Where is the largest cave in Europe. The most famous cave in the world: Fingal's Cave. The most famous caves in the world

The Cave of Crystals was discovered in 2000 by the Sanchez miner brothers, who were digging a new tunnel in the mine complex. It is located at a depth of 300 meters under the city of Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. The cave is unique in the presence of giant crystals of selenite. The largest of the found crystals has a size of 11 m in length and 4 m in width, with a mass of 55 tons. This is one of the largest known crystals. It is very hot in the cave, 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, being in a cave usually does not exceed 20 minutes.

Waitomo Glowworm Cave, New Zealand:

The Waitomo Caves are truly a masterpiece of nature, over which she has worked for many millions of years. For many centuries, the ocean has ruled here, creating bizarre limestone outgrowths 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 is inhabited by amazing creatures - Arachnocampa Luminosa. These are fireflies that can only be found in New Zealand. Their green-blue glow makes the roof of the cave look like starry sky on a frosty night.

Blue Grotto (Grotto Azzurra), Italy:

This beautiful cave is only accessible 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.

Vatnajokull Glacier Cave, Iceland:

Sunlight, scattered over the surface of the Svínafellsjökull glacier, draws amazing pictures on the vaults of the ice cave, creating the illusion of being on sea depth. The depth of the underground passage does not exceed 50 meters, and the width of the cave is only 10 meters. During the winter months, a crackling sound is heard inside, caused by the movement of the glacier.

Such pure azure and blue hues are the result of the absence of air bubbles in the ice. You can see colored ice at certain weather conditions; one of them is the absence or minimum amount of snow on the surface. Intense 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 get into the cave only 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 a mass of snow.

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 in plants and stalactites. At certain hours of the day, light enters the interior, illuminating the small temple.

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 the purest deposits of marble. The walls of the Chilean landmark have a surprisingly beautiful bright blue color, and blue water lake doubles the impression of what he saw. It is also worth mentioning that the caves consist of many labyrinths and tunnels, over the creation of which the coastal waves worked hard.

Ice caves near Mutnovsky volcano, Russia:

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

Dongzhong Cave, China:

Dongzhong Cave (whose name is simply translated as "cave") is located in the village of Mao in Chinese province Guizhou. Since 1984, the cave has been equipped as an elementary school.

Fingal's Cave, Scotland

illustrious sea cave washed in the rock sea water, on the island of Staffa, which is part of the Inland Hebrides. The walls are made up of vertical hexagonal basalt columns 69 meters deep and 20 meters high. For three centuries it was a place of artistic pilgrimage and inspired the work of many famous artists, musicians and writers.

Reed Flute Cave, China:

Cave reed flute(Ludi Yan)- amazing creation nature, located in the city of Guilin (China). A special type of reed grows around the cave, from which the best flutes in all of China were made in the old days, this fact served as the basis for such beautiful name. Ludi Yan Cave, like Waitomo Cave, has illumination, but not natural, but "artificial" - artificial. With its help, the Chinese successfully emphasize the beauty of the flawless creation of nature. Multi-colored lights playfully paint stalactites, stalactites and other bizarre rock formations, making the cave even brighter and more fabulous.

Fantastic Pit at Ellison's Cave, Georgia, USA:

If you are an extreme, and besides, an amateur speleologist, then Allison Cave is ideal for you, namely its Fancy Mine, 179 meters deep.

Kyaut Sae cave in Myanmar:

Few people know about this cave, but nevertheless it impresses both with its size and the fact that a Buddhist temple is located in it.

Son Doong Cave, Vietnam:

The most large cave in the world. She is in Central Vietnam, in Quang Binh Province, in national park Phong Nha Kebang, 500 kilometers south of Hanoi and 40 kilometers from the provincial center - Dong Hoi. This cave has been known to locals 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.

Eisriesenwelt Ice Cave, Austria:

The Eisriesenwelt caves are the largest system of ice caves on our planet available for viewing. 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 limestone deposits over thousands of years. rocks. Currently, the riverbed is below the entrance to the caves.

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

Orda Cave, Russia:

Orda cave- the longest underwater gypsum cave in Russia and one of the longest in the world. This place - real paradise for divers. The cave begins with the Crystal Grotto. In the northwestern corner of this grotto is Lake Ledyanoe. The move on the left will lead to the next grotto - the Ice Palace. Lake Main is located here, and a little further - 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).

Carlsbad Caverns, USA

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

Barton Creek Cave, Belize:

This cave has not only extraordinary natural beauty, but is also a living witness to the household items of the ancient Maya, 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.

Jeita Grotto Caves, Lebanon:

a complex of two caves in Lebanon, 20 kilometers north of Beirut. In 1836, the upper cave was discovered by William Thomson, and the lower cave was discovered by Lebanese speleologists in 1958. The length of the Upper Cave is 2200 meters, but only part of it, which is 750 meters long, is open to tourists. There are three halls in the Upper Cave, each of which is 100 meters or more in height. 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.

