Nestled off the northeastern tip of Cyprus, the Klides Islands offer a unique glimpse into the region’s history and natural beauty. This archipelago of six islets, located opposite Cape Apostolos Andreas on the Karpaz Peninsula in Northern Cyprus, is a fascinating destination for explorers, birders and history enthusiasts alike — even though almost no one ever sets foot on them.
What Are the Klides Islands?
The Klides Islands — officially known in Turkish as the Zafer Adaları, or “Victory Islands” — are a small chain of rocky islets scattered off the very tip of the Karpaz Peninsula, the narrow finger of land that extends northeast from the rest of Cyprus toward Syria and Turkey. Of the six islands and sea rocks that make up the group, the largest is Dinareto, which bears the same name as the ancient Cape Andreas itself, preserving a direct historical link to the region’s past. The remaining islets are barely more than jagged outcrops rising from the Mediterranean, uninhabited and largely untouched by human activity.
Geography: The Edge of the Karpaz Peninsula
The Klides Islands sit directly opposite Cape Apostolos Andreas, the easternmost point of Cyprus and the tip of the Karpaz Peninsula — a region famous for its wild, undeveloped coastline, free-roaming donkeys and the pilgrimage site of the Apostolos Andreas Monastery. The waters between the cape and the islands are deep, but the narrow channel and scattered rocks create a genuine navigational hazard, and ships have historically avoided passing directly between them. This maritime danger, ironically, is exactly what has preserved so much of the area’s underwater history.
A History Written in Shipwrecks
Because ships have long given the Klides a wide berth, the waters around them have become an accidental time capsule. A 1969 archaeological survey of the area revealed eight shipwrecks and fifty-six anchors of varying types and ages scattered near the cape and islands — physical evidence of centuries of maritime trade routes passing close to, but not quite through, this treacherous stretch of sea. For maritime archaeologists, the Klides remain one of the more significant underwater sites in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Klides Lighthouse
During the British colonial period, a 20-metre-high lighthouse was constructed on Dinareto, the largest of the Klides islets, underscoring the strategic importance of this stretch of coastline for shipping navigating the eastern approaches to Cyprus. The lighthouse remains one of the very few man-made structures on the islands, standing as a solitary marker against the otherwise wild, uninhabited landscape.
Ancient Names, Ancient Authors
The historical significance of the Klides Islands is evident in their mention by ancient authors including Strabo, Agathemerus of Alexandria, Claudius Ptolemy and Pliny the Elder. The name “Klides” itself means “keys” in Greek, a reference to the islands’ position guarding the maritime route toward Salamis, the ancient capital of Cyprus, and underscoring their strategic role in controlling trade and communication along this coastline. Herodotus himself referred to Cape Andreas as the “Keys of Cyprus,” a phrase that captures just how pivotal this remote corner of the island was considered to be in antiquity.
Wildlife and the Karpas Special Environmental Protection Area
Despite their barren, rocky appearance, the Klides Islands play a genuinely important role in the local ecosystem. They serve as a nesting ground for several seabird species, including Audouin’s gull (Larus audouinii) — one of the rarer gull species in the Mediterranean — and the herring gull (Larus argentatus), and the surrounding waters occasionally attract Mediterranean monk seals, among the most endangered marine mammals in Europe. The wider Karpaz Peninsula was designated the Karpas Special Environmental Protection Area in 2004, covering roughly 192.3 square kilometres of coastline, farmland and scrub between Dipkarpaz (Rizokarpaso) and Cape Apostolos Andreas. The peninsula is widely regarded as one of the best birding locations in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly during spring and autumn migration, as detailed on Birding Places’ guide to Cape Apostolos Andreas.
