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Cave Gourgouthakas

Cave Gourgouthakas is the deepest in Greece and the second deepest in the Balkans. It is located at an altitude of 1,500 meters in area Atzinolakas, in the White Mountains of the Municipality Apokoronos, in a wild landscape with sharp rocks and steep slopes.

It is characterized as a shaft cave and it was discovered by the group of French cavers «Catamaran» in 1990. Only in 1998, was the same group able to reach to a depth of 1,208 meters in the cave Gourgouthakas. The cavers found at this depth a lovely little lake (siphon), which has not yet been explored, as it requires diving equipment.

The name Gourgouthakas means a slit, into which rain water drunk by animals is gathered. The characterization probably came from the morphology of the cave whose interior is dominated by streams, waterfalls and small lakes.

The entrance to the cave Gourgouthakas is elongated. It is as narrow as the size of the human body. And from there blows a strong and cold wind because of its depth.

To get to cave Gourgouthakas, you will have to walk for about three hours on a rugged trail that starts from the Church of the Holy Spirit in Melidoni, 32 km from Chania.

The beauty of the landscape and the view of the mountains of Crete will compensate you for the hike. In order to enter to the cave Gourgouthakas and explore it, specialized equipment and expertise are required, which usually only experienced cavers have.

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