New Athos Cave
The New Athos Cave is a cave in Abkhazia located under the Iverskaya Mountain. The cave is considered one of the largest caves in Abkhazia and anyone can visit it.
Givi Smyr noticed the entrance to the cave in 1961, later he informed the speleologists about it and they all started the descent together. They were the first to enter the hall, which is now called "Anakopia", 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, and 3 of them are of artificial origin: in the Anakopia and Apsny halls and another entrance in the hall of the "Disappearing Lake" for water drainage. The largest hall in the cave is the Mahadjir Hall (260 meters long, 50 meters high and 75 meters wide). The "Helictite Grotto" hall is open only to researchers, as they conduct their research here. The most beautiful halls are considered to be the Helictite Grotto, the Givi Smyr Memorial, as well as the gallery of Stone flowers.
After a full survey of the New Athos Cave in 1975, tourists were allowed to visit it. To do this, they dug a tunnel through which the Tourist, a unique narrow-gauge electric train designed specifically for the cave complex, traveled. The railway is 1.3 kilometers long 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, and calcium "flowers." There are large lakes in the cave, the depth of the largest is 26 meters, the area is 1000 m2. In some halls there are large layers of clay, amounting in places to 30 meters. The temperature in the cave is 12-14 °C all year round, with a relative humidity of almost 100%. All the conditions have led to the fact that numerous snails, cyclopes, sponges, and beetles feel great here. There are also bats that hibernate in a deep cave.
