Honos

The Honos cave in Rethymno prefecture is located northwest of the village Kali Sikia at an altitude of 550 meters, 30 km approximately southwest of Rethymno.

It has been named Honos, since in Cretan dialect honos means “sinkhole”, a place where the earth captures surface drainage, “swallows” it. The entrance to the cave is completely hidden by the bushes and after you enter, the spacious corridor narrows considerably.

The Honos cave, created by the influx of water into the limestone soils, has a length of 150 meters and is an underground river which gathers in winter the waters of the area. Unlike other sinkholes on Crete, it is remarkably smooth, allowing easy access to a sufficient depth.

The Honos cave basically consists of a single corridor without separate halls and is very beautifully adorned by stalactites of various forms and colors. The cave is a habitat for crickets and bats, while in the past human bones and skulls had been found here.

Honos in the past has been used by the residents of Kali Sikia for cheese maturing and storage.