The Didyma sinkholes

These huge circular craters, known as the dolines of Didyma, are a strange site to come across in this gentle, cultivated landscape with fields of olive trees. During spring it is dotted with thousands of red tulips.

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There is some stunning drone footage on YouTube showing the Didyma sinkholes near Ermioni village. These huge circular craters are a strange site to come across in this gentle, cultivated landscape. 

How were the Didyma sinkholes formed? According to Ioannis Petrochilos, one of the most renowned speleologists in Greece, the so called Big and Small Cave, were formed after part of the ground collapsed. The base of the sinkhole became almost like an amphitheatre.

Both dolines were natural sinkholes which drained the water from the area during the periods when it became a lake -something that happened, for example, in 1882. 

The small sinkhole called Mikri Spilia (small cave) is edged the entire way around by 25m high orange cliffs. Follow the signs to find the entrance tunnel which will take you down to a natural path around the inside. The rim and the base of the sinkhole are verdant, shady woodland. There are also two small churches "embedded" in the cliffs, Agios Georgios and Metamorphosi tou Sotiros, making it clear that in Byzantine times the sinkhole was used as a place of Christian worship.

If you want to see Megali Spilia from above, you will have to find your own way as there is not a clear path. 

The Tulip Festival in Didyma. Wonderful wild tulips (Tulipa undulatifolia, or boeotica) grow in the large plain around the village of Didyma and if you come in spring you will be fascinated by the landscape dotted with thousands of flowers.

Since 1962 the inhabitants of Didyma have been organising the Tulip Festival in April-May. The most imaginative bouquets made by the participants are awarded by a committee. Various events are organised as part of the festival.

Location

Find the destination on the interactive map below.