Rent a Car in Karmi and the Hill Villages Above Kyrenia

Karmi — Karaman on the road signs — is a restored stone village on the slope of the Beşparmak range, ten minutes above Kyrenia harbour and a good deal higher than it. Bougainvillea, mountain air, and a view that runs all the way to the Turkish coast on a clear day.

It is also reached by a road that climbs steadily, narrows in places and turns tightly, which is why renting a car for Karmi deserves its own short guide rather than a line in the Kyrenia one.

Take the automatic

This is the whole practical recommendation and it is worth being blunt about. The lanes up to Karmi involve repeated hill starts on a gradient, often with a stone wall on one side and something coming the other way. Add the fact that North Cyprus drives on the left and you may have collected the car three hours ago, and a manual becomes the hardest part of your week.

An automatic car rental removes the problem entirely. Book it early in summer — it is the first category to sell out in July and August.

Free delivery to the village

We deliver free of charge to Karmi itself — to the house, not to a depot in town. Give us the address and a time.

Many guests instead collect at Ercan Airport and drive up, which takes about forty minutes including the mountain pass and the climb. Airport delivery and collection are free too. If you are arriving late and it is your first time on the left, the descent from the pass into Kyrenia is the stretch to take slowly — use a low gear rather than riding the brakes.

What is on your doorstep

• St Hilarion Castle — about 15 minutes. The finest of the three mountain castles and the best view on the island. Go early; there is no shade in the ruins.
• Kyrenia harbour — 10 minutes downhill. Park back from the harbour and walk in; the lanes down there are not built for cars.
• Bellapais Abbey — roughly 20 minutes east, through Ozanköy.
• Alagadi (Turtle) Beach — about 35 minutes east along the coast.
• Nicosia — 40 minutes south over the pass.

The other hill villages

The same advice applies to Çatalköy, Ozanköy, Bellapais and Alsancak's upper streets: steep, narrow, worth it, easier in an automatic. These villages are where a lot of North Cyprus's long-stay residents actually live, which is why we do a steady trade in monthly rentals up here — insurance and servicing included, month to month, cheaper by a distance than leaving a car standing all year.

Winter note

Most of the island's rain falls between December and February and these lanes get slippery, particularly where the surface is worn. Leave more room than feels necessary and take the descents gently. It is nothing dramatic — just the sort of thing worth knowing before your first evening drive home in the wet.