CAVE OF LAKES

Private Daily Tour at “CAVE OF LAKES”

A rare and beautiful natural phenomenon

The ‘Cave of the Lakes’ is situated about 120 kms from Athens, near the village of Kastria. A stunning freak of nature, it is a treasure trove of labyrinthine corridors, mysterious galleries and strange stalactite formations. But there is more – deep inside the cave you find string of cascading lakes forming three different levels, unique in the world.

A visit here is multi-dimensional. At one level it is a place of wonder and incredible natural beauty. At the same time it is a site of much cultural and historic interest dating back to 6,000 BCE. It’s a nine hour round trip, but well worth the effort.

Highlights

• Castalia caves
• Geology
• Geomorphology
• Microclimate
• Paleontology
• Zoology
• Anthropology

THE VISIT

Geologically speaking, the cave is an old subterranean river whose explored length is 1980 meters. In winter when the snow melts, the river forms natural waterfalls. In the summer months, part of the cave dries up revealing a lacework of stone-basins and dams up to 4m in height. The rest of the cave retains water permanently throughout the year in 13 picturesque lakes.

The accessible part of the cave is currently 500 meters long with artistic lighting. Visitors enter the cave through an artificial tunnel, leading directly to the second floor where the vista is awe-inspiring. The passage from lake to lake is possible by small man-made bridges.

PALEONTOLOGICAL INTEREST

On the cave’s lower floor human and animal fossils, including a hippopotamus were found. This part of the cave will eventually become a biological cave laboratory of international standing. The early findings date to the Late Neolithic, the Early, Middle and Late Bronze Ages.

The site was inhabited for long periods of time, the first indications going back to the sixth millennium B.C, and experts suggest the cave had been the nucleus of a small Neolithic community, with a farm. The discovery in the cave of fossil bones of deer and hippopotami has raised, among others, questions related to the area's fauna and flora.

THE GREEK LEGEND

The experts may say one thing but, according to Greek legend, Tirynth, Lyssippi, Ifinoy and Ifianassa, daughters of King Proitos, bragged that they were more beautiful than the Goddess Hera and scorned worship of the God Dionysus. Zeus’s mate couldn’t forgive their vanity and took their sanity, making them believe they were heifers running wild on the mountains and meadows of the Peloponnese, infecting the women of Argolida with the craze of infanticide. Eventually they arrived at the cave of Aroanios were they were found by Melambodas who cured them.

Info & Facilities

•  Duration: Approx 9 hours
• Dep: Time requested by customer
• Vehicles are disinfected daily
• Drivers are vaccinated for COVID-19