Up to the year 2000, the peninsula was used by the British Army and Navy for military exercises and as a firing range. Under the 1960 Treaty of Establishment, the British army was allowed to use the Akamas for exercises for up to 70 days a year.

At the southern end of the peninsula is the village of Agios Georgios and on its northeast side the town of Polis. Due to the mountainous nature of the peninsula there are no metalled roads running through its heartland. There are however many unmade tracks that are passable with a 4x4. It is also perfect walking and biking country.

Visitor attractions in Akamas include a loggerhead turtle sanctuary and the Baths of Aphrodite where the goddess is said to have bathed, near Polis. There are also a number of quiet and secluded beaches away from the crowds - especially at Lara.

As the Akamas is relatively inacessable there is a large diversity of flora and fauna there. The European Environment Agency noted that it was one of only 22 areas of endemism in Europe. This looks like it may be threatened by tourist development in the future and organisations such as the Cypriot Green Party, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth are trying to protect that.

See my pictures of the Akamas.