New Athos cave stalactites stalagmites. New Athos. Cave in Abkhazia: address, opening hours, photo. What is the best way to get to the cave and what can you combine it with?
Another miracle of the Iveron Mountain is the Anakopia Abyss, better known as the New Athos Cave. She hides deep underground, in the mysterious depths of this sacred mountain, and occupies a cavity whose volume exceeds 1 million cubic meters!
The study of the New Athos cave began in 1961, when local resident Givi Smyr climbed to a height of 220 meters above sea level in order to then descend into a deep crack in the surface of the Iveron Mountain, popularly called the “Bottomless Pit”.
Such cracks are not uncommon for limestone massifs, such as the mountain. The fact is that limestone dissolves in water. If the surface is damaged by something and water seeps through the crack and fills it with its turbulent flows (for example, during rain or heavy melting of snow), then the limestone gradually dissolves, forming a cavity. Since limestone rock is not homogeneous, such leaching building material mountains passes through different directions, constantly changing the route and intensity.
Actually, the New Athos cave itself was the result of such a process of “melting” of limestone rocks. True, this process lasted many, many millions of years, forming more and more new halls-cavities of the cave, provoking grandiose collapses inside the cave, as a result of which the bottom and the general appearance of its mysterious inner world changed...
One way or another, today the New Athos cave is one of the largest not only in Abkhazia, but throughout the Caucasus, and its beauty is compared with the most beautiful caves in Slovakia, the USA and France.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE CAVE
New Athos Cave (originally the Anakopia Abyss) (Abkh. Athos Ҿytstәi аҳаҧы) is one of the largest caves in Abkhazia. It is located under the slope of Iverskaya Mountain.
It is a huge karst cavity with a volume of about 1 million m³. Near the cave there is the New Athos Monastery and the Temple of Simon the Canaanite.
The entrance to the cave was found in 1961 by Givi Smyr, who told speleologists about his discovery. On July 14, 1961, the assault four, consisting of: Zurab Tintilozov (leader of the assault detachment), Givi Smyr, Arsen Okrodzhanishvili, Boris Gergedava, Daniil Zhdanov, having overcome a cascade of wells, at a depth of 135 m, for the first time penetrated the Anakopia hall (Abkhazia hall). After which the remaining halls of the cave were opened. Since 1975, the cave has been open to tourists.
The New Athos cave consists of 11 halls, 6 of which host daily excursions, in the next 2 - weekly, one room is reserved for scientific work. The original names of the halls were changed to new ones twice: before the opening of the cave for excursions in 1975 and after the Georgian-Abkhaz war of 1992-93. The currently accepted names of the halls are:
Hall “Anakopia” (originally the hall “Abkhazia” with lake “Anatolia”)
The “Speleologists” Hall, also known as the “Mahajirs” Hall (initially qualified as two different halls - the “Georgian Speleologists” Hall and the “Disappearing Lake” Hall)
Hall "Narta", also known as the "Glinyany" hall (originally the "Sounds" hall with the "Nameless" lake (originally the "Zhaneliusov" lake))
Corallite Gallery (includes the original Chrysanthemum Hall, the Gypsum Grotto and the Stone Flowers Gallery)
"Apkhartsa" Hall (Abkh. Apkhartsa - a national 2-string bowed musical instrument; originally - the "Iveria" hall, also known as the "Youth" hall)
Gallery “Ayuhaa”, also known as “Canyon” (originally the “Tuff Dams” gallery)
Hall "Apsny" (originally the hall "Cascades", then called the hall "Tbilisi")
The Helictite Hall and the adjacent Gurov Grotto
Hall "Moscow" (originally the hall "Temple")
Hall "Givi Smyra", also known as the hall "Sukhum" (originally the hall "Fantasy")
The excursion route includes the Anakopia, Speleologists, Nart, Deer, Corallite Gallery, Apkhertsa, Ayukhaa Gallery and Apsny Halls. Music concerts are held from time to time in the Aphertz Hall. The helictite hall is used for scientific purposes.
Interesting Facts
The discoverer of the cave in 1961, Givi Shalvovich Smyr, has been the director of the New Athos caves complex since 2001.
Most Big hall caves - the "Speleologists" hall. Its length is 260 meters, height - up to 50 meters, width - up to 75 meters. However, this length is obtained only if we consider the “Speleologists” hall and the “Disappearing Lake” hall as one hall. But even in this case, contrary to popular belief, it will not be the largest hall in Abkhazia. This is only the third largest cave hall in Abkhazia (after the “Throne” hall in the Snezhnaya cave (length 309 m, width 110, height 40 m) and the “X” hall (also in the Snezhnaya cave - 270 m by 70 m with a height of up to 58 m)).
The New Athos cave is also not the largest cave in Abkhazia either in terms of length or volume of the cavity. In volume it is significantly inferior to the Snezhnaya cave, and in length it is not even in the top ten longest caves Abkhazia. New Athos Cave
The highest hall of the cave is the “Moscow” (“Temple”) hall. Its height is 54 meters.
The most beautiful halls of the cave are the Givi Smyr Halls, “Anakopia”, Helictite Grotto and Corallite Gallery (Gallery of “Stone Flowers”).
One of the attractions of the Anakopia hall is Lake Anatolia. The area of the lake is 1000 m², depth 26 m, water temperature 10 degrees Celsius. Also in this room is “ Blue Lake» measuring 1250 m².
In the Helictite Grotto room, reserved for scientific work, there is a large number of drip-drip formations - helictites. Here it is stone waterfall"Apsny", whose height is 20 meters, width - 6 meters (in the photo).
The New Athos cave has 4 entrances, 3 of which are artificial (in the “Anakopia” and “Apsny” halls they enter the underground railway stations), as well as a drainage gallery specially made from the hall of the “Disappearing Lake”. The only natural entrance through which they initially entered the cavity can be seen in the ceiling of the Anakopia hall. On the surface, this exit is adjacent to the village of Esher, in the form of a deep hole. New Athos cave, diagram 
New Athos cave. A mystery shrouded in darkness...
But first things first...
Millions of years ago...
New Athos, as you know, is famous not only for its clean and picturesque coastline, plantations of pyramidal cypress trees, alleys of bright, juicy oleanders and a variety of citrus fruits. Here, covered with a thick blanket of evergreens, rise two strict guardians of the city - Mount Athos (500 m above sea level) and Iverskaya (350 m above sea level) mountains, separated at the foot by the waters of the Psyrdzkha River. Both of these mountains are giant limestone massifs, cut here and there by deep cracks of various shapes and depths.
Since ancient times, people knew about the existence of a huge hole in the depths of the Iverskaya Mountain, but, perhaps, because of mystical fear, they did not risk going down and examining it. But, over time and as a result of the inexorable development of scientific progress, it was possible to find out that no mysterious forces were involved in the appearance of the cave. And the culprit is... time and water. Just everything.
There are several reasons for the formation of caves in nature - volcanic processes, abrasion, glacial movement, clasto-karst origin, aeolian origin, etc. But the most extensive and picturesque caves, with a great variety of tunnels and various cavities-halls, are formed in carbonate rocks, for example, in limestone massifs. One of which, as we have already found out, is Iverskaya Mountain.
Limestone is quite widespread in the world and is known to be a sedimentary rock. It is formed by deposits of calcium carbonate. And calcium carbonate, as we all remember from chemistry course high school, very soluble in water.
Thus, rocks that contain calcium carbonate (limestone, marble, chalk) dissolve under the influence of flows of water carrying carbon dioxide. And water is saturated with carbon dioxide as it passes through the soil. Moreover, the more carbon dioxide the water contains, the faster the limestone melts.
