Get out

By Alix Norman

The fun of Christmas and New Year is over, and if you’ve got a houseful of holy terrors, you’re probably tearing out you hair by now. So we’ve given you a helping hand and looked at some of the some of the best things you can do with your bumptious offspring (other than strangle them) in the last few days of the holiday.

NICOSIA
If your kids are going through the dinosaur stage then the Tsirides Foundation Museum of World Natural History Museum in Nicosia is the place to go. A fascinating look at history and pre-history, it’s the perfect mix of entertainment and education for kids both big and small, and offers an incomparable glimpse millions of years into the past. With several complete skeletons, hundreds of fossils and oodles of intriguing exhibits (including the head of a Triceratops, a Mammoth tusk and a family of pterosaurs), it’s a great opportunity to bone up on your dinosaur knowledge: Treasure Hunting, fossil finding and making your own dinosaur footprints being just some of the activities on offer. And don’t forget to make a stop at the museum shop for books, minerals, meteorites and your very own excavating kit – which may lead to a bit of a mess in the back garden, but will at least keep the kids busy for a few days!

The Tsirides Foundation World Natural History Museum is located in Strovolos Industrial Zone and is open every day except Monday. Entrance is €3 for children & €5 for adults. For more information call 22 312676, email [email protected] or visit www.tsiridesfoundation.com

PAPHOS
If living animals are more your thing, then head on over to the Paphos Zoo. The biggest licensed zoo in Cyprus, it hosts an extensive variety of creatures from every corner of the planet. Giraffes, monkeys, meerkats, crocodiles, kangaroos, albino wallabies, moufflon, white lions, tigers and all sorts of venomous snakes (eek!) should be enough to keep you busy all day long. And if you time your visit right, you’ll also be able to catch one of the bird shows: brightly-coloured macaws and super-smart owls all set to amaze and delight. With its lakes, ponds and gardens, children’s farm, souvenir shop, museum, gallery and restaurant the zoo is certainly both wild and wonderful: a great place to keep the whole family entertained.

The Paphos Zoo is open 365 days a year. Entrance is €8.50 for children aged 2-12, €15.50 for adults. For more information call 26 813 852, email [email protected] or visit www.pafoszoo.com

AYIA NAPA
The beautiful Ayia Napa seas may not be warm enough to swim in, but you can still make them the subject of your January entertainment by visiting the Thalassa Museum. The first museum of its kind across the Mediterranean region, it covers everything from Cyprus’ maritime history to its marine life, as well as a life-size replica of the Kyrenia II vessel. And should you need a break from all the maritime magnificence, there’s a cafeteria and a gift shop too.
The ThalassaMuseum is open every day except Sunday and public holidays. Entrance is €4. For more information call 23 816366, email [email protected] or visit www.thalassamuseum.org.cy

LIMASSOL
It may not be quite as cold here in Cyprus as in other European regions, but you can still feel the freeze if you know where to go. Down at My Mall in Limassol, Cyprus on Ice will be open all month, and it’s a great place to get your skates on this winter. Billed as ‘the Coolest Place in Cyprus’, this ultra-modern 430 square metre cyclical ice-rink offers athletic parents the chance to impress the kids. Or, if the last few weeks of holiday time have rendered you less than energetic, leave the kids in the hands of the trained professionals and head off for a spot of retail therapy in the Mall – it’s the best of both worlds, really.

Cyprus On Ice is open every day. Entrance is €4 per hour. For more information call 25 713305, email [email protected] or visit www.facebook.com/cyprusonice

LARNACA
Closer to Larnaca, the Mazotos Camel Park always delivers a great day out for all the family. Established in 1998, it’s a family-run venture that nevertheless offers a highly professional standard of entertainment, with far more than just camels to enjoy; there are also deer, ostriches, goats, ponies, horses, donkeys, kangaroos and all sorts of other creatures great and small. With an on-site safari, camel rides and an extensive play area, it’s all a big adventure. But it’s also the perfect place to relax and shake off those post-Christmas blues with a good old-fashioned family meal in the charming restaurant.

The Mazotos Camel Park is open every day. Entrance is €2 for children €3 for adults. For more information call 24 991243, email [email protected] or visit www.camel-park.com

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.