What is the name of the largest cave in the world. Shondong - the largest cave in the world (25 photos)

Caves have served as a refuge for humans since the dawn of civilization. And today, these underground voids attract brave cavers seeking to penetrate as deep as possible into the heart of the Earth.

Today's top ten contains largest caves in the world. Two of them are located on the territory of Abkhazia, which allows hundreds of Russian tourists to visit these natural monuments every year.

"Optimistic" is the largest gypsum cave in the world. It is located on the territory of Ukraine in the Ternopil region. The cave has not been fully explored, but the length of the corridors known to speleologists is 230 km.

9. Ox-Bel-Ha

The name of this system of underwater caves translated from one of the Indian dialects means “three paths of water.” The system is located in Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula, the total length of the corridors is 256 km.

8. Jewel Cave System

Located in South Dakota, the cave system has a total length of more than 257 km. There are strong drafts in the galleries of the cave, gusts of which reach 15 m/s. The maximum depth of the cave is 192 meters.

7. Lamprechtsofen

This cave system is located in the Austrian state of Salzburg. Its length is 38 km, and its maximum depth is 1,632 meters. It is noteworthy that the practical Austrians built a mini-power plant in the cave, which produces energy from the flow of an underground river.

6. Mammoth Cave

Located in Kentucky (USA), the karst cave is considered the longest in the world. The length of the studied part of the crossings exceeds 587 km. The cave was discovered in 1797. Its maximum depth is 115 meters.

5. Snezhnaya

One of the deepest caves in the world is located in Abkhazia. Its depth is 1,753 meters, and the length of all corridors, sometimes quite low, is more than 24 km. “Snezhnaya” is a system of three caves that are connected to each other without siphons - underwater tunnels filled with water.

4. Škocjan Caves

The cave system, located in the mountains of Slovenia, has a length of 6 km. The height of the vaults reaches 50 meters. The cave system has more than 30 underground waterfalls, and there is also a 15-meter stalagmite, nicknamed the Giant.

3. Grotto Sarawak

Located on the island of Borneo, the grotto is 400 meters wide, 700 meters long and up to 70 meters high. The grotto is part huge cave Gua Nasib Bagus. Only prepared tourists are allowed on excursions to Sarawak; visiting the grotto lasts the whole day.

2. Krubera Cave

It is also called the Crow Cave, and it is located in the Gagra ridge on the territory of Abkhazia. The cave has two branches and is the deepest in the world. The depth of the first branch is 2,196 meters, the second is 1,300 meters.

1. Son Doong Cave

The world's largest cave is located in Vietnam 500 km from Hanoi. The height of the cave arches is up to 240 meters, the width is 100 meters, and the length of the passages and corridors has been studied so far for only 6.5 km. Cavers discovered the grotto in 2005, although locals had known about Shondong since 1991.

Our planet is a place of amazing wonders and unusual mysteries. It would seem that man has mastered even the most remote corners of the Earth, but has not yet discovered all its secrets. In addition to those known to everyone, there are a huge number of man-made and natural objects that capture the imagination and minds of all mankind. Among them is the largest in a unique formation with its own ecosystem. Let's talk about where it is, when it was opened and what distinctive features possesses.

Shondong: size statistics

Shondong is the largest cave in the world. Such a statement by local residents was supported by facts obtained by a research expedition from England in 2009. According to dry statistical figures, the formation has a volume of about 38.5 million cubic meters, a height of about 200 meters, and a width of about 150 meters. Once in such an underground kingdom, willy-nilly, any person can be confused by the grandeur, size and scope.

History of discovery

The unofficial history of the cave begins in 1991; it was from this period of time that the local population mentioned its presence; before this date, no information was provided. At the same time, we should not forget that an underground grotto of colossal size was formed water element for at least two million years in a row. Evidence of the cave's considerable age are huge stalagmites, as well as other bizarre stone formations.

How to get to the cave?

Where is the largest cave in the world? Vietnam, Quang Binh Province - this is the address you will have to follow to visit it. Not far from the border with Laos, in these places there is a national natural park called Phong Nha - Ke Bang, and it is here that a unique natural formation is located. Finding the entrance to the cave is quite difficult, this is due to the fact that it is located in a rather wild area, in the kingdom of mountains and jungle. Perhaps this fact explains the fact that for a long time the underground formation was not discovered and was not explored even after its discovery at the end of the 20th century. Descent underground is carried out using ropes, which is also a rather serious obstacle and test.