How, in this case, has Iverskaya Mountain not yet “melted”, you ask? Not so simple. The fact is that water does not always manage to get to those very “soluble” parts of the mountain. The surface of a limestone mountain, abundantly covered with various vegetation, stones and other rocks, represents a kind of shell, a shield hiding the vulnerable interior of the mountain. And only where this shield is damaged does gradual destruction begin.
"Bottomless Pit"
So, we found out that the Iverskaya Mountain consists of calcium carbonate deposits, covered with a hard, waterproof shell, which in turn is overgrown with dense vegetation. Obviously, if there is no damage on the surface of the mountain, the appearance of erosion and cracks is impossible. But the fact is that the formation of mountains is unthinkable without the occurrence of cracks, not to mention the fact that throughout the life of a mountain, it is subject to external destructive forces - weathering, snow melting, heavy rainfall, natural disasters (for example, earthquakes).
All these factors caused the appearance of small and sometimes very large cracks on the surface, thereby exposing the vulnerable interior of the Iverskaya Mountain.
Skipping all the complex scientific explanations, I would like to note that as a result of the research, it turned out that the formation of the New Athos caves began more than 4 million years ago. This process, frankly speaking, is not fast. It always ends the same way - with the complete dissolution of limestone and the transformation of the mountain into a huge karst cavity. As the saying goes, “Everything that has a beginning has an end.” Any mountain, and with it the caves located in it, eventually “die”... We can only rejoice in the fact that in our lifetime (as well as in the next couple of million years) this will not happen, and we have the opportunity to admire the amazingly beautiful halls of this cave.
Research shows that the karstification of the Iverskaya Mountain began not from above, from the top of the mountain, but from below, by the forces of groundwater.
As a result of the action of groundwater, an ancient siphon channel was formed to the Psyrdzkha gorge. There the water was finally able to break through to the surface.
An interesting fact is that the bottom of the southern part of the New Athos cave is significantly deeper than the bottom of its northern part. This is due to the fact that it was here, in the southern part, that the unloading of groundwater took place most rapidly and actively, and consequently, the process of dissolution of calcareous rock was much more active. In addition, the downward nature of the flow almost completely displaced groundwater from the northern part of the cave, thereby providing favorable conditions for the formation of dripping formations.
Thus, the New Athos cave was formed under the influence first of underground waters, which filled its entire internal surface, and then, taking into account the vertical system of the cave, by the forces of flowing waters that flowed into the cave through the opening of the “Bottomless Pit” and through all the halls penetrating to the final destination of its journey - Hall “Abkhazia”.
The active part of the formation of the northern part of the New Athos cave has already passed, which cannot be said about its southern part, where groundwater still accumulates during floods, and, consequently, the process of changing the geography of the cave is still ongoing.
From the history of the discovery...
Let's take a moment to look at the history of the cave's discovery.
In 1961, a brave resident of the city of New Athos, Givi Smyr, first descended into the “Bottomless Pit”. Thus began the development and research of this unique natural monument, which continues to this day.
After Givi told the speleologists about his achievements, it was decided to conduct a speleological expedition. This is how the participants in these events describe their impressions: “The initial section of the “Bottomless Pit” is a 30-meter shaft with sheer walls. Eight people descend into it one after another. The first shaft is followed by a steeply inclined gallery, which turns into an abyss; according to preliminary data, its depth is 45 meters. We entered the middle part. This tiny platform, falling into the depths, is occupied by a lake. Above it, in the form of a narrow chasm, hung a steeply inclined gallery, and below the lake - a shaft shrouded in impenetrable darkness with a wide opening and steep, concave walls. This is the most inaccessible section of the abyss. Storming and overcoming this barrier, 6 people find themselves at a depth of 105 meters from the surface; for auxiliary work on the way back, we leave two at the “landing” site...
Alternating vertical and steeply inclined passages at a depth of 140 meters led us to a rather large elongated hall. At the end of this hall we encountered an almost impassable gap. Is this where “Bottomless” ends? But at a height of 2 meters from the bottom, A. Okrodzhanashvili notices a small round hole, and we, one after another, crawl into it. After 4-5 meters we found ourselves in a truly grandiose void. Its bottom is cluttered with gigantic blocks of limestone, the rays of lanterns scatter without a trace in the space shrouded in darkness, never reaching the ceiling and the opposite wall. Overcome with excitement, we looked at each other; I couldn’t believe that we were underground.
As if on a ladder, moving along a slippery riverbed, we descend lower and lower, where the rocky bottom and giant boulders are gradually hidden under powerful deposits of plastic clay. A wide, strongly inclined corridor was passed, at the end of which there was a lake. It is not difficult to guess that this is the remnant of a vast water basin, the level of which rises significantly from time to time. We crossed this hall and across it, but could not get a clear idea of either its volume, or the shape of its vault and the contours of the bottom.
Returning to the narrow gap, we headed north - in the direction from which the roar of the waterfall was heard. With great caution we descended the slippery, blocky heap of a wide corridor and soon found ourselves at the foot of the White Mountain, from which a waterfall fell. The calcite “mountain” was “built” over centuries from calcium carbonate released by water. On its dome-shaped surface, a charming landscape of “crystal” lakes with water as clear as a tear opens up, and from the ceiling, near the crack from which the water streamed, slender rows of stalactites hang. We descend along the White Mountain, sliding along its northern slopes; Having then climbed the slope of the floor of the clay basin, we enter a “dead” dry valley. Somewhere below there is a wide entrance, but we followed the main highway... Meanwhile, the control period of our underground wandering had expired, we had to return, otherwise we would be left without light!
Thus ended the first underground expedition into the depths of the Iverskaya Mountain. It lasted 18 hours! During this time, speleologists and Givi Smyr, without even having time to walk around and properly examine all the halls, already realized that the open cave was a real masterpiece of nature.
For further study of the cave, its microclimate, morphology, geology, mineralogy, hydrology, etc. it was necessary to form special camps located directly underground. This decision was dictated by the extremely difficult descent and ascent into the cave, which invariably took a lot of time and effort. Participants in underground expeditions were forced to carry a lot of equipment, food, instruments, sensors and other equipment, as well as many other things necessary for work and life into the depths of the cave. Tents were pitched there, in which the pioneering scientists lived for up to 10 days! The same place was chosen for the tent White Mountain- the only source of cleansing drinking water In a cave.
The first such expedition took place in 1963: “Finally, a tent was pitched at the foot of the White Mountain, and it seemed that the surroundings of this dead kingdom came to life. Despite the fatigue, the mind was overcome by the thought: how long does the vast underground gallery last? Will we be able to at least inspect the entire system this time? underground passages? The first underground night was spent in sweet sleep. By morning, the fatigue had passed without a trace, and with fresh strength we began to explore the underground palaces that had never been visited by anyone.”
In 1964, the third scientific expedition into the subsoil was created. This time, the researchers spent more than 105 hours underground. The total weight of the cargo they lowered into the cave for work exceeded 2.5 tons. A group of 21 scientists not only studied the underground depths and took soil samples for further research, but also conducted the first filming here. Based on the results of the research, it was decided to improve the cave so that its amazing and mysterious beauty becomes accessible to all people.
For this purpose, an artificial tunnel was dug at the foot of the Iveron Mountain, connecting the underground kingdom with the outside world.
The underground carriages, reminiscent of subway cars, are designed for 90 seats. These unique cave electric trains, which have no analogues in the world, called “Tourist”, were designed at the Coal Industry Design Institute and specially created at the Riga Carriage Works. They will take you to the artificially created entrance to the first underground cave hall - Abkhazia (Anakopia), from where concrete paths (their total length is about 1.5 kilometers) will lead you through all the halls of the New Athos cave. For the convenience of tourists, special observation platforms, bridges, overpasses, ramps and stairs have also been built. Artificial lighting was installed in the cave.
