A Mine Being Healed

The environmental legacy of the Amiantos mine was severe: unstable waste dumps on steep slopes, widespread fibre contamination in soil and air, and the destruction of native pine forest. Systematic restoration began in autumn 1995 under a multidisciplinary plan. Over 150,000 trees and shrubs from fifteen native species have been planted across the rehabilitated slopes. A technique called hydroseeding—blasting a mixture of seeds, adhesive, organic fertiliser, and soil cover onto bare rock faces—accelerates regrowth in the harshest terrain.↗

In the centre of the old extraction crater, engineers reshaped the terrain and created a pond that now supports local biodiversity. A seed bank for endemic Cypriot plants operates on-site. The full restoration programme, which stabilises the enormous waste dumps and re-vegetates the area, is projected for completion around 2030. Walking the grounds today, visitors witness a genuine ecological recovery in progress—green shoots pushing through former tailings, birds returning to the new wetland, and panoramic views gradually recovering their forested edges.↗↗

Troodos Geopark Visitor Centre

The heart of any visit is the Troodos Geopark Visitor Centre, housed in the beautifully restored old mine school building. This is an impressive listed structure with fireplaces in every room and a charming internal courtyard—a fitting tribute to the community that once thrived here. Since June 2015, it has served as the gateway to understanding the Troodos ophiolite, a 90-million-year-old slab of ancient ocean floor that geologists worldwide consider the most complete and accessible piece of oceanic crust on Earth.↗↗

At the entrance, a geological garden displays rock types in stratigraphic order, faithfully representing the entire Troodos ophiolite sequence. Inside, a 3D model maps key geological features—faults, mines, geo-trails—while interactive exhibits let visitors of all ages generate their own earthquake on a seismograph or peer through microscopes at deep-sea microorganisms. Separate halls are dedicated to the asbestos and chromite mining story, the ancient history of copper production (with a reconstructed pyro-metallurgical furnace), and a replica of a last-century sulphide mining gallery.↗↗

A screening room shows short documentaries about how Troodos was created and thrust above the sea, available in multiple languages. A small shop at the exit sells handcrafted objects from Troodos rocks and minerals, local products, and the Troodos documentary film.↗

The A.G. Leventis Botanical Garden

Just a twenty-minute walking path from the Visitor Centre lies the Troodos Botanical Garden "A.G. Leventis"—a living monument to ecological renewal. Established by the Department of Forests starting in 2004, the garden sits at 1,400 metres within the Natura 2000 protected area and already showcases around 250 plant species, with plans to exceed 500.↗

The endemic plants section is the garden's crown jewel, featuring species found nowhere else on Earth: the golden Crocus hartmannianus, purple Arabis purpurea, Troodos starflower (Ornithogalum chionophilum), Cyprus snowdrop (Chionodoxa lochiae), and many more. The arboretum gathers Cypriot cedar, Cilician fir, giant sequoia, and various pines and junipers. Around two ponds connected by a small waterfall, riverine vegetation thrives—plane trees, black poplar, myrtle, oleander, and storax.↗

At the garden's eastern viewpoint, a permanent telescope frames a truly spectacular panorama: from the peaks of Troodos, Madari, and Papoutsa southward all the way down to the shores of Amathous, Limassol, and Akrotiri. On clear days, the Mediterranean glitters far below the mountainside where a mine once poisoned the air.↗

Access to the garden is free. The garden's visitor centre and herbarium offer stereoscopes for examining plant specimens, a documentary on Troodos flora, and a specialised library.↗↗

Seeing the Open Pit

Beyond the formal visitor facilities, the mine itself remains the most visceral attraction. The enormous open-pit excavation—a raw wound in the Troodos hillside with steep cliffs of greenish-black serpentine rock—can be viewed from designated areas near the visitor centre and botanical garden. The scale is humbling: a crater roughly a kilometre across, with terraced walls where massive machines once gouged thousands of tonnes of rock each day. Waste tips on the surrounding slopes, now being stabilised and re-vegetated, hint at the sheer volume of material extracted over nearly a century.↗↗

The central pond in the former crater floor attracts birds and dragonflies, a small sign of nature reclaiming the site. Visitors should note that asbestos contamination still exists in exposed soil and dust within the mine boundaries—stick to designated paths and viewing areas, and avoid disturbing dry earth.↗

Getting There and Planning Your Visit

The Amiantos mine sits on the Karvounas–Troodos road at approximately 1,400 metres altitude in the Limassol District, about 9 km southwest of Kyperounta village. From Limassol, follow the mountain road through Alassa, Lania, and Trimiklini to Saittas, then turn toward Asbestos and climb to the Karvounas junction. From Nicosia, take the Troodos road past Platania to the same Karvounas junction.↗↗

The Visitor Centre is on your left just past the old Troodos hospital. Look for signage directing you through the main gate; a small parking area is about 100 metres from the entrance. The centre opens daily from 09:00 to 16:00 (last entry 15:30); admission is €3 for adults and €2 for children. The site is closed on official public holidays. The gate locks at closing time.↗↗

Combine your visit with the wider Troodos experience: the mountain is a UNESCO Global Geopark with dozens of Byzantine churches, forest trails, and the island's highest peak at Mount Olympus (Chionistra). The mine site is a natural stopping point on the road between the Karvounas junction and Troodos Square.↗