Oroklini Lake

The lake of Oroklini is a very important natural habitat of Larnaca province and it is located in the homonymous village, about 9 kilometers from the city of Larnaca.

It is a small but rich wetland which is part of the network Natura 2000 and one of the seven natural wetlands of Cyprus, also a popular destination amongst nature enthusiasts.

The lake is the only place of Cyprus where the redheaded duck Netta Rufina lives as well as the black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) and the Spur-winged lapwing (Vanellus spinosus) also live in the lake the last years. For the black-winged stilt it is the best nesting place in the whole island while the spur-winged lapwing only lives in Greece and Cyprus among the European countries. Under the European Birds Directive, the lake has been declared a Special Protection Area (SPA) (CY6000010) for these two important species.

The biggest risk for the wetland is the summer’s drought as no river ends up in the lake and it only gathers rainwater for the surrounding areas. About 190 different species of birds have been identified in the lake in different times of the year while this is home to many fish, eels and flamingos. During winter the visitor will see the ducks that pass their breeding season here, during summer the baby ducks are born while autumn is good for watching migratory birds.

For the protection of this wetland the 3 years long project LIFE Oroklini (202- 2014) was launched in order to restore the ecological stability of the lake and create infrastructure for the visitors to enjoy nature. It was partly funded by the EU with the cooperation of other five organizations. The project included actions such as fencing of the lake, restoring a degraded area, projects on water management, etc., as well as promotion actions such as the construction of a bird observatory and an information booth with informational and educational material.

Just by the lake of Oroklini there is a large parking area, the information booth and a traditional tavern.

Lake Oroklini

Information Booth

Telephone: 00357 97 819636