New Athos Cave
Novoafon cave - a cave in Abkhazia located under the Iverskaya mountain. The cave is considered one of the largest caves of Abkhazia and anyone can visit it.
In 1961, Givi Smyr noticed the entrance to the cave, later he informed the speleologists about this and they all started the descent together. They were the first to enter the hall, now called "Aacopia", located at a depth of 135 meters. Gradually, other halls were opened, of which there are nine. The total depth of the cave is 183 meters, and the length is 3285 meters. There are 4 entrances to the cave, 3 of them of artificial origin: in the hall of Anakapiya and Apsna and another entrance in the hall of the "Disappearing Lake" for water disposal. The largest hall in the cave is the Mahajir Hall ( its length is 260 meters, height 50 and width 75 meters ). The Helictite Grotto Hall is open only to scientists, because here they conduct their research. The most beautiful halls are the Helictite Grotto, the Givi Smyr aal, as well as the Stone Flowers Gallery.
After a full examination of the New Athos Cave in 1975, she was allowed to visit tourists. To do this, a tunnel was dug through which the one-of-a-kind narrow-track electric train "Tourist", designed specifically for the cave complex, drove. The length of the railway is 1.3 kilometers and consists of 3 stations. In 2014, the train was replaced with a modern one.
The halls and chambers of the New Athos Cave are decorated with white and amber stalactites, stalagmites, columns, fountains, calcium "flowers". The cave has large lakes, the depth of the largest 26 meters, an area of 1000 m2. In some rooms there are large layering of clay, which in places are 30 meters. The temperature in the cave all year round is 12-14 ° C, with a relative humidity of almost 100%. All conditions led to the fact that numerous snails, cyclops, sponges, bugs feel great here. There are also bats that winter in a deep cave.
