Description of the attraction
New Athos Cave is one of the largest caves in the territory of the Republic of Abkhazia. Located in the depths of the Iverskaya Mountain, the cave is a massive karst cavity with a volume of approximately 1 million cubic meters. The New Athos cave hid its secrets for millions of years and was explored relatively recently - in 1961.
Since ancient times, the attention of the inhabitants of New Athos has been attracted by a huge gap under the slope of the Iverskaya Mountain. A large well with sheer walls lost in the darkness was named the Bottomless Pit. No one dared to go down there. The first attempt to descend into the black mouth of the cave was made by a local resident Givi Smyr. And in 1961 a whole expedition was organized to explore this mysterious place, as a result of which a real miracle was discovered underground.
The New Athos Cave was opened for visitors in 1975. The length of the route in the cave is about 2 km. The route passes through 8 halls: Anakopia, Narta, Speleologists, Deer, Coralite gallery, Ayukhaa gallery, Aphertsa and Apsny hall. Many halls are not yet accessible to untrained tourists.
The largest hall of the New Athos Cave is the Mahajirs Hall, and the highest is the Speleologists Hall. Its length is 260 m, width - about 75 m, and height - 50 m. The Hall of Speleologists is the third largest cave hall in Abkhazia. The most beautiful halls of the New Athos cave are the halls named after Givi Smyr, the Helictite grotto, Anakopia and the Corallite gallery.
The main attraction of the Anakopia Hall is Lake Anatolia. Its area is 1000 square meters, and the depth is up to 26 m. Also, there is a beautiful Blue Lake. Hall Helictite Grotto is used for scientific work. It has a huge number of helictites of various colors, as well as the amazing stone waterfall Apsny, 20 m high and 6 m wide.
The New Athos Cave has four entrances, three of them artificial, as well as a drainage gallery specially made from the Hall of the Disappearing Lake. The only natural entrance through which the researchers initially entered the cavity of the Bottomless Pit is in the ceiling of the Anakopia Hall.