Kango Caves, South Africa:

Caves Cango (Cango Caves), tacitly called the wonder of the world. The caves are famous for their "Organ Hall" - stalactites descending along the walls form something reminiscent of big organ, which, combined with music and lighting effects, makes an indelible impression on visitors.

Aven Armand Cave, France:

A special funicular lowers visitors 50 meters deep into the tunnel, which is 200 meters long. There suddenly turns out to be a huge hall in which Notre Dame Cathedral could easily fit.

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

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

1. Crystal Cave (Cueva de los Cristales), Mexico

2. Waitomo Glowworm Cave, New Zealand

The Waitomo Caves are truly a masterpiece of nature, over which she has worked for many millions of years. For many centuries, the ocean has ruled here, creating bizarre limestone outgrowths 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 is inhabited by amazing creatures - Arachnocampa Luminosa. These are fireflies that can only be found in New Zealand. Their green-blue glow makes the arch of the cave look like a starry sky on a frosty night.

3. Blue Grotto (Grotto Azzurra), Italy

4. Vatnajokull Glacier Cave, Iceland

Sunlight, scattered over the surface of the Svínafellsjökull glacier, draws amazing pictures on the vaults of the ice cave, creating the illusion of being at sea depth. The depth of the underground passage does not exceed 50 meters, and the width of the cave is only 10 meters. During the winter months, a crackling sound is heard inside, caused by the movement of the glacier.

Such pure azure and blue hues 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 amount of snow on the surface. Intense 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.

5. Phraya Nakhon, Thailand

6Marble 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 the purest deposits of marble. The walls of the Chilean landmark have a surprisingly beautiful bright blue color, and the blue water of the lake doubles the impression of what they see. It is also worth mentioning that the caves consist of many labyrinths and tunnels, over the creation of which the coastal waves worked hard.

7. Ice caves near Mutnovsky volcano, Russia

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

8. Dongzhong Cave, China

Dongzhong Cave (whose name is simply translated as "cave") is located in the village of Mao in the Chinese province of Guizhou. Since 1984, the cave has been equipped as an elementary school.

9. Fingal's Cave, Scotland

The famous sea cave, washed into the rock by sea water, on the island of Staffa, part of the Inner Hebrides group. The walls are made up 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) is an amazing creation of nature, located in the city of Guilin (China). A special type of reed grows around the cave, from which in the old days the best flutes in all of China were made, this fact served as the basis for such a beautiful name. Ludi Yan Cave, like Waitomo Cave, has illumination, but not natural, but "artificial" - artificial. With its help, the Chinese successfully emphasize the beauty of the flawless creation of nature. Multi-colored lights playfully paint 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, and besides, an amateur speleologist, then Allison Cave is ideal for you, namely its Fancy Mine, 179 meters deep.

12. Kyaut Sae Cave in Myanmar

Few people know about this cave, but nevertheless it impresses both with its size and the fact that a Buddhist temple is located in it.

13. Son Doong Cave, Vietnam

The largest cave in the world. It is located in Central Vietnam, in the province of Quang Binh, in the Phong Nha Kebang National Park, 500 kilometers south of Hanoi and 40 km from the center of the province - Dong Hoi. This cave has been known to locals 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. Eisriesenwelt Ice Cave, Austria

The Eisriesenwelt caves are the largest system of ice caves on our planet available for viewing. In translation, 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 limestone rocks over thousands of years. Currently, the riverbed is below the entrance to the caves.

The Eisriesenwelt caves were discovered by accident as early as 1849. For a long time only hunters and poachers knew about them. The date of the official discovery 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 account of his discovery in a mountaineering magazine, but this information did not arouse due 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 is Lake Ledyanoe. The move on the left will lead to the next grotto - the Ice Palace. Lake Main is located here, and a little further - 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

17. Barton Creek Cave, Belize

This cave has not only extraordinary natural beauty, but is also a living witness to the household items of the ancient Mayans who inhabited this area 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

19. Kango Caves, South Africa

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

20. Aven Armand Cave, France

A special funicular lowers visitors 50 meters deep into the tunnel, which is 200 meters long. There suddenly turns out to be a huge hall in which Notre Dame Cathedral could easily fit.

The greatest caves in the world are caves that simply amaze with their size, their beauty or their unusualness. This article is devoted to just such caves, caves that are worth paying attention to, and if possible, be sure to visit.

In this list of the greatest caves in the world, the most - the most caves of our planet are collected.
Cave Krubera - Voronya, the most deep cave in the world. Its depth is two kilometers 190 meters.

This cave is located in the mountains of Abkhazia, the entrance to it is at an altitude of 2250 meters.

