch the sunset there, put some mosquito repellent!

Wrong time of year (June) for actual hatching of turtles but a fascinating experience nonetheless. The little museum explaining everything was fascinating and looking at the marked off egg hatching areas was appreciated,

This is suppose to be a Turtle reserve, and the place as littered with plastic bottles, and human rubbish that must have been taken there. IF YOU TAKE IT, THEN TAKE IT HOME. A hard uneven road to go on, but well worth the few

Lara bay and Turtle beach are reached when the Tarmac runs out along a stretch of very touch track. With a four wheel drive this poses little problem. The reward is calm and tranquility at these beautiful bays. Just one family and three couples on a vast classically curved beach at turtle bay, in November. No titles now, but lots of information about the conservation project.