Beauty and features of Shondong

What is the largest cave in the world famous for? Photos of the formation amaze with their amazing beauty and scale. First of all, most travelers are amazed by the water that flows in the bowels of the earth and in solid rocks for several kilometers. The most desperate daredevils even pitch tents on its banks, but you won’t be able to enjoy the silence away from civilization here either. The splash of water and the howl of the wind in the depths of the cave create a frightening atmosphere worthy of any horror film.

In addition to the river, Shondong also has its own green spaces and jungle, in which indigenous inhabitants may also be present. So, various insects and snakes are found here, a little less often birds and even monkeys. Unique feature The local ecosystem is considered to have a unique underground climate. Fogs and clouds that are familiar to us can be found even underground, which in itself is very unusual and intriguing. In fact, this is explained quite simply: a significant temperature difference between the surface and the underground leads to the formation of clouds and other similar phenomena.

You can visit Son Doong at any time, except during the rainy season. During this period, the caves are filled with water to a dangerous level, which means that visiting them can be extremely dangerous for the lives of researchers.

Other contenders for the main title

At different times, the title of the largest cave in the world was claimed by:

Unique dungeons of the world

Now that you know the name of the largest cave in the world, you can talk about other unique underground kingdoms that are popular among lovers of extreme recreation and unity with nature. So, the list of the most interesting formations can include:

Kingdom of Ice

The world's largest ice cave is located in New Zealand and has the complex name Isrisennvelt; its area is approximately 300 square kilometers, which allows it to be the absolute record holder in its category in terms of size. Beautiful and cold ice formations are found in Iceland (Vatnajekull is prohibited from visiting in the warm season due to the high risks of melting and collapse), in Russia (grotto in Austria.

Movie about a cave

Delight and inspiration - this is what the largest cave in the world evokes in people. Sanctum, science fiction film about the cave, filmed in 2011, tells the story of a group of researchers descending into the depths of unexplored dungeons. A brutal struggle with a dangerous and unknown element leads to very disastrous consequences, reminding viewers not only of the beauty of the caves, but also of the threat to life hidden in their unknown nature.

The largest cave in the world is currently located in Vietnam, but research in order to understand our world is carried out regularly and systematically, which means that unique finds will not be long in coming. It is likely that very soon we will become acquainted with new natural phenomena, no less fantastic and beautiful than those already known to mankind.

No human structure can compare with the greatest caves in the world in beauty and grandeur. We offer you a selection of twenty of the most stunning caves and grottoes from all over our planet.

Caves are one of the most amazing creations of nature. Among the many dirty and damp “sheds” there are real palaces and temples, as if created as a mockery of the architectural tricks of people. No human structure can compare with the greatest caves in the world in beauty and grandeur. We offer you a selection of twenty of the most stunning caves and grottoes from all over our planet.

1. Cave of Crystals (Cueva de los Cristales), Mexico

The Cave of Crystals was discovered in 2000 by the Sanchez brothers, miners who were digging a new tunnel in the mine complex. It is located 300 meters below the city of Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. The cave is unique for the presence of giant selenite crystals. The largest crystal found is 11 m long and 4 m wide, weighing 55 tons. These are some of the largest known crystals. The cave is very hot, temperatures reach 58 °C with a humidity of 90-100%. These factors make it very difficult for people to explore the cave, making it necessary to use special equipment. Even with equipment, the stay in the cave usually does not exceed 20 minutes.

2. Waitomo Glowworm Cave, New Zealand

Waitomo Caves are truly a masterpiece of nature, on which she has worked for many millions of years. For many centuries, the ocean ruled here, creating bizarre limestone growths and mysterious intricacies of passages. And then the water receded, forming a system of about 150 caves. The most famous of them is Glowworm Cave. It's inhabited amazing creatures– Arachnocampa Luminosa. These are fireflies that can only be found in New Zealand. Their green-blue glow makes the cave roof look like starry sky on a frosty night.

