Büyükkonuk Village

Formerly called Komi Kebir, Büyükkonuk nestles on the foothills of the Five Finger Mountain Range and is the gateway to Karpaz. The geography here is a combination of hilly terrain and fertile flat lands, close to seashores north and south, as here Northern Cyprus narrows to less than 10 miles. The northern coast is rocky with pebbled beaches, while the southern shoreline boasts some of the best sandy beaches in the Mediterranean.
This part of Northern Cyprus is famous for its natural and man-made landscapes, the biodiversity of the plants and wildlife and its rich cultural heritage. Traditional crops include carob, olive, wheat, barley and some vegetable farming. Dairy cows, sheep and goats are kept. Forested hills border the village, filling the air with scented pine and wild herbs. Many species of trees, including Cypress, juniper and almond, as well as ancient olive groves, dot the landscape. Orchids and other wild flowers abound in season. Plenty of field roads and narrow tracks are found on the hills and flats areas, and as there's a conspicuous absence of fences, the surrounding area is attractive for walking and cycling.
At the borders of the village, there are the churches of Saint George, Saint Afksentios and Saint Loukas. There are also the ancient churches of Panagia Kira, Saint George Parouzos, Saint Vasilios (in ruins), Saint Photiou (in ruins) and Saint Katherine (in ruins). Buyukkonuk was selected as a pilot village in the Karpaz for the development of eco tourism. It started with a craft shop for locally made handicrafts, then expanded to B&B, activity centre, meeting place and a start for tours, with the aim of saving traditional village life as part of the cultural heritage. Village activity tours and employing local traditions of food and crafts encourage sustainable development, letting visitors have a unique insight into village life while traditional culture is reinforced and maintained.
The European Union and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) assisted in the enlargement and refurbishment of facilities. Now there are 10 beds available in the B&B in 4 different self-contained, air-conditioned rooms, some with disabled access.
Activities that you can join in:
Walk with shepherds behind their flocks of fat tailed sheep.
Take joy in gambolling
Try milking a goat, filling a bucket with warm frothy milk.
Collecting eggs fresh from the nest for your breakfast.
Firing a large village oven to bake sesame covered breads filled with cheese and olives.
Harvest olives & pour them into a milling trough under giant stones to extract the golden oil.
Explore earthy tracts between stone walled fields.
Walk through nature’s colourful pallet during the wild flower season.
Enjoy the scent of pine and carob forested foothills, lush green valleys and chequered fields.
See grass turn into "Van Gogh" yellow sheaves that have inspired artists for generations.
Sample healthy village fare such as bread dipped in olive oil, fall-off-the-bone meats of "firin kebab" or the unique delicacy of pumpkin flowers filled with rice and herbs.
Basket or broom making
Spinning
Brick making