This is how, since 1971, the once mysterious and frightening “Bottomless Pit” has turned into one of the most amazing wonders of Abkhazia, known throughout the world and visited daily by thousands of lovers of the mysteries of nature. New Athos Cave 
An amazing miracle of natural architecture - New Athos Cave.
So, the discovery made by Givi Smyr in July 1961 led to the fact that a little more than ten years later, one of the wonders of Abkhazia - the New Athos cave - was revealed to the world. Scientists explored 11 halls of the cave. Six of them offer daily excursions for everyone. Underground trailers sometimes operate until 11 pm. In the other two halls, tours are available once a week. Research work is being carried out in one room and is closed to the public.
In the cave there are the following halls - “Anakopia”, the attraction of which is Lake “Anatolia”, the “Speleologists” hall, the “Deer” hall, the “Nart” hall, and in it the “Nameless” lake; Corallite gallery with the “Chrysanthemum” hall, “Gypsum” grotto and “Stone Flowers” gallery located in it; the “Apkhertsa” hall, the “Ayukhaa” gallery, the “Apsny” hall, the “Helictite” hall, which is also adjacent to the “Gurov” grotto; "Moscow" hall, "Givi Smyr" hall.
Of these, the “Anakopia”, “Speleologists”, “Natra”, “Deer”, “Apsny” halls, as well as the “Corallite” gallery, the “Akhertsa” and “Ayuhaa” gallery are open to the public. Scientific research is carried out in the Helictite Hall, and the Moscow Hall, due to its specific features, from time to time becomes a concert hall.
It is worth noting that the New Athos cave is not the most voluminous or even the longest cave in Abkhazia. The volume of the Snezhnaya cave is much more significant, and as for the length, there are dozens of much longer caves. But, be that as it may, one thing remains undoubted - the New Athos cave is the most beautiful cave in Abkhazia.
In the distant 60s of the last century, scientists and speleologists had to overcome difficult obstacles, descend through narrow openings and tunnels from great heights in order to admire the beauty of the New Athos cave. Specially created artificial entrances to the cave have made life much easier for nature lovers. Today there are 4 exits - three artificial and only one natural. It is located in the ceiling of the Anakopia hall. It was here that speleologists first set foot on the bottom of the cave. On the surface, the hole is a deep crevice emerging in the vicinity of the village of Eshera. Three other exits were created for the convenience of tourists by blasting rocks. Exits are located at the Anakopia and Apsny halls. Both are tied to the Underground Railroad. As for the third artificial exit, it was created to drain water from the cave. It is located in the “Disappearing Lake” hall (a component of the “Speleologists” hall).
Well, a fascinating journey into the underground kingdom begins at the gates of a slender, bright building located at the foot of the Iverskaya Mountain. In the lobby of the building, decorated with mosaics, various stained glass windows and embossing, you can purchase entrance tickets, photography and video rights and various local souvenirs. The room resembles a metro station. In essence, that is what it is. The combination of granite and marble, colored panels based on mythological scenes, set visitors up to visit a real underground fairy tale.
Regarding the development of the tourist opportunities of the cave, Givi Smyr, who has been the director of the New Athos caves complex since 2001, said: “In the future, we may make a drift that will lead the people to a completely different place - closer to the site of primitive man.” As a result of studying nearby territories, scientists came to the conclusion that other underground complexes, cut by numerous branches and siphons, are hidden in the depths of New Athos. So, perhaps soon underground carriages will take you there too...
An interesting fact is that the structural features of the New Athos cave made it possible to place here a unique seismic laboratory capable of detecting and monitoring nuclear weapons tests throughout the world. The laboratory was under the jurisdiction of the USSR Ministry of Defense and then the Russian Federation. But in 2003, it was closed. In addition, the laboratory of the Center for Studying the Nature of Time of the Mathematical Institute named after M.V. was once located here. Steklova.
So, we have finally reached the most interesting part of our story - a journey into the mysterious and bizarre world of the underworld...
But before we look into the amazing halls of the underground palace, let's look at the dictionary and find out the meaning of several terms.
stalagmites (Greek: Drop) - sintered mineral formations (mostly calcareous, less often gypsum, salt), growing in the form of cones, pillars from the bottom of caves and other underground karst cavities towards stalactites and often merging with them, forming a stalagnate;
stalactites (Greek: dripping) - chemogenic deposits in karst caves in the form of formations hanging from the ceiling (icicles, straws, combs, fringes, etc.). The terms “stalactite” and “stalagmite” were introduced into literature in 1655 by the Danish naturalist Ole Worm.
Depending on the composition of the rock through which cave water passes, it can dissolve other chemicals in addition to calcium carbonate. Then the sinter formations are painted in soft colors: yellow and reddish shades are given to them by iron oxides, bluish by copper salts, and greenish by chromium compounds. Where dark purple and even black stalactites occur, the limestone probably contains manganese impurities.
Hall "Anakopia".
The journey into the amazing, enchanting world of underground fairy tales begins from the “Anakopia” hall (original name - “Abkhazia”). This is not the largest, but the most “elegant” hall of the New Athos cave. It was here that speleologists and scientists descended more than 50 years ago to discover for themselves, and later for the whole world, this amazing miracle of nature.
The hall is shaped like a stone bag. Bottom area - 4570 sq.m. The walls of the hall consist of light gray, sometimes white, limestone. For this reason, tourists often call the hall a white castle. Here and there strange deep cracks can be seen, descending from the very ceiling and falling to the base.
There is simply deafening silence here, only occasionally broken by the sound of falling water. The humidity in the hall is always one hundred percent. It's connected with big amount cracks through which water from the surface of the Iveron Mountain seeps into the underground depths. The temperature here also does not change and is +14 degrees. A narrow concrete path stretches neatly along the stone floor of the cave room. To approach the first observation deck, you need to walk along it a little uphill, about 30-40 meters. From this place the high ceilings of the hall are clearly visible - the length of the hall exceeds 150 meters, width - 50 meters, depth - more than 20 meters. There is a clearly visible gap in the ceiling of the hall through which light penetrates from the surface. It was through this gap that Givi Shalvovich Smyr first penetrated into the depths of the then unexplored cave.
Both the walls and ceiling are very damp here. The warm lighting of colored lamps gives the already amazing and enchanting room an even greater shade of mystery and fabulousness.
From the romantic semi-darkness of the cave, amazing underground lakes emerge as bright green spots, resting at a depth of 36 meters, in thick limestone wells. These are lakes “Anatolia” and “Blue Lake”. At one time, these two seemingly dead lakes (their mirrors, due to the lack of wind, were completely motionless) flooded the entire Anakopia hall with their waters. This happened during particularly heavy rains and floods. The largest flood since the opening of the cave occurred on December 12-14, 1971. Then a temporary lake with a depth of 45-50 meters was formed in the hall, with a total volume of water exceeding 150,000 sq.m., while the area of the lake itself was 4,500 sq.m.
The lakes are fed both by waters flowing down through numerous cracks in the surface of the Iverskaya Mountain, and by sources entering through unknown underground channels. Both lakes have a siphon connection both with each other and with other lakes of the cave system.
When improving the cave, the builders decided to dig a drainage channel here, through which excess water could come to the surface. This canal now releases raging streams of icy underground water into the Manikwara River gorge. Thus, this beautiful, majestic hall of the New Athos cave is no longer in danger of being flooded again.
In 1986, researchers sank to the very bottom of the lakes and found out that the depth of the “Blue Lake” reaches 10-12 meters, and as for Lake Anatolia, resting in a deep stone well, its depth exceeds 28 meters. The water temperature is 10-11 degrees. In general, this indicator is practically the same at the depth of lakes.
Skillful lighting makes the already bright surface of the water emerald.