3. Blue Grotto (Grotto Azzurra), Italy

This is a beautiful cave, accessible only from the sea. The name “Blue Grotto” comes from the bright blue color of its waters. The entrance to the cave is very small and lets in a small amount of light, which gives the water its bright color.

4. Vatnajokull Glacier Cave, Iceland

Sunlight, scattering across the surface of the Svínafellsjökull glacier, paints amazing pictures on the arches of the ice cave, creating the illusion of being on deep sea. The depth of the underground passage does not exceed 50 meters, and the width of the cave is only 10 meters. IN winter months A cracking sound is heard inside, caused by the movement of the glacier.

Such pure azure and blue shades are the result of the absence of air bubbles in the ice. You can see colored ice under certain weather conditions; one of them is the absence or minimum quantity snow on the surface. The rich sky blue ice is best seen in January and February; It is during this period that shades of azure, framed by snow cover, look fantastic.

You can only get into the cave in the winter months: narrow ice passages are accessible to tourists only with the onset of frost. At other times, being here can be dangerous; melting ice vaults often collapse under the snow mass.

5. Phraya Nakhon, Thailand

It's not actually a cave, but a huge valley that is 65 meters deep and 50 meters wide, with overhanging walls covered with plants and stalactites. At certain times of the day, light enters, illuminating the small temple

6. Marble Caves of Patagonia, Chile

Despite their name, they are made of ordinary limestone, but there is an opinion that in the depths of the caves there are pure deposits of marble. The walls of the Chilean landmark are a surprisingly beautiful bright blue color, and the blue water of the lake doubles the impression of what you see. It is also worth mentioning that the caves consist of many labyrinths and tunnels, which were created by the coastal waves.

7. Glacier caves in the area of ​​Mutnovsky volcano, Russia

A small and very beautiful snow cave on the slope of Mutnovsky volcano.

8. Dongzhong Cave, China

Dongzhong Cave (whose name simply translates as “cave”) is located in the village of Mao in the Chinese province of Guizhou. Since 1984, the cave has been equipped as a primary school.

9. Fingal's Cave, Scotland

Famous sea cave washed out into the rock sea ​​water, on the island of Staffa, part of the Inner Hebrides group. The walls are composed of vertical hexagonal basalt columns 69 meters deep and 20 meters high. For three centuries it has been a place of artistic pilgrimage and has inspired the work of many famous artists, musicians and writers.

10. Reed Flute Cave, China

Reed Flute Cave (Ludi Yan) - amazing creation nature, located in Guilin (China). Around the cave grows a special type of reed, from which in the old days the best flutes in all of China were made, it was this fact that served as the basis for this beautiful name. The Ludi Yan Cave, like the Waitomo Cave, has lighting, but not natural, but “artificial” - artificial. With its help, the Chinese successfully emphasize the beauty of nature’s impeccable creation. Multi-colored lights playfully color stalactites and other bizarre rock formations, making the cave even brighter and more fabulous.

11. Fantastic Pit at Ellison’s Cave, Georgia, USA

If you are an extreme adventurer and also an amateur caver, then Ellison Cave is ideal for you, namely its bizarre 179-meter deep shaft.

12. Kyaut Sae Cave in Myanmar

Few people know about this cave, but nevertheless it is stunning both for its size and for the fact that it houses a Buddhist temple.

13. Son Doong Cave, Vietnam

The largest cave in the world. It is located in Central Vietnam, in Quang Binh province, in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, 500 kilometers south of Hanoi and 40 km from the provincial center - Dong Hoi. This cave has been known to local residents since 1991; in April 2009, it was discovered by a group of British speleologists. The cave has an underground river that floods some parts of the cave during the rainy season.

14. Ice Cave Eisriesenwelt, Austria

The Eisriesenwelt Caves are the largest ice cave system on our planet that can be viewed. Translated, Eisriesenwelt means “giant ice world" The caves are located in the Alps in Austria at an altitude of 1641 meters and consist of 30 thousand cubic meters. meters of ice. These caves were formed by the waters of the Salzach River, which eroded the limestone rocks over thousands of years. Currently, the river bed is located below the entrance to the caves.

