Exotic birds and sinkholes: Southern Turkey is full of natural wonders

In this episode of Explore, Cinzia Rizzi discovers the Southern Turkish district of Mersin, which is on the Mediterranean coast. We start our journey at Tarsus – one of the oldest towns in the world and the hometown of Saint Paul.

Around 80km west of Mersin is Silifke, where Cinzia visits some impressive natural phenomena. Two sinkholes, called Cennet and Cehennem, or Heaven and Hell, stretch down 70 metres and 128 metres respectively. They were formed via chemical erosion thousands of years ago when an underground stream caused the cave ceilings above them to collapse. The Heaven sinkhole can easily be explored via 450 steps that lead down into its depths, while the Hell sinkhole can only be accessed with climbing equipment or from a glass viewing platform.

The sinkholes aren’t the only natural beauties found in the region. Our last stop is the Göksu Delta – a basin of 15,000sq km where the Göksu River meets the Mediterranean. This wild and windy wetland is one of 18 Special Environmental Protection Areas in Türkiye, with around 350 bird species stopping here on their journey across the Levant. If you are into birdwatching, this is definitely a place you should visit.