Akhunskaya Cave

Akhunskaya Cave, also called Bolshaya Akhunskaya (Great Akhun) Cave, is the largest karst cave of the Akhun speleological massif, on the north-western slope of Mount Bolshoy Akhun in the Khostinsky District of Sochi, Krasnodar Krai. It is one of the best-known caves in Sochi: it lies next to the trail that climbs Akhun from the Agura Gorge, and visitors often combine it with a walk to the Agura waterfalls.

Description

The cave is a maze formed along tectonic cracks. It consists of eight almost parallel galleries and several halls linked by passages. The upper part of the galleries is a rounded channel. There are many water-laid deposits, which in places completely fill ancient siphon channels in the roof and walls.

According to cavers' surveys, the cave is 384 metres long and 20 metres deep, with an area of about 640 square metres and a volume of about 900 cubic metres. The entrance lies at about 300 metres above sea level. Popular descriptions sometimes give more than 1,200 metres of passages, but specialist sources give 384 metres.

The entrance is large, a little over three metres wide, and easy to spot from the trail; a home-made wooden ladder leads down. There are few dripstone formations inside. The floor is covered with thick clay, so it is hard to get through without rubber boots. Hundreds of bats used to live in the narrow galleries; observations from 2018 suggest the colony may have disappeared.

History and legends

The cave was first explored in 1959–1962. Since then it has been one of the caves of the Akhun massif that can be visited independently.

A local legend says that many thousands of years ago Akhunskaya Cave led to a mysterious underground city. Nothing supports this, but the story is often told about Mount Akhun.

Getting there

A convenient route starts at the MMC Sputnik bus stop on the Sochi–Adler highway, served by bus No. 125. From the stop, walk up the Agura River valley for about one and a half kilometres to the Kavkazsky Aul restaurant. Beyond it is a Sochi National Park checkpoint, where you buy an entry ticket. The trail then passes the first Agura waterfall and the Chertova Nora (Devil's Hole) cave before climbing to Akhunskaya Cave.

Good to know

• Go in a group of at least two people.
• Each person should carry two independent light sources.
• A helmet, gloves and rubber boots are needed; wear clothes you do not mind getting dirty and torn.
• Entering the cave without preparation and equipment is not recommended.