From the cafeteria, where you buy the ticket, a path and some steps lead down the slope to the entrance of the cave. Admission to the cave is possible only with a guide, in order to take care of the vulnerable environment as much as possible.
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Sights - Rethymno Prefecture |
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Zoniana - The Tou Sfendoni i Trypa Cave |
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The
Sfendonis cave is situated 1 km northeast of the village, and it was
opened to the public only seven years ago (1995), even though it had been
mapped by Anna
Petrocheilou as
early as in 1963.
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| The name of the cave derives from the old partisan Sfendonis, who was in hiding in the cave during one of the numerous Cretan rebellions against the Turks. | ||
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From the cafeteria, where you buy the ticket, a path and some steps lead down the slope to the entrance of the cave. Admission to the cave is possible only with a guide, in order to take care of the vulnerable environment as much as possible.
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cave, with a length of 145 m and covering an area of more than 3.000 m2,
is the most spectacular in Crete with stalagmites and stalactites in a
wealth of colours and fantastical shapes. To keep the cave and its animal
life as intact and unspoilt as possible, only 2