Neighbours of the Klides: The Monastery and Golden Beach
Travellers who make the long drive to the tip of the Karpaz Peninsula to view the Klides Islands typically pass two other landmarks along the way. The Apostolos Andreas Monastery, a historic pilgrimage site dedicated to Saint Andrew, sits close to the cape itself and remains an active place of worship and visitation for both Orthodox Christian pilgrims and general visitors. Further along the peninsula lies Golden Beach, one of the most important sea turtle nesting sites in the entire Mediterranean. Ronnas Bay, near Golden Beach, is ranked among the top nesting beaches for the endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas) in the region, alongside the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta); nesting beaches here are monitored by the Society for the Protection of Turtles (SPOT), a local conservation NGO working with the University of Exeter’s Marine Turtle Research Group.
The Karpaz Wild Donkeys
No visit to this end of the peninsula is complete without an encounter with the Karpaz wild donkeys, a free-roaming population descended from animals abandoned by farming communities decades ago. They now wander the roads and scrubland of the peninsula largely undisturbed, and have become something of an unofficial mascot for the Karpaz’s wild, undeveloped character — a character that extends right out to the rocky, uninhabited Klides Islands themselves.
Visiting Cape Apostolos Andreas and the Klides Viewpoint
The Klides Islands themselves are not open to casual visitors — there is no scheduled boat service to the islets, and their rocky, exposed nature makes unassisted landing difficult and generally discouraged given their protected ecological status. The islands are, however, clearly visible from Cape Apostolos Andreas, which is reachable by a scenic drive along the length of the Karpaz Peninsula from Dipkarpaz (Rizokarpaso), passing the monastery, Golden Beach and long stretches of undeveloped coastline along the way. Visitors typically combine the trip with a stop at the monastery and time on Golden Beach, making the full excursion to the tip of the peninsula a half- or full-day outing from central Karpaz.
Six Islands, One Diverse Landscape
Comprising six islands, three of which are more akin to sea rocks than proper islets, the Klides group offers a genuinely diverse landscape when viewed from the cape or from the water — rugged cliffs, rocky shores, and the occasional sheltered cove breaking up the otherwise uniform outline of bare rock rising from the sea. Each islet has its own subtly different character, shaped by centuries of wind, wave and the near-total absence of human interference.
Why the Karpaz Peninsula Is Also a Real Estate Story
Beyond its natural and historical significance, the Karpaz Peninsula sits within Northern Cyprus, a region that has become increasingly attractive to international property buyers drawn to its combination of unspoiled coastline, lower entry prices relative to the rest of the Mediterranean, and a genuinely different pace of life than the island’s more developed south coast. For buyers weighing a purchase in this part of Northern Cyprus, understanding the region’s protected landscape — including areas like the Klides Islands and the wider Karpas Special Environmental Protection Area — is part of understanding what makes the peninsula’s real estate proposition distinct from more built-up coastal resorts elsewhere in Cyprus.
Buying Property Near Cyprus’s Wildest Coastline
Buyers considering property in or near the Karpaz region should be aware that title deed structures in Northern Cyprus vary meaningfully depending on a property’s legal history — a distinction covered in detail in our guide to the most secure title deeds in Northern Cyprus. Foreign buyers should also factor in Northern Cyprus’s residence permit framework, which is broadly accessible to property owners and detailed in our guide to residence permit advantages in Northern Cyprus. UInvest works with buyers across Northern Cyprus’s coastal regions, helping international clients navigate title verification, legal due diligence and the purchase process from initial consultation through to completion.
A Site of Interest for Underwater Archaeology
The concentration of wrecks and anchors documented around the Klides in the 1969 survey has made the site an enduring point of interest for maritime archaeologists studying ancient and medieval trade routes across the Eastern Mediterranean. The variety of anchor types recovered — spanning different eras and construction methods — suggests that ships from multiple periods and cultures met the same fate attempting to navigate this stretch of coast, reinforcing just how genuinely hazardous the passage between the cape and the islands has always been. While the site has not been developed for recreational diving in the way some Mediterranean wreck sites have, it remains a reference point in academic literature on Cypriot maritime history.
