The Sights On The Santorini Caldera
The wineries of Vourvoulus in the inner part of Santorini’s caldera.
The Santorini caldera (caldera is Spanish for cauldron) is a massive depression created in the middle of the Aegean Sea after a destructive volcanic eruption destroyed the island and created the huge caldera that was eventually filled in with seawater. The caldera, stretching from Oia to Akrotiri stretches 7 miles in diameter. The Santorini caldera, along with the Grand Canyon, are probably two of the most awe-inspiring sites you will see in this world.
After scientists found an advanced civilization on present-day Santorini, many speculated that Santorini was the long lost city of Atlantis. The reason being that Plato was a Greek historian and Santorini is located in present-day Greece and he described a large circular island, similar to the present day Santorini caldera. In addition, in present day Akrotiri, the remnants found of a flourishing maritime civilization that suddenly disappeared.
The rocky cliffs rising around the Caldera Santorini rise for several hundred feet, sometimes almost perfectly vertical until it reaches one of the many hotels and homes perched along the caldera’s edge. The cliffs around the caldera that Santorini is currently on actually extends down several feet into the water, making some parts of the island more than 1,000 feet of land, with 500 feet below the water and 500 feet above the water. The deep Santorini harbor allows the daily parade of cruise ships, yachts and the occasional military frigate to drop anchor and enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the caldera from the sea.
The view of the Santorini caldera from the sea is almost as good as looking down and around the caldera from a spot on Imerovigli or Oia. However, from the sea view, you can clearly see the different layers of sediment that make up the Santorini caldera – red layers, white, brown, black, yellow – all sandwiched on top of each other and each capturing a specific moment in time for Santorini. The red striations are most prominent above Thira (or Fira).
From the caldera harbor, you can take a taxi from the main port at Fira to your hotel. The trip up the wall of the caldera involves several winding switchbacks that gradually increase until you are several hundred feet above the harbor. Alternatively, you can also take a donkey up a similar winding road, where you wind up at the town center of Thira.
Today, the Santorini Caldera is one of the most unique geological features in the world and may also be one of the most beautiful sites on planet earth.