The Karpas Peninsula is a pan-handle of land, jutting out from the top east corner of North Cyprus, pointing towards mainland Turkey. It's also a world apart from the rest of North Cyprus with its five star hotels and elegant holiday villas for rent. Winding roads snake amongst olive groves and fields of tobacco, dirt tracks lead down to secluded coves and hidden beaches, and bad-tempered wild donkeys amble along the roads oblivious to tour bus and your North Cyprus hire car alike!

Thanks to underground water sources, the Karpas Peninsula stays green long after the rest of the countryside is baked brown, and driving into this unspoiled landscape is easy along a modern road completed in 1998.

If you choose to book your villa in Kyrenia, you can still take a guided tour of Karpas Peninsula run by Go North Cyprus Holidays. This full day group tour is 10-11 hours long and takes you to the tip of Karpas Peninsula where the Apostolos Andereas Monastery is and the tour includes wild donkey sightenings, a visit to golden beach in Karpaz and offers lunch as well at very good price. We highly recommend it.

You can choose from over 45 golden-sanded beaches to make your base for the day, and pretty much guaranteed you'll have most of it to yourself. The most magnificent beach of all is Golden Sands, which stretches for miles along the south coast, backed by high dunes and looking out over the sweep of Famagusta Bay.

Make sure you leave enough time to drive to the Karpaz beaches from your North Cyprus holiday apartment or villa, as Golden Beach is one hour's drive from Bogaz, and just under three hours from Kyrenia.

The Karpas Peninsula is dotted with fascinating historic sites and ancient ruins, just waiting to be discovered during villa holidays in Northern Cyprus. Follow in the footsteps of St Andrew to the very end of the peninsula to the Apostolos Andreas Monastery, where the saint created a spring with healing waters. Admire the stunning artwork at the Icon Museum at Isklel, or wonder just why the 5th century Ayia Trias Bazilica was built to serve such a small settlement nearby. At Aphendrika you step even further back in time and walk beside an ancient Greek harbour, past rock tombs, over an ancient temple and towards three early churches.

With so much to explore along small roads or dirt tracks, it's best to hire a 4x4 rental car for your day out in the Karpaz Peninsula. Remember, we here at Amy Villas will deliver an open-top 4x4 jeep or similar direct to your holiday villa anywhere in North Cyprus, whether you are based in Bogaz, Esentepe, Kyrenia or Famagusta.