The Eisriesenwelt caves were discovered by accident back in 1849. For a long time, only hunters and poachers knew about them. The official opening date of the Eisriesenwelt caves is considered to be 1879, when the Austrian naturalist from Salzburg, Anton von Posselt-Czorich, first penetrated 200 meters deep into the caves. A year later, he published a detailed report about his discovery in a mountaineering magazine, but this information did not arouse sufficient interest.

15. Orda Cave, Russia

Orda Cave is the longest underwater gypsum cave in Russia and one of the longest in the world. This place is a real paradise for divers. The cave begins with the Crystal Grotto. In the northwestern corner of this grotto there is Lake Ledyanoe. The passage on the left will lead to the next grotto - the Ice Palace. Here is Lake Main, and a little further away is Lake Teploe. Through these lakes, divers enter the mysterious underwater part of the cave. The water here is extremely clean, transparent, bluish in color and very cold (+ 4 degrees)

16. Carlsbad Caverns, USA

Under the arches of the Guadalupe Mountains in New Mexico hide endless labyrinths of halls, tunnels and corridors, the main inhabitants of which bats. The charm of the Carlsbad Caverns becomes more charming and mysterious with the advent of dusk. The park and caves got their name in honor of the nearby city of Carlsbad.

17. Barton Creek Cave, Belize

This cave not only has extraordinary natural beauty, but is also a living witness to the household items of the ancient Mayans, who inhabited this territory more than 2000 years ago. In it you can see many grandiose stalactites and stalagmites, ancient jugs and religious bowls of the May Indians, traces of religious human sacrifices

18. Jeita Grotto Caves, Lebanon

a complex of two caves in Lebanon 20 kilometers north of Beirut. The upper cave was discovered in 1836 by William Thomson, and the lower cave was discovered in 1958 by Lebanese speleologists. The length of the Upper Cave is 2200 meters, but only a part of it, which is 750 meters long, is open to tourists. The Upper Cave has three halls, each of which reaches a height of 100 meters or more. There are unique underground reservoirs, very beautiful crevices, various stalagmites and stalactites. The length of the Lower Cave is much larger than the Upper Cave and is equal to 6900 meters

19. Kango Caves, South Africa

Cango Caves, unofficially called a wonder of the world. The caves are famous for their “Organ Hall” - stalactites descending along the walls here form something reminiscent of a large organ, which, combined with music and lighting effects, makes an indelible impression on visitors

20. Aven Armand Cave, France

A special funicular takes visitors 50 meters deep through a tunnel that is 200 meters long. There suddenly turns out to be a huge hall that could easily fit Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

April 14th, 2013

Mammoth Cave is a place of beauty, mystery and paradox. This is a real kingdom of underground lakes and canyons, waterfalls and streams, narrow passages and large domed halls. Located 80 km from Bowling Green, Kentucky, the cave contains one of the world's largest underground tunnel systems, which is why it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Mysterious sinkholes, underground waterfalls and cave formations in gypsum karst attract many visitors. No one yet knows the true size of the Mammoth Cave. New caves and passages are constantly opening up, the underground boundaries of this spectacular labyrinth expanding deeper and deeper into the depths of the underworld. Mammoth Cave is the world's longest underground labyrinth system, if the second and third longest caves in the world were combined, it would still remain the longest in the world with a margin of 160 km!

People have entered Mammoth Cave and lived here since historical times. Anthropologists believe that Native Americans first discovered it about 4,000 years ago. For lighting, they used torches made from bunches of reeds still growing nearby. The charred remains of these ancient torches were found for many kilometers inside the cave. Almost 5 kilometers from the entrance, the mummified body of a gypsum miner who died about 2000 years ago was found. He was crushed to death by a huge 5-ton boulder. The human body and clothing are well preserved.

The cave has been known to Indian tribes since time immemorial. In the cave speleologists mummies of Indian tribes were found. Mammoth Cave was discovered by American colonists back in 1797. Legend has it that the first European to discover Mammoth Cave was either John Houchine or his brother Francis Houchine. In 1797, while hunting, Houchin pursued a wounded bear and discovered the entrance to a cave near the Green River.