Another amazing attraction of the “Anakopia” hall is a huge, multi-meter stone… waterfall! It is shaped very much like a human skull. From somewhere in the depths, from the wall of the cave, a huge stone stream is knocked out, which “freezes” without ever reaching the bottom of the cave. And from above, water flows quietly and calmly along the surface of the giant waterfall. Here and there it gets stuck in the smallest recesses of the stone miracle, giving it a special radiance when hit by light. Both the color and architecture of this amazing cave wonder of nature are amazing.
The floor of the hall is covered with huge blocks of stone, fragments of stalactites and gypsum that have fallen from the ceiling. The presence of sinter formations in the karst cavity and the natural collapse of rocks is not surprising, but where could gypsum come from in limestone rock? Unclear…
Undoubtedly, the Anakopia hall is one of the most beautiful halls of the New Athos cave.
Hall of "Speleologists" ("Makhajirs").
Behind the steep shore of the “Blue Lake” the path gradually begins to go down and leads us to the “Speleologists” hall. This is the largest hall of the New Athos cave. It was named in honor of the pioneer speleologists from the Vakhushti Institute of Geography of the Academy of Sciences of the GSSR and their Abkhaz colleagues, who were the first to descend to the bottom of the cave and conducted several scientific expeditions here. It was in this room that the speleologists set up camp, where they lived throughout the entire study.
The length of the hall is 260 meters, the height reaches 50 meters, the width is from 25 to 75 meters. The bottom area is 10635 sq.m., and the volume is 290875 sq.m. For a long time, the “Speleologists” hall was considered the largest cave hall in Abkhazia. But after the discovery of the Snezhnaya cave, he lost his primacy. On the territory of the “Speleologists” hall it was quite possible to place, say, three football fields.
The monotony of the hall is somewhat broken by a dome-shaped stalagmite structure, the so-called White Mountain, created by the waters of the spring, a trickle stream falling from a height of 25-30 m. The “Mountain” is located in the middle part of the hall. Expeditions of the Institute of Geography named after. Vakhushti AN GSSR, who worked for days in the dungeons of New Athos, set up a base camp at the foot of this “mountain” and used the water of this spring, almost the only one in the entire cave system, for drinking. The height of the “mountain” is 5-15 m, the circumference reaches 35-40 m. Miniature lakes with a depth of 15-45 cm are scattered on the ridge platform of the White Mountain, sometimes filled with clear water, sometimes completely. During the year, the source above the White Mountain functions for only 6-7 months, which means that under the current physical and geographical conditions, the White Mountain, according to our rough estimates, is growing at a rate of more than 1 mm per year. If you could look deep into this stalagmite “mountain,” you could see numerous layers of calcium carbonate of varying thickness and color. In the vicinity of the “mountain”, on the opposite walls of a wide corridor, at various heights, crevices open with traces of strong weathering and well-preserved drip-drip aggregates.
Behind the White Mountain is the lowest (47 m above sea level) section of the hall - a funnel-shaped basin, entirely filled with thick deposits of plastic clay.”
In the same room there is the “Disappearing Lake” - a huge clay stone funnel. Funnel bottom, tightened giant traffic jam, which does not allow one to look into its mysterious depths. From time to time, a very interesting phenomenon could be observed here - the plug suddenly began to vibrate, sway and, in the end, was displaced by a stormy stream of water rising directly from the bottom of the cave, through unknown channels. So in place of this clay vessel a muddy, cold, cave lake appeared. Before the exploration of the New Athos cave by scientists, this lake seriously influenced the structure of the cave's relief. But today such a disaster no longer threatens the Speleologists hall. Excess water leaves the cave through a specially dug artificial drainage channel. So the lake level now does not exceed the level of this second drainage tunnel.
The water that has risen from the deep abyss, having stood there for a couple of hours, again disappears into the deep corridors of the cave, and the clay that rises at the same time forms a new thick and durable plug at the neck of the funnel.
In general, the two parts of the huge “Speleologists” hall - the “White Mountain” hall and the “Disappearing Lake” hall are very different in appearance. The White Mountain hall is more elegant, bright and colorful. Located to the left of the concrete path, the White Mountain rises like an iceberg among giant gray stone blocks, giving the hall a solemn appearance. The White Mountain itself is already a “bright spot” in this dark kingdom, and droplets of water falling on it reflect light in all directions, creating the feeling that the entire mountain is glowing from within. Numerous small, still very “young” stalagmites “grow” abundantly around the mountain.
As for the “Disappearing Lake” hall, it is quite gloomy here due to the abundance of clay deposits. The bottom of the hall is completely dotted with winding, deep ravines.
Here and there there are huge blocks of stone that have fallen from the equally gloomy and gray ceiling of the hall. The light shines on the huge dark brown clay spots and is absorbed by them, without having time to please the eye. And only when the disappearing lake rises from the underground depths, everything around comes to life and becomes brighter and more cheerful.
Hall “Nartaa” (“Clay”)
The next stop on the excursion route will be the Nartaa Hall, the former Hall of Sounds (so named because of its amazing acoustics).
In general, the decoration of the hall can be called ascetic. He is much less than the first two cave halls. There are much fewer drip-drip formations here - stalactites and stalagmites. But clay deposits of various shapes and sizes are abundant. But this is not what makes the Nartaa Hall so interesting, but its amazing underground life. An interesting insect lives here - the trichus beetle. Similar beetles are often found on the surface of the earth, but here, in the depths of the cave, this small inhabitant has undergone significant changes - due to the centuries-long absence of light in the halls of the cave, the need for vision has disappeared. Now this bug is blind, but, it should be noted, is very active. In this room, small, nimble three-whiskers are found almost everywhere - under every stone, under every “patty” of clay, in every crack of the floor.
Other inhabitants of the Nartaa hall are millions of small (no more than 2 cm) translucent crustaceans. They live in the waters of one of the two main attractions of the hall - the “Nameless Lake”. This lake is one of three living, siphon lakes of the underground kingdom. The water level in it depends significantly both on the flow of underground water and on the amount of water penetrating into the bowels of the hall through cracks in the ceiling. Unfortunately, today there is no reliable information about the size of the lake and its depth.
With specially equipped observation deck a whole cascade of green limestone deposits located on the southern wall of the hall is clearly visible.
Another attraction of the hall is the “Deer” grotto, named after a truly unique masterpiece of natural sculpture. The outlines of the animal are so realistic and clear that it is difficult to believe that the image was not touched by a human hand. The deer's head is slightly turned to the side, as if its peace had suddenly been disturbed by curious travelers, and it turned around to see what had happened.
Corallite Gallery
The Nartaa hall gradually moves on to the next interesting room of the underground kingdom - the corallite grotto, or corallite gallery. Here the walls of the hall seem to move, squeezing the stone bag and making it possible to better see all the features of the natural architecture of the cave. The entrance to the gallery is guarded by gigantic blocks of stone, apparently torn from the ceiling during a strong earthquake.
This is one of the driest halls of the cave. Here the humidity level is much lower, despite the presence of a lake. But judging by the corallite deposits found on the walls of the hall (corallites are snow-white small balls that cover the surface of the cave walls in abundance; their clusters in shape strongly resemble corals, which is why they got their name), we can confidently say that once upon a time the hall was completely flooded. Today, this snow-white stone carpet reflects the light falling on it and gives the hall a fairy-tale touch.
Not far from the wall, a “large family” of meter-long orange-yellow stalagmites is comfortably located.
Apsar Hall (Moscow Hall).
Leaving the corallite gallery, we find ourselves at a fork. The steps of the tourist path will lead you straight to the gates of another amazing underground kingdom - the Apsara Hall.
