Saint Nicholas

Picturesque little church just above the beach of the Balo (or Palo) Bay. It is said that the area got its name because here the girls danced Balo (or Ballos). We head down into the caldera from the main road to Akrotiri (covering a 110 meter altitude difference), starting where we see the second sign for Path 11 after the Avant Garde Hotel. The trail is steep and requires some caution (descent time 15 minutes). The route is very beautiful, as it always is when we go down into the caldera, and we will notice several characteristic caves dug into the red soil. It is said that nuns lived in some of them. In the 19th century, this area was a port where the region's products were transported. We will see its damaged pier, as well as crumbling buildings and a cave on the small deserted beach west of the little church.