A new divergent approach towards carbocyclic α-, iso- and 3′-epi-nucleosides starting from enantiomerically pure (1S,2R)-2-benzyloxymethylcyclopent-3-enol (5) is described. In the key step, isomeric cyclopentanols were condensed with a N3-protected pyrimidine nucleobase using a modified Mitsunobu protocol. Moreover, the conversion into the cycloSal-pronucleotides and the effect of the orientation of the nucleobase on anti-HIV activity are reported. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart.