Tavrida Cave

Tavrida Cave is the largest cave in the Crimean foothills, a karst cavity 1,038 metres long and 15 metres deep. It lies in the Belogorsk district of the Republic of Crimea, about 1.5 kilometres from the village of Zuya, next to the Tavrida highway (M18).

History

The cave was discovered in 2018 during construction of the Tavrida highway, when blasting work opened the roof of the underground cavity. Speleologists consider its origin hypogenic: it formed from pressurized groundwater rising from below rather than from surface water, unlike most Crimean caves. The cavity consists of several long galleries connected by a maze of passages.

Paleontological finds

Since its discovery the cave has become one of the largest paleontological sites on the peninsula. Early Pleistocene deposits there have yielded the bones of a southern mammoth, a mastodon, two species of horses, two species of rhinoceros, a giant camel and an ancient large-antlered deer, Arvernoceros verestchagini. Researchers also found the remains of ancient bison-like cattle, a hare of the genus Hypolagus, twisted-horn antelopes, a porcupine, a wolf and a saber-toothed cat, Homotherium, as well as bones of a giant Dmanisi ostrich. In 2026 paleontologists described the remains of two extinct snake species in the cave's deposits — the Sarmatian and Caspian whip snakes — which lived in Crimea about 1.6-1.8 million years ago. Near the entrance, five metres below the surface, the remains of five people were found — two men and three boys — though no traces of human presence were found deeper inside the cave.

What to see

The cave has been open to tourists since July 2022. The floor of the equipped section is level, so the route is suitable for visitors with young children and for people with limited mobility. A tour of the galleries takes about 50 minutes; a visitor centre and parking are available at the entrance.

Getting there

Scheduled buses from Simferopol toward Belogorsk stop at Zuya. From the highway near the village it is about 1.5 kilometres by paved road to the cave's visitor centre.