Best Time to Visit the Karpaz Peninsula
Spring and autumn are generally considered the best times to make the drive out to Cape Apostolos Andreas and the Klides viewpoint, coinciding with the peninsula’s peak bird migration seasons and offering more comfortable temperatures for the long coastal drive than the height of summer. Late spring also overlaps with the early part of the sea turtle nesting season at nearby Golden Beach, giving visitors a reasonable chance of learning more about the conservation work taking place there, while summer evenings bring some of the clearest, least light-polluted night skies anywhere on Cyprus, a byproduct of just how undeveloped this end of the island remains.
Photographing the Klides Islands
The viewpoint at Cape Apostolos Andreas is a popular spot for photographers, particularly around sunrise, when the low-angled light picks out the rugged silhouettes of the six islets against the open Mediterranean. The near-total absence of artificial structures beyond the lighthouse on Dinareto gives the scene a genuinely untouched quality that is increasingly rare along developed Mediterranean coastlines, and it is this same untouched quality that continues to draw both photographers and conservationists to the Karpaz Peninsula’s easternmost tip.
The Klides in Context: A Rare Untouched Corner of the Mediterranean
Compared with better-known island groups elsewhere in the Mediterranean, many of which have long since been developed for tourism or fishing, the Klides Islands stand out precisely because so little has changed about them since antiquity. No permanent structures beyond the colonial-era lighthouse, no scheduled ferry service, and no resort development anywhere in sight — just six rocky islets doing exactly what they have done for millennia, quietly guarding the entrance to the ancient trade route toward Salamis while seabirds nest undisturbed along their cliffs.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Klides Islands
Where exactly are the Klides Islands?
The Klides Islands sit off Cape Apostolos Andreas, the easternmost tip of Cyprus’s Karpaz Peninsula, in Northern Cyprus.
Can you visit the Klides Islands?
The islets themselves are not open to casual visitors and have no scheduled boat access, but they are clearly visible from the Cape Apostolos Andreas viewpoint at the tip of the Karpaz Peninsula.
What is the official name of the Klides Islands?
In Turkish, the islands are officially known as the Zafer Adaları, meaning “Victory Islands.”
How many islands make up the Klides group?
The group comprises six islands and sea rocks, the largest of which is Dinareto.
What does the name “Klides” mean?
“Klides” is Greek for “keys,” referencing the islands’ strategic position guarding the ancient maritime route toward Salamis, Cyprus’s ancient capital.
What wildlife can be found on the Klides Islands?
The islands are a nesting ground for seabirds including Audouin’s gull and the herring gull, and the surrounding waters occasionally attract Mediterranean monk seals.
Is there a lighthouse on the Klides Islands?
Yes — a 20-metre-high lighthouse was built on Dinareto, the largest islet, during the British colonial period.
Are the Klides Islands part of a protected area?
Yes, they fall within the wider Karpas Special Environmental Protection Area, established in 2004 and covering approximately 192.3 square kilometres of the Karpaz Peninsula.
What other attractions are near the Klides Islands?
The Apostolos Andreas Monastery, Golden Beach’s sea turtle nesting sites, and the Karpaz wild donkeys are all found nearby along the peninsula.
Is the Karpaz Peninsula a good place to buy property?
The Karpaz region appeals to buyers seeking unspoiled coastline and a quieter pace of life within Northern Cyprus; contact UInvest for current listings and guidance on title deed types across the region.
The Klides Islands are a reminder that some of Cyprus’s most compelling stories lie in its quietest, least-visited corners — a scattering of rock and history at the very edge of the island, guarding a stretch of coastline that remains one of the Eastern Mediterranean’s wildest. For those drawn to the Karpaz Peninsula’s unspoiled character, whether as travellers or as prospective property buyers, browse our Northern Cyprus listings or read our guide to Cyprus real estate to learn more about investing in this part of the Mediterranean.