The study of the cave has been going on for about fifty years, it became the deepest when speleologists once again set a record - having descended to a depth of 1720 meters. It happened in 2001, and in 2007 a new record was already set - 2190 meters.

Jeita Caves are one of the most beautiful caves on earth. Jeita Caves are karst limestone caves.

There are two caves - one lower, the other upper, and they are interconnected. This miracle of nature is located in the vicinity of the city of Jeita, in Libya. The total length of the caves is nine kilometers.

The lower cave was discovered in 1836, the upper one only in 1958. The caves are visited by many tourists. By lower cave movement takes place by boat, along an underground river and lake. Also, according to some reports, this unique cave is the largest stalactite in the world, 8.2 meters long.

The longest cave in the world is located in the USA. This is Mammoth Cave. The cave was formed in the foothills of the Appalachians, Kentucky

The length of its explored part is 587 kilometers. The cave is karst, its discovery took place in 1797. There are 225 passages in the cave, more than forty large halls and shafts. It is quite dry, but there are also areas with underground rivers and lakes.

Created in 1941 national park Mammoth Cave. Anyone can walk through the cave labyrinths, both in equipped areas with electric light, and in wild places.

The guides accompanying the excursions will tell you everything about this amazing cave, about its formation, about the history of its discovery.

Waitomo Cave in New Zealand - also claims to be the most beautiful cave.

The highlight of the cave is the local fireflies, or rather their larvae, which glow in the dark. The cave consists of three levels, which are connected by a shaft. Tourists moving along the underground river by boat admire the most beautiful sight, reminiscent of a scattering of stars in the night sky.

In this case, silence must be observed, the larvae, having heard the noise, can go out. The cave has been known for a very long time, tourists began to drive into it as early as 1889.

No less beautiful, amazing and unusual is Son Doong Cave, located in Vietnam. The cave became widely known not long ago - in 2009. The surprise of the British cavers who went down there is hard to convey.

They saw the huge halls of the cave reaching 200 by 150 meters in size, huge stalagmites, a fairly wide river and even a section of the jungle. The study of the cave is not finished yet, perhaps in the future, local authorities also organize tourism infrastructure here.

Probably the most unusual cave located in Mexico. This is the Crystal Cave or Crystal Cave.

Selenite crystals are the largest and most natural crystals in nature. The climate in the cave is special - the temperature reaches 58 degrees Celsius, and the humidity is up to 99%.

The Dragon Caves are another contender for the title of the most beautiful cave in the world. There are caves in the eastern part of Mallorca, their length is 1300 meters.

The exploration of the caves took place in 1886. There are six lakes in the caves, the largest of which, Lake Martel, measures 177 by 40 meters and is 9 meters deep. In 1935, the cave was equipped with lighting equipment. The auditorium for a thousand people, which is located near Lake Martel, was specially built for the show, which takes place underground. Musicians on boats, to the beautiful classical music, and under beautiful lighting effects, symbolizing the dawn over the lake, slowly float into the underground lake.

In our country, there are also many amazing caves, probably the most famous of them is the Kungurskaya ice cave located in the Perm region.

The length of the cave is not large - 5.7 kilometers, of which one and a half kilometers are equipped for tourists. The cave was explored at the beginning of the 18th century. There are 50 grottoes, 70 lakes, 146 "organ pipes" in the cave.

The constant temperature in the center of the cave is 5 degrees with a plus sign, and in some grottoes it can drop to -30 degrees below zero. An ancient cave painting was found in the cave. Every year many tourists from all over our country visit this cave.

Another of the most beautiful and greatest caves in the world is located in China. This is the Reed Flute Cave.

The cave was discovered a very long time ago, more than ten centuries ago.

In addition to the lake, numerous stalactites and stalagmites, the cave contains more than 70 rock inscriptions dating back to 792 AD.

Tourists have been visiting the cave since 1940. Artificial lighting creates in a cave fabulous atmosphere, illuminated in different colors, the vaults of the cave are reflected in the lake, further enhancing the fantastic picture.

Caves served as a refuge for man at the dawn of civilization. And today these underground voids attract brave speleologists who seek to penetrate as deep as possible to 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 you to visit these natural monuments hundreds of Russian tourists.

Optimisticheskaya 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 explored to the end, 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 ways 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. In the galleries of the cave there are strong drafts, the gusts of which reach 15 m/s. The maximum depth of the cave is 192 meters.

7. Lamprechtsofen

This cave system located in the Austrian state of Salzburg. Its length is 38 km, and maximum depth- 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) karst cave 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. Snowy

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, which are interconnected without siphons - underwater tunnels filled with water.

4. Skocjan Caves

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

3. Sarawak Grotto

located on Borneo island 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 trained tourists are allowed on an excursion to Sarawak; a visit to the grotto lasts all day.

2. Krubera Cave

It is also called the Crow Cave, and it is located in the Gagra Range in 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 - 1,300 meters.

1. Son Doong Cave

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