Then in 1798, Valentine Simon acquired a cave for the development and extraction of potassium nitrate. As a result of the Anglo-American War of 1812-1814, prices for saltpeter skyrocketed. During the War of 1812, the cave served as an important source of saltpeter, which was extracted using labor mainly from the black population of America. Saltpeter production at that time had great value, since it served as a key component for the manufacture of gunpowder. During the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain, much of the saltpeter needed for the war effort was mined from Mammoth Cave. Its owners relied on the labor of 70 African slaves to extract this valuable mineral.

Further, Mammoth Cave was purchased by entrepreneurs Charles Wilkins and Hyman Gratz for the industrial production of nitrate and calcium nitrate. But the war ended and, as a result of the decline in demand for saltpeter, prices began to fall, which made the extraction of saltpeter extremely unprofitable. The mining and production of saltpeter was stopped, and the cave was turned into a tourist attraction of local importance, and subsequently of global significance.

At the end of the war in 1815, prices for saltpeter fell sharply, and its extraction became unprofitable. However, people who learned about the cave began to visit it to see with their own eyes the enormous size of this underground miracle. In the following decades, the cave became a popular tourist attraction.

In 1838, the cave was purchased by slave owner Franklin Gorin. Gorin appointed one of his slaves, Stephen Bishop, as an escort for the then visitors to the cave. Bishop made attempts to explore the cave, which were fairly successful. AND Bishop became the first explorer of the cave. Bishop discovered many interesting and beautiful places in the cave, to which he also gave his names. Bishop was the first to successfully cross the so-called. Bottomless pit. After which Bishop concluded that the cave has a much greater extent than previously thought. Subsequently, Bishop compiled a map, which included more than 16 kilometers of routes he laid out. This map was the only guide to Mammoth Cave for 40 years.

Stephen Bishop turned out to be a talented explorer and guide. He made many discoveries that increased the cave's popularity over the next decade. Stephen became the first person to cross the Bottomless Pit, a large hole over 30 meters deep. Stephen Bishop became one of the most famous guides in the history of Mammoth Cave, and almost everyone who visited the cave needed his advice. Many of his discoveries are described in the guidebook Rambles in the Mammoth Cave.

Later in 1839, doctor John Croghan bought the cave together with slaves, including Bishop, from Gorin. John Krogan made attempts to turn the caves into a medical and preventive hospital, but without much success.

Dr. Krogan was interested in possible healing properties caves. He believed that the cave's constant temperature and humidity could be beneficial for people suffering from tuberculosis. In the spring of 1842, he housed those suffering from this disease in wooden and stone houses built in the center of the cave. Visitors from that period spoke of the constant coughing they heard from patients living in these houses. In 1843, the experiment ended in complete failure. Several patients died and the condition of others worsened. It is obvious that the high humidity inside the cave and low temperature only harmed, and did not help sick people. Two stone houses are still preserved in Mammoth Cave as a memory of this experiment. Ironically, Dr. Croghan himself died from this serious illness in 1849.

Attempts to turn the cave into a tuberculosis sanatorium were unsuccessful. And in 1845, Alexander Bullitt published the book Rambles in Mammoth Cave, during the Year 1844, by a Visiter. Gradually, Mammoth Cave became more famous. And with the construction of transport arteries to nearby cities in late XIX century, made it possible for tourists to visit the caves. This is what later made the Mammoth Cave an important tourist attraction. USA.

In the 1920s and 1930s, attempts were made, which were subsequently crowned with success, to acquire land holdings around the cave. And thanks to these efforts, both on the part of the authorities and on the part of interested citizens, the Mammoth Cave National Park was created in 1941.

Further in the course scientific research from 1954 to 1961, speleological expeditions found that Mammoth Cave, as well as a number of other nearby caves, Kristalnaya, Neizvestnaya and Solyonaya, are part of one karst cave system. In 1972, a speleological expedition that conducted research in Mammoth Cave, based on its research, concluded that Mammoth Cave was connected to the nearby Flint Ridge cave system. This means that all the caves in this area are nothing more than one whole cave system.