The first amazing detail of the hall is a huge piece of rock at the entrance to the hall, hanging directly above the path. Now it is supported on all sides by concrete piles, but, paradoxically, even before the construction of this additional fortification, the stone had absolutely no intention of moving anywhere, much less falling.
The “Apsar” hall (originally called the “Tuff Dams” hall) differs from all previous ones in its shape - the walls of the hall form an almost even circle, which, in combination with numerous round outlets in the ceiling and walls of the hall, creates an amazing acoustic effect. These holes are nothing more than the result of dissolution of limestone rocks. Obviously, the water seeping through cracks in the surface of the Iverskaya Mountain accumulated in the bowels of the earth, gradually eroding its rock. Thus, over time, long tangled tunnels were formed from karst cavities, which eventually found an exit in the huge Apsara stone bag. Now these tunnels, so-called. “organ pipes” are a favorite habitat of bats.
The Apsara Hall is the highest hall of the New Athos Cave. The height of the light limestone vaults, gradually merging into a kind of dome, reaches 70 meters. Thanks to the “organ pipes” and other openings in the vaults - cracks, the room “breathes”. The air here is alive, you can feel the wind blowing. Sometimes, during strong gusts of wind on the surface, a muffled whistle can be heard inside the hall.
The almost circular floor of the hall is strewn with fragments of rocks that probably collapsed as a result of an earthquake. In addition, the dungeon is additionally decorated with multi-colored stalactites and stalagmites, sometimes located directly on blocks of collapsed rocks.
In the southern part of the hall, the walls seem to move apart, allowing the traveler to enter the Givi Smyra hall (Sukhum hall).
Hall "Ayuhaa" (hall "Canyon").
So, having taken a left turn at the fork, we find ourselves in the next amazing hall of the underground palace - the “Ayuhaa” hall. The shape of the hall resembles a large elongated gorge. In essence, this is so - hundreds of years ago the hall was a valley of a cave river, the waters of which periodically flooded the walls of the room.
The length of the hall from north to south reaches several hundred meters. The height of the walls is over 10 meters. The ceiling of the hall, unlike the ceilings of the previous rooms, is flat, without natural growths and irregularities. The floor surface is uneven and littered with huge stones. In general, the hall cannot be called richly decorated and elegant. But there is one interesting detail that makes the Ayuhaa hall stand out - dark brown stripes stretch along its walls - soft clay deposits. Scientists claim that if you insert a thin, sharp stick into them, it will easily penetrate the entire depth of the wall. This is possible due to the plasticity of clay, which, however, does not allow limestone rocks to delaminate. According to experts, such stripes separate younger layers of limestone from older ones. Be that as it may, both have been around for many millions of years.
Dozens of small stalagmites of orange and reddish colors are scattered along the tourist path. They resemble the lights on an airfield runway and give the austere hall a festive look.
“Helictite” grotto (salon).
If we go up a little narrow staircase, we will see a locked lattice door. But this is not the entrance to a technical room, as happens in the subway and other underground tunnels. This is the entrance to the most amazing, most richly decorated, but at the same time the most “fragile” hall of the New Athos cave - the “Helectite” salon. The beauty of the interior decoration of the hall is so bright and varied that it seems that we are in cave museum, and around us are unique exhibits of ancient underground natural architecture.
One of the walls of the salon is covered with a snow-white carpet of calcite deposits sparkling in the light. This is a kind of stone waterfall. Its height is almost 20 meters. Nearby are stalactites of amazing beauty and a wide variety of colors - bright orange and pale yellow, lush green and deep purple, scarlet and slightly pinkish... They look especially impressive against the backdrop of snow-white calcite.
The surface of the floor resembles the surface of the moon - it, like craters, is completely covered with shallow small depressions that were once filled with water. Millions of years ago there were small lakes (gurs) here, fed by water flowing through the cracks in the ceiling.
But the biggest truly unique treasure of this room is the funny-shaped, eccentric and incomprehensible helictites! Like a shaggy, fluffy blanket they cover the ceiling of the cave. So what are helictites? Essentially, these are stalagmites. Their principles of education are similar. But, unlike stalagmites, helictites do not grow from top to bottom, which is quite logical, given the influence of gravity. They grow in the direction in which they themselves “want”, i.e. sideways, zigzag, down a little, then to the side, then up again... Amazingly, these amazing cave formations do not seem to be affected by gravity at all. Trying to solve this mystery, scientists hypothesized that perhaps other processes, such as weathering, are more influential in the formation of helictites. Other scientists believed that the structure of helictites is simply much more fragile than that of stalactites and stalagmites. When exposed to carbon dioxide-saturated water, they dissolve much faster than other rocks. If we add to this the change in temperature and the blowing of the wind, it turns out that “where it blew, it dissolved.” It is difficult to say how true this theory is. To date, researchers have not been able to find a convincing explanation for the helictite phenomenon.
But whatever the history of the origin and development of these amazing terry growths, one thing is clear - a small change in the ambient temperature is enough for the little beauties to disappear. That is why the helictite salon is closed to tourists - even with a small crowd of people, the temperature in the room will change and ruin all the beauty of the hall. Millions of small and large helictites of various shapes and colors - from blood-red and even red-black to pale pink - will disappear forever without the possibility of recovery. Thus, the Helictite Salon became a kind of cave reserve, open only for research by scientists.
A little about the climate...
So, we made a fascinating journey through all the halls of the cave palace of the New Athos cave. We found out how and when this miracle of nature appeared, which is due to the abundance of amazing “decorations” of various shapes and sizes. What else can you tell about this unique monument of natural architecture? Perhaps it is worth dwelling on the climatic features of the cave, which played a large role in the formation of its decoration.
As we have already understood from the above, the emergence of drip-drip formations in the cave was facilitated by water penetrating through the cracks and cracks of the Iveron Mountain. But this is not the only factor. The movement of air in a cave, which affects the weathering process, should also not be underestimated. The intensity of the air flow is evidenced by the fact that the pressure inside the cave (755-756 mm Hg) is practically no different from the pressure on the surface (756.6-756.9 mm). Consequently, the cave halls are well ventilated. But how, you ask, can air get underground? And how can he move? The answer to this question is of particular interest: the fact is that in caves with a descending profile of longitudinal profiles, i.e. tunnels, the air enters “from above” and, under the influence of the temperature difference, begins to move down, pushing out colder (the air temperature in the cave ranges from 12.6 to 14.4 degrees Celsius), “lower” air. Passing through all the cracks and crevices of the Iveron Mountain, the air saturates the Naboathon cave with oxygen and other important elements, including, naturally, carbon dioxide, with the direct participation of which the disintegration of calcareous rocks occurs, and, as a consequence, the appearance of drip-drop formations. As for the air humidity inside the cave, it exceeds 90% in almost all halls, and in some reaches 100% (Anakopia hall).
An interesting fact: according to research, the radioactive background inside the New Athos cave is 100 times higher than the radioactivity of the open seaside strip. There is also increased air ionization in karst cavities.
Speaking about the speleofauna of the cave, it should be noted that in addition to the cave inhabitants listed above, various invertebrates (worms, mollusks), cyclops, isopods, nifargus, troglocaris, puacoiformes, centipedes, insects (collegetails, orthoptera, beetles) live here. Thus, we can say with confidence that the cave is inhabited.
Another interesting fact- for a long time it was believed that due to the lack of light, vegetation could not appear in the cave, with the exception of mosses and various fungi. But during one of the expeditions, scientific speleologists made an interesting discovery: “... in the New Athos cave, near the White Mountain, potatoes and onions thrown onto clay soil sprouted in absolute darkness. But the long shoots and sprouts were colorless. There, near the White Mountain, another interesting phenomenon was observed: fresh sticks, used by the previous expedition as supports for tents, began a second life underground. Tender colorless stems appeared on them, side shoots emerged from the main branch and even tiny leaves opened. It happened at a depth of 145 meters, in pitch darkness.”
