Drone footage taken in early November of Greece’s rugged Mani peninsula, located in the Peloponnese, revealed a unique feature of the area’s beautiful landscape — a dark, seemingly bottomless cave — with a forest growing inside.
The “black hole,” located near the village of Erimos in western Mani, is one of the few spots in the rocky area where Greece’s scorching sun doesn’t beat down, providing perfect conditions for the small forest growing inside the cave.
Although the region is not well-studied, locals call the cave “Vathy Mouzi.” The lush, hidden forest inside the cave is a stark contrast to both the cave’s inky darkness and the surrounding area’s arid and rocky terrain.
The cave, so well protected from the Mediterranean sun, provides the perfect temperature and humidity levels for growth the forest within it.
The region of Mani is home to many starkly beautiful and historic caves, notably the Caves of Diros, where remains of Neolithic people have been found.
