Kaali Crater Western Estonia & The Islands

Estonia has one of the world’s highest concentrations of documented meteor craters. At Kaali, 18km north of Kuressaare, is a 100m-wide, 22m-deep, curiously round lake formed by a meteorite at least 4000 years ago. There are a further eight collateral craters in the vicinity, ranging from 12m to 40m in diameter, formed by fragments of the same meteorite. To the pre-Christians, the site was known as the sun’s grave, and was used for animal sacrifice. A tourist village of sorts has sprung up here – there’s a small museum, handicrafts stores and a hotel, as well as an old-style tavern offering Estonian fare and locally brewed beer.