Kentucky Cave Wars

Difficulties in management agriculture on infertile, poor soils was the reason for the desire of the owners of small caves located near Mamontovaya to switch from farming to other types of business. Thanks to the development of transport in the first quarter of the 20th century - rail and road - the number of visitors to the cave increased significantly. In the mid-1920s, the area around Mammoth Cave became the center of what historians have called the “Kentucky Cave Wars,” a period of intense competition between local cave owners to generate money from tourism.

The widespread practice of deception was used to lure tourists to other destinations. large caves. Along the roads leading to Mammoth Cave, fake road signs, misleading tourists and directing them to other caves. The owners of these small caves made visitors think that they had visited Mamontova, when in reality it was a completely different cave. A typical strategy at the initial stage of the emergence of automobile travel was that the capper (a person luring simpletons), jumping on the step of a passing tourist’s car, convinced passengers that Mammoth Cave was closed, quarantined, collapsed, in a word, inaccessible to visit and suggested they visit another cave.

Creation national park Mammoth Cave

After Dr. Krogan's death, his nephews and nieces held the cave as trustees until the last of his heirs died in 1926. According to his will, after the death of the last heir, Mammoth Cave should be sold at an open auction. With the death of Dr. Krogan's last heir, a movement spread among wealthy residents of Kentucky to create a national park on the territory of the cave. Citizens of the state formed public organization Association National Park Mammoth cave. They believed that the only way to ensure its protection for future generations was to create a national park.

Mammoth Cave was considered a clear candidate for park status and state support. In reality, the national park project proved difficult because, unlike parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite, the area around Mammoth Cave was occupied by farmers and local businesses, many of whom were unwilling to leave their lands and opposed the creation of a national park. parka.

On May 25, 1926, President Calvin Coolidge signed legislation creating Mammoth Cave National Park. The law made the creation of the park contingent on donations of land to the federal government.

Some farm lands were acquired using donations from wealthy citizens, while other plots of land were acquired under the state's legal right to alienate private property. Unlike the formation of other US national parks in sparsely populated areas of the country, thousands of people were forced to forcibly move to other places of residence. Like the American Indians who originally inhabited the area, the descendants of European settlers who arrived in the Green River Valley in the 1790s were also forced to leave the area.

Mammoth Cave National Park was officially opened on July 1, 1941 to "protect the unique underground labyrinth, the rolling hills above, and the Green River Valley."

How was the cave formed?

An ancient sea covered the central part of the modern United States 325 million years ago, depositing more than 180 meters of soluble limestone, later covered by a layer of sandstones and shales deposited ancient river. Top layer covered the lower one like an umbrella. The sea and river disappeared, and the forces of erosion eroded this top layer about 10 million years ago, when cracks and holes exposed the limestones outward. Geologists believe that old part Mammoth Cave began to form about 10 million years ago. Rainwater, oxidized by carbon dioxide in the soil, seeped through the cracks and began to dissolve the limestone, creating a labyrinth of passages, amphitheatres, rooms and voids that we know as Mammoth Cave.

Many internal features, such as stalagmites, stalactites and columns, were formed at the rate of one cubic inch every 100 to 200 years.

Why is it called “Mammoth Cave”?

The name Mammoth was first used to describe the cave in the early 1800s. The name was used due to the enormous size of the systems of labyrinths and passages, and has nothing to do with the mammoth. Any information about the discovery of mammoth remains here is untrue.

How long is Mammoth Cave?

To date, researchers have mapped 584 km of passages, making Mammoth Cave the longest cave system in the world. Explorers are still discovering new passages, and, as they often say, “there is no end in sight.” Professional speleologists continue to study the cave system, compiling new maps and discovering new passages, many of which make up difficult-to-reach corridors.

Bats

Mammoth Cave once had a population of 9-12 million bats in the historical section alone. Although bats continue to live in the cave, today their numbers do not exceed several thousand. Now ecologists are working on a program to restore the bat population.

Tourism and attractions of Mammoth Cave

The US National Park Service offers visitors a number of cave tours. Tours last from one to six hours. Two excursions are conducted using only paraffin lamps, and are a popular alternative to the electrically lit routes. Several "wild" tours veer away from the well-developed parts of the cave and lead into dusty tunnels.

The park's tours are distinguished by the quality of their explanatory programs. Tourist information varies depending on the tour chosen, so by taking multiple tours, tourists will learn about different aspects of the cave's formation and history.