INGURI RIVER - HERE!
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SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND PHOTOS:
Team Nomads
http://abkhazia.rf/recreation-and-tourism/attractions/Novo-Athos/Novo-Athos-cave
http://www.capone-online.ru/all-maps/apsny/apsnymap_nacave2.jpg
V. N. Dublyansky, V. V. Ilyukhin. The largest karst caves and mines in the USSR. M.: Nauka, 1982. - 137 p. : ill.
http://www.rgo-speleo.ru/
V.N.Dublyansky, A.B.Klimchuk, V.E.Kisilev and others. Large karst cavities of the USSR. III. Speleological provinces of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus. Kyiv, 1987. Dep. in VINITI CIONT, No. 1112-B87.
Wikipedia website.
http://www.rwon.ru/
http://www.abhaztur.com/upload/files/peshhera_2.jpg
New Athos Cave was opened to visitors in 1975. The total length of the route inside the cave is about 2 km; it passes through 8 halls, the walls and ceilings of which are richly decorated with sinter formations: stalactites, stalagmites and stalagnates. The air temperature in the cave is always constant - +11 degrees. (We recommend taking a sweater or light jacket with you.)
Mini-metro trains to the depths of the cave depart approximately every 20 minutes as excursion groups form. On days when the flow of tourists does not dry up even in the evening, late flights are possible, but it is better to plan your visit to the underground kingdom no later than 18.00.
In the midst holiday season- from May to October - the cave is open to visitors every day, and from the end of October - on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
How to get there
Getting to New Athos is easy. The city stretches along the coast, transport goes along the central highway. From nearby settlements there are minibuses, both direct and those that go towards Psou and Gudauta. From central square Pitsunda and from railway station Buses and minibuses go to Sukhumi. The road is good - 20 minutes and you are in New Athos. Tourists heading to the New Athos caves need to get off at the Rakushka stop and take the New Athos Monastery, visible from everywhere, as a landmark.
Ticket prices
In front of the entrance to the caves there is a three-story light building. They also sell tickets there (adult ticket - 500 rubles). In addition, if you want to take photographs in the cave itself, you must purchase a special permit for photography inside - 50 rubles, otherwise you may be fined 1000 rubles. Ticket sales close at 5:00 p.m., and the long queue can make you wait for an hour or more. During this time, you can look at New Athos with panoramic binoculars for 10 rubles. - one minute.
Underground route
For the opening of the cave, a special transport system was also built, which began to carry tourists around the halls of the cave. The gathered group is invited to enter the carriages of the narrow-gauge railway, which makes an intermediate stop in the Abkhazia hall. The road is electrified, the rails are under voltage (300 V). After the train arrives, you need to wait for other tourists to exit from the opposite side, and only after that you will be allowed to enter the carriage.
The doors of the carriages of this underground metro open manually. The total length of the narrow gauge railway is about 2 km, the route underground tour– 1.4 km. In the New Athos Cave, the metro takes visitors to a depth of 160 meters. The excursion lasts about an hour and a half, all this time you are accompanied by a guide, telling the history of the cave and each room separately. It's cold inside the cave, a constant temperature of +11 degrees, so don't forget to take warm clothes with you. The cave is wet in places, so comfortable, non-slip shoes are a must for visiting it.
Map of the New Athos caveHalls of New Athos
Hall "Anakopia"
The lowest hall of the New Athos cave. Length - 150 m, width - 50 m, height - more than 20 m. There are two underground lakes - Anatolia and Goluboe. The mirror of the lakes lies at 36 m above sea level, their average depth is more than 25 m. Once upon a time, the water level in the lakes rose and the waters were flooded most hall Traces of these floods have been preserved - dark brown horizontal stripes from the surface of the lakes almost to the ceiling. Now the cave waters exit through a drainage tunnel into the Manikvara River gorge.
Hall of Mahajirs
The largest hall of the New Athos cave is named in honor of the memory of the Mukhajirs - Abkhazians, who were forcibly resettled to Turkey and the countries of the Middle East. Among the piles of dark stones of the cave rises the White Mountain. Near the mountain there are white columns of nascent stalagmites, a little further there is a dark depression with yellow fangs of limestone blocks. Sometimes you can see a cold, muddy lake here.
The calcite floor of the side gallery is torn in places, and through the holes you can see the second bottom, along which a transparent stream runs almost silently.
Hall "Nartaa"
The hall is covered with clay layers. At the lowest point of the hall, at 36 m above sea level, there is a “living” lake of the cave - colonies of crustaceans live in it. In the cracks of the clay floor there is a beetle that has no eyes. On the southern wall of the hall you can see fancy figures made of stones. Near the Nartaa hall there is a Corallite Gallery, the walls of which are covered with corallites - snow-white balls stuck to each other in hundreds of thousands.
Hall of Speleologists. Hall named after Givi Smyr
The Speleologists' Hall is the highest hall of the cave, its height reaches 97 m. From the round bottom of the hall, littered with boulders, sheer walls rise upward, converging at a great height into a dome. The stone vault of the hall is dotted with many tectonic cracks and oval holes. These are the mouths of karst wells opened by ancient collapses, the so-called “organ pipes” - the lower part of the karst systems through which water and air enter the cave. Bats live in this room - relatively low air humidity and moderate temperature create favorable conditions for them.
In the southern part of the Speleologists' Hall there is a passage to the hall named after Givi Smyr, which is located above the other halls of the cave. The floor of the hall is covered with frozen waves of cream-colored limestone. The most important decoration of the hall is the magnificent stone jellyfish.
Hall "Ayuhaa"
The length of the hall from north to south is more than 100 m. Along the dark yellow ten-meter walls of the hall, black horizontal stripes stretch along the entire length - depressions in the rock filled with clay particles. Such cracks in the limestone separate the ancient lower strata from the younger upper strata. But both of them were formed hundreds of millions of years ago. The hall is decorated with hundreds of stalagmites made of translucent orange and red calcite.
"Apkhartsa" Hall
This small hall has excellent acoustics - the arrangement of ledges and niches in the walls and ceiling create amazing conditions for the sound of music. There is music in the hall, sometimes artists of the Abkhaz State Choir give concerts, performing Abkhaz folk songs.
Apsny Hall
In front of the entrance to the hall there is a four-meter stalagmite, and in the hall itself there is an unusual cave “waterfall”. From a thirty-meter height, a huge frozen stone shaft “falls” from a hole in a high steep wall. Water flows along the smooth surface of calcite “waves”. There is always maximum air humidity in this room.
Helictite grotto
The grotto is distinguished by the amazing beauty of rare sintered forms. The wall is covered in sparkling white calcite, backed by orange, lilac, greenish and yellow stalagmites. The patterned floor consists of many small trays with thin walls. These are gours, the remains of puddles that once stood here.
The main wealth of the grotto is helictites. It is still unclear why these mysterious cave formations grow sideways and upwards. The ceiling of the grotto is covered with thousands of small helictites of various colors - from dark red to light pink. Some helictites reach more than 10 cm in length. Excursions in the Helictite Grotto are not conducted, since the presence of humans changes the temperature and humidity of the air, which can lead to the death of the unique formations.
- The discoverer of the cave in 1961, Givi Shalvovich Smyr, has been the director of the New Athos caves complex since 2001.
- The largest hall of the cave is the “Speleologists” hall. Its length is 260 meters, height - up to 50 meters, width - up to 75 meters. However, this length is obtained only if we consider the “Speleologists” hall and the “Disappearing Lake” hall as one hall. But even in this case, contrary to popular belief, it will not be the largest hall in Abkhazia. This is only the third largest cave hall in Abkhazia (after the “Throne” hall in the Snezhnaya cave (length 309 m, width 110, height 40 m) and the “X” hall (also in the Snezhnaya cave - 270 m by 70 m with a height of up to 58 m)).