The six-hour tour is most popular among tourists. The groups pass through Cleveland Avenue, which is a long cylindrical hall carved out groundwater. Its walls shine with white plaster, crystallized under a layer of limestone. The route then passes through the Snowball Dining Room, where you can stop and grab a bite to eat. The tour then proceeds through Boone Avenue, a deep ravine so narrow in width that you can easily touch the opposite walls of the passage with both hands. The tour ends at Frozen Niagara. Mineral-rich water seeping through the rock gradually formed Frozen Niagara, characteristic feature which is the presence of stalactites, stalagmites, images of stone waves on the walls, simulating the fall of water.

One of the parts of Mammoth Cave is called the Methodist Church, where it is believed that religious ceremonies in the early 1800s. Visitors to this part of the cave are given the opportunity to experience what the first tourists felt. The guide turns off the lights and lights the torches, and visitors see with their own eyes what the cave looked like before electric lighting was installed here.

Buta Amphitheater - other famous place Mammoth Cave, he was visited by actor Edwin Booth, brother Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth. Edwin Booth is said to have read Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy at this location.

Nearby is a deep hole in the ground known as the Bottomless Pit. It was named by the first guides of the cave, unable to see its bottom through the weak light of oil lamps. The depth of the Bottomless Pit is 32 meters.

Entrance to Mammoth Cave. One of the most famous and most photographed objects in the park. It is especially good when you look out from the middle of the cave.

The once most famous and popular Eco River Tour, during which tourists had the opportunity to ride a boat on an underground river, was canceled in the early 1990s due to environmental reasons. In addition, maintaining the cave passages for public viewing, subject to periodic floods, was incredibly expensive. During the season, tourists are offered a cave tour that allows them to see the underground river.

Visitors to the national park rarely see more than 20 km of passages available for excursions. If there is free time, you can explore the cave on your own. Other activities include hiking and horseback riding in the park's more than 112 km2 of surface area, fishing and boating on the Green River.

Peak tourist season the park's opening hours fall during the summer, when an average of 5,000 to 7,000 visitors visit the park daily. Approximately 500,000 tourists visit the cave every year.

Mammoth Cave formed more than 10 million years ago in a thick limestone bed beneath the Big Clifty Sandstone in the western foothills of the Appalachians under the Flint Ridge. The top layer of sandstone covers and protects most of the cave from seeping water. Therefore, the upper passages of the cave are very dry, which explains the absence stalactites, stalagmites and other sinter formations. But in some places, thanks to erosion and cracks, water still penetrates into the cave, forming beautiful panoramas, for example in the “Frozen Niagara” hall. Water, accumulating at lower levels, forms lakes and rivers. One of these underground rivers, the Echo River, is up to 60 meters wide and about 10 meters deep. Until the 1990s, frequent tourist boat excursions were held on the river, but were subsequently discontinued due to financial difficulties and environmental concerns.

Caves have always attracted people with their mystery, uniqueness, as well as original combinations of bizarre sculptures, often reminiscent of fantasy images of mythical heroes.

Grottoes often served many people as a roof over their heads, a reliable shelter from bad weather, and a place of blessed hermitage. And now that many of them have become accessible to visitors, anyone can become a little closer to their own history, which is so fascinating and alluring.

Kungur cave

She is considered the most beautiful in Russia. And this is not surprising, because, once inside, every person experiences a strong feeling that he has entered the kingdom itself Snow Queen. All this is because the entire cave surface is covered with eternal layers of ice and frost. According to scientists, the age of the ice layers reaches about 10 thousand years.

The views that tourists have the opportunity to admire are truly impressive. Ice droplets here gather into magnificent crystals, shimmering in many colors. This is achieved thanks to a lighting system based on laser illumination. There are also man-made ice sculptures here.

Surprisingly, despite the eternally reigning cold, a person once lived in the cave. This is evidenced by the hermit's hut discovered here, a dug well, as well as a lost bast shoe.

Where is it located and how to get there? The cave is located near the city of Kungur (Perm region). You can get here by bus from Yekaterinburg.

Batovskaya Cave

It is considered the longest cave in all of Russia, because its length reaches about 62,103 meters.

The cave was discovered completely by accident: a local hunter, following the trail of a bear, suddenly came across the entrance to it.

Inside the grotto there are permanent lakes one and a half meters deep and ten meters long. The uniqueness of the attraction lies in the fact that it is based on both limestone and sandstone. And this is rare, since most karst caves consist exclusively of limestone. Botovskaya Cave is considered a horizontal type cave, representing a labyrinth of intricate passages.

Where is it located and how to get there? The facility is located in the Irkutsk region, near the village of Konoshalovo. It is recommended to consult guides to get to the cave. It is impossible to drive close to the entrance by car.

Barlog's Throat

Counts deepest cave Russia. So, its depth is about 900 meters, and its length reaches 3000 meters. It got its name in honor of the character of the same name from The Lord of the Rings. After all, when the researchers had to go deep down, negotiating the path along a narrow well, it seemed that they had made their way through the throat of a fantastic monster.

The cave is relatively young, as it was discovered only in 1994. The entrance to the grotto is located at the highest point of the Atsgara River; its peak reaches a height of 2825 meters above sea level.

Where is it located and how to get there? Barlog's Throat is located in the Urupsky region of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. Take a bus to Kurdzhinovo, then rent a car. If the road is not washed out, then you can get to Mostovskaya Polyana on the Zagedanka River.

Kapova cave (Shulgan-tash cave)

She gained worldwide fame thanks to Paleolithic drawings. The age of the rock paintings is impressive: about 14–14.5 thousand years. The size of the drawings is also considered rare (ranging from 44–112 centimeters). Some of them are made with red ocher, and the rest with charcoal. Quite curious is the fact that no traces of soot were found on the ceiling of the object (after all, light was required to complete the drawings). But, as it turned out later, ancient people had a certain analogue of a kerosene lamp, in which fat acted as an alternative to kerosene.

As a result of archaeological excavations, it was possible to find human skulls without skeletons. It is assumed that the separate burial of the head indicated the importance of the deceased person. It is possible that the heads belonged to a shaman and leaders, since previously the cave was an analogue of a sanctuary where certain rituals took place.

Where is it located and how to get there? Located in the Burzyansky district of Bashkiria on Southern Urals, in the Shulgan-Tash nature reserve. You need to go from Ufa to Sterlitamak, turn to Beloretsk. Before reaching it 50 km, turn to Starosubkhangulovo. Drive to Mindigulovo, then follow the sign “Shulgan-Tash”.

Vorontsov Cave

It ranks sixth among the longest caves in Russia (length is 11,720 meters). Represents the largest system caves in the Caucasus.

During archaeological excavations in the cave, traces were found ancient man(from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages). And during the period Civil War the grotto acted as a reliable shelter for the Red partisans.

Vorontsovskaya Cave is also called an excellent geological monument. For example, the length of the stalactites is impressive. In the same Labyrinth Cave (which is a continuation of Vorontsovskaya), a stalactite called Rocket rises more than 6 meters high.

Where is it located and how to get there? Located near the city of Sochi. You can get there from Khosta by car. But you should keep in mind that regular buses will only take you to Kalinovoe Lake, from where you will have to walk 5–7 kilometers.

Akhshtyrskaya cave

The uniqueness of this attraction is that it was once inhabited by primitive people, as evidenced by the discovered objects, traces and rock tempera.

The first settlement arose in a cave 70 thousand years ago. Its main representatives were Neanderthals. Then for 20 thousand years the grotto was empty. And about 30-35 thousand years ago it was inhabited by Cro-Magnons. In later times, people also lived in the cave. Such gaps between settlements arose during a period of time when the cave (based on the same indicators of dampness) was not suitable for habitation. But if people did not live in it, then it was still not empty, becoming a refuge for bears.

Regarding the Akhshtyrskaya Cave, a rather interesting assumption was made by mythologists who claim that Odysseus once met with the Cyclops here.

Where is it located and how to get there? The cave is located 15 kilometers from Adler. You can get there along the way from the trout hatchery or by bus from Adler.

Where is it located and how to get there? Located in Khakassia, 9 kilometers south from the village of Topanova. You can get there along the Shira – Kommunar highway.