- The New Athos cave is also not the largest cave in Abkhazia either in terms of length or volume of the cavity. In terms of volume, it is significantly inferior to the Snezhnaya cave, and in terms of length it is not even among the ten longest caves in Abkhazia.
- The highest hall of the cave is the “Moscow” (“Temple”) hall. Its height is 54 meters.
- The most beautiful halls of the cave are the Givi Smyr Halls, “Anakopia”, Helictite Grotto and Corallite Gallery (Gallery of “Stone Flowers”).
- One of the attractions of the Anakopia hall is Lake Anatolia. The area of the lake is 1000 m², depth 26 m, water temperature 10 degrees Celsius. Also in this hall is the “Blue Lake” measuring 1250 m².
- In the “Helictite Grotto” hall, reserved for scientific work, there is a large number of drip-drip formations - helictites. Here is the stone waterfall “Apsny”, which is 20 meters high and 6 meters wide (in the photo).
- The New Athos cave has 4 entrances, 3 of which are artificial (in the “Anakopia” and “Apsny” halls they enter the underground railway stations), as well as a drainage gallery specially made from the “Disappearing Lake” hall. The only natural entrance through which they initially entered the cavity can be seen in the ceiling of the Anakopia hall. On the surface, this exit is adjacent to the village of Esher, in the form of a deep hole.
- The action of the novel “The Blind” by D.S. takes place on the territory of the cave. Ermakova from the series "Metro-2033".
Some people are interested in him Christian churches and shrines: New Athos Monastery, grotto of Simon the Canaanite.
Others are more interested in the natural attractions of New Athos. In particular, the famous New Athos Cave, which is undoubtedly one of the most popular and visited attractions in Abkhazia.
The place is really very beautiful and unusual. In the cave you can see underground lakes that have never seen sunlight, and photograph bizarrely shaped stalactites and stalagmites that are neatly illuminated with all the colors of the rainbow.
From this article you will learn how you can get into the cave, how much it costs and what you should consider when going there.
New Athos Cave: description, photo, operating hours
A huge cave hidden in the depths Iveron Mountain and was opened quite recently - in 1961. And in 1975, the first train carrying tourists passed through an artificial tunnel leading to the cave. The train itself is unique, because... it has a non-standard size: the narrow gauge of the railway track + the low arches of the cave tunnel set such parameters.
A large failure on the slope of Iverskaya Mountain local residents used to be called the Bottomless Pit. The huge well, whose steep walls were lost in the darkness, was avoided for a long time. And only in 1961, a brave local boy, Givi Smyr, dared to go down into the hole. But it was impossible to get to the bottom without special equipment. Therefore, only when speleologists descended after Givi Smyr did the darkness of the cave, cut through by the light of lanterns, begin to reveal its secrets. And she revealed a real miracle underground, which was named after its location - the New Athos Cave.
How the cave works and ticket prices
Now this place is so popular that visiting the cave has been streamlined to allow everyone to experience its beauty. Let into the cave only in groups. Take this point into account when planning your trip. If you are going to this place at the height of the season, in August, your chances of buying tickets for the next show are slim. You'll have to wait a couple of hours. However, this is not a problem; in New Athos you will have something to do during this time. I will talk about this at the end of the article. Conversely, during the low season, you may have to wait until there are enough applicants (minimum 40 people).
Once an hour, tourists are taken to the cave on a special train and, at the end of the route, taken back on it.
During the high tourist season, from June to September inclusive, the cave is open daily from 10 to 18 o'clock, and at the height of the season - with July 1 to September 30 - e daily, seven days a week, from 9 to 19.00
In low season - from October 1 to June 1:
the cave is open 4 days a week: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday from 10.00 to 18.00
Tickets cost 500 rubles for an adult. Children under 8 years old are admitted free of charge.
The duration of the route is one and a half hours, and therefore it is better to go to the toilet in advance (there is none in the cave, the nearest one is across the road, for a fee).
It is also important to note that the cave is cold. Temperature approx. +14 °C, and therefore warm clothes will not hurt you, because after +30 outside in the cave you will feel quite cold. The cave is also wet in places, so comfortable, non-slip shoes such as sneakers are what you need to visit it.
What awaits you in the cave: photo
The cave itself is very large, its length is about 3 kilometers . A route with a length of almost 1.5 kilometers.
The entire route is well equipped: a 1.4-kilometer-long pedestrian path with observation platforms has been built and artistic lighting has been installed.
All rooms are sounded. This is what the cave diagram looks like:
Trip to underworld begins with a ride on the “cave metro”;
All interesting objects in the cave are illuminated. You don’t even need to have a rich imagination to see these cave monsters:
And if everything is in order with your imagination, then mysterious images of underground inhabitants will haunt you in every room:
Do you see that crocodile lurking at the bottom of the cave?
Underground lakes are sometimes full of water, but in the summer they most often either dry up or their level drops significantly:
But the cascades of stalactites and stalagmites do not disappear anywhere and amaze with their monumentality:
But these pebbles are displayed on stands in the cave:
This cave “diamond” is called calcite. The inscription claims that if you wear calcite as a talisman, it preserves health and prolongs life.
By the way, at the entrance to the New Athos cave there is a sculpture "Golden Fleece" , which has a symbolic meaning.
The Golden Fleece is a sign of prosperity; it was for this that they swam, according to ancient legend, Argonauts. The sculpture itself reflects the myth of a sister and brother who went on a long journey on a golden ram. It is believed that whoever touches the sculpture will have good luck and untold wealth in the near future. So don't miss the chance!
After visiting the cave, you will probably want to refresh yourself. You can do this in the nearest cafe, which offers a wonderful view of the New Athos Monastery:
What is the best way to get to the cave and what can you combine it with?
Most often, tourists travel to the cave from Sochi. From the Psou checkpoint (border of Abkhazia and Russia) it is approximately 90 kilometers or 1.5 hours of travel. There are problems with parking at the cave: there are no free parking spaces, and during the season you won’t find any free parking spaces. So you will have to leave the car somewhere on the driveway.
Bus excursions are also available here, and private guides do not bypass the cave.
Usually everything excursion programs tour of New Athos include a visit to the New Athos cave, New Athos Monastery, a waterfall and a beautiful abandoned station on the Psyrtskha River, as well as the Seaside Park and the grotto of Simon the Canaanite .
And if you still have some strength left, you can climb Iverskaya Mountain and explore the ancient:
So you can get as many impressions from one trip to New Athos as you wouldn’t get in other places in a week.
Of course, during the normal bus tour They won't show you that much. They will take you to a cave and a monastery, but everything else is not included in their program. So we either drive our own car or rent a car. You can rent a car here: Car rental in Sochi
But be sure to check with the rental office to see if you can drive their cars to Abkhazia; sometimes they ask for an additional payment for this, twice the cost of a regular rental). Well, we download the map from the Maps.me application in advance - the Internet in Abkhazia is simply “golden” in price!
If you want to go to New Athos from Sochi with a private guide on his car, I can tell you who is best to contact. Tel. +79384600693, call, you will be given a wonderful and educational excursion. The guys work on all routes in Abkhazia, they don’t mess around, they talk interestingly, in pure Russian, the prices are reasonable.
You can also combine a visit to the cave in New Athos with a visit to the capital of Abkhazia - the city of Sukhum. But then you have to go either very early, or not linger in New Athos.
Enjoy your trip and see you on the blog!
Per day!
This karst cave spurs of the Caucasus Range in Abkhazia, one of famous caves in the post-Soviet space.
History of the New Athos Cave
Bottomless pit or Anakopia abyss in the vicinity of New Athos was known for a long time, but no one went down there and did not know what was there at the bottom.
For the first time, a resident of New Athos tried to descend into a bottomless pit - Givi Smyr. However, he never reached the bottom.
In 1961, a special expedition was organized by the Institute of Geography of the Academy of Sciences of the Georgian SSR, which consisted of five speleologists: Zurab Tintilozov, Arsen Okrodzhanashvili, Boris Gergedav and the discoverer - Givi Smyra. The researchers reached the bottom at a depth of 135 meters. A huge cave opened before their eyes, which to this day is one of the largest caves in the world.
Since the discovered cave was near seaside resort New Athos, it was decided to make it a tourist attraction.
At the foot of the Iverskaya Mountain, an administrative building of the cave was built and a transport tunnel with an iron length of 1.3 kilometers and three stations for boarding and disembarking passengers was laid. To operate in the cave metro, the “Tourist” train was built by special order at the Riga Carriage Works.
Halls of the New Athos Cave
The cave in New Athos consists of 9 halls; excursions for tourists to the New Athos cave are conducted along a route of 6 halls.
- Hall "Anakopia"
- Hall "Mahajirs"
- Hall "Nartaa"
- Corallite Gallery
- Apsara Hall
- Hall named after Givi Smyr
- Hall "Ayuhaa"
- "Apkhartsa" Hall
- Apsny Hall
- Helictite grotto (and the adjacent Gurov grotto)
Renaming cave halls
After the collapse of the USSR, the halls of the cave were renamed: the Abkhazia hall of Apsny, and later - Anakopia, the hall of Georgian speleologists (for obvious reasons) - into the hall of Speleologists, then into the hall of the Mahajirs; Clay Hall - in Nartaa, Canyon Hall - in Ayukhaa, Moscow - in Apsar, Sukhumi (originally called Fantasy) - in the Givi Smyr Hall, Youth aka Iveria - in Apkhartsa, Tbilisi or Cascades Hall - in the Anakopia Hall. (Note: reliable information by the name of the halls in different time No)
Visiting a cave in New Athos
A visit to the New Athos Cave begins by boarding the train at the station in the administrative building of the cave. After a few minutes of riding the train, tourists get off at the station and then walk about 1.5 kilometers. The duration of the entire route is more than an hour.
During the excursion it is forbidden to leave the pedestrian area, as this can lead to injury. The temperature in the New Athos cave is about +14...+16 degrees.
Standard excursion route passes through the halls: Anakopia, Mahadzhirov, Nartaa, Corallite Gallery, Ayukhaa Hall, Apkhyartsa and Apsny. Musical concerts are sometimes held in the Aphyartsa Hall. Access to the Helictite Grotto is prohibited for tourists - scientific research is carried out there.
After visiting the last hall, tourists exit the second underground station and return to the administrative hall of the cave.
Operating mode
Opening hours of the cave in New Athos: all year round, from 9:00 to 18:00. Depending on the summer or winter season, opening times and days may vary, depending on summer time Concerts are held in one of the halls.
Photo and video shooting in the cave
Photo and video filming in the cave is paid, and you can be fined if you don’t have a filming pass. When using photographic equipment, it is worth remembering that the illumination level of the cave is low, you can only take photographs with professional or semi-professional equipment and a tripod.
Cost of the excursion in 2017: 500 rubles.
New Athos Cave is rightfully considered the most a real gem Abkhazia. To go on vacation to this wonderful country and not visit this beautiful cave would be the height of imprudence. Not a single person who has been here on an excursion has remained disappointed after it. The cave is located directly under the Iverskaya Mountain, and its discoverer is rightfully considered Givi Smyr, who performed this action in 1961.
In addition, the New Athos cave is also considered one of the largest in the world. In fact, this is a huge karst cavity, because its total volume is about one million cubic meters.
The cave was opened to tourists in 1975 after it was finally explored by speleologists. Practically, the cave itself consists of nine halls, of which only six are open to daily visits, the next two halls are allowed to be visited only once a week, and the last one is still reserved for scientific work and various studies.
Getting to New Athos is very easy and simple. After all, the city itself is actually stretched along the sea coast, and a decent amount of transport runs along the central highway. From those closest to the cave settlements There are minibuses, there are direct ones, but you can also use transport going towards Gudauta and Psou. Also, buses and minibuses go to the cave from Pitsunda (from the central square) and from Sukhum (from the railway station). The road is not long, only about 20 minutes, and very beautiful. You will need to get off at the Rakushka stop, and then head towards the New Athos Monastery. 
Just before the entrance to the caves you will see a three-story light building. This is where tickets to the cave are sold. The estimated cost of an adult ticket is 500 rubles. If you want to take photographs inside the cave, you will need to pay in advance for a photography permit in the amount of 50 rubles, otherwise you will have to pay a significant fine of 1000 rubles. According to the schedule, the sale of tickets to the cave ends at 17:00 in the evening, but keep in mind that there are very long queues in which you can sometimes stand for at least an hour.
Excursions to the New Athos Cave are very comfortable, everything necessary is provided for this. Before opening the cave for tourist visits, a special transport system, which takes tourists to all open halls caves. 
When the group is finally formed, all its participants are invited to go into the carriages (similar to a subway) of a narrow-gauge railway, making an intermediate stop in the Abkhazia hall. This road is electrified. The underground excursion route is a total of 1.4 kilometers, and the length of the narrow-gauge railway itself is approximately 2 kilometers.
In the New Athos Cave, its visitors descend to a depth of 160 meters. The duration of the excursion on average is approximately 1.5 hours, it is accompanied by a guide who will tell you not only about the history of the entire cave as a whole, but also about each room separately.
As in all underground caves, it is also very cold here, so it would be a good idea to take warm clothes with you. And also keep in mind that in some places in the cave it is slippery and wet, so make sure that you have comfortable and waterproof shoes on your feet. 
Each of the cave halls has its own old and new - more modern name. The first hall of Anakopia (formerly Abkhazia) is famous for its the most beautiful lake. The largest of the halls, the Hall of Speleologists (or Mahajirs), was previously simply called the Canyon.
In the Narta Hall (formerly Clay) there is a lake clouded by clayey rocks. It is notable for the fact that it contains small-sized crustaceans. And around the lake lives an eyeless breed of bugs - triwhiskers. The low and very narrow hall of Ayukha (formerly Moscow) apparently was previously the bed of an ancient river.
The Apkhertsa Hall (formerly Iveria) stands out for its unique acoustics. And literally every note sounded here takes on extraordinary melody. This is probably why concerts of the Abkhaz choir periodically take place here. In the Apsny hall (Tbilisi earlier) you will be amazed by it extraordinary beauty and an extraordinary stone waterfall that seems to be cascading down from a hole in the wall. 
Well, the highest of the halls (its ceiling height reaches as much as 100 meters) is named in memory of the discoverer of the New Athos cave, Givi Smyra. Previously it was called Sukhum. In the Helict Hall you will encounter helactites - formations growing right from the ceiling. They curl upward in the most incomprehensible way or throw out their numerous processes - threads - to the sides. Scientists still absolutely do not understand the reason for their such unusual growth.
It must be said that literally each of the cave halls is marked by its unique beauty. Your entire excursion will be accompanied by music, and all the stalactites and stalagmites of various shades will be illuminated to match their natural colors, thereby creating the feeling that you are in a real underground fairy tale. In general, a visit to the New Athos Cave leaves the most indelible impressions on all tourists. 
There is also a souvenir shop outside the territory where you can easily buy fragments of crystals, stalactites and stalagmites as souvenirs, colorful postcards and a disc with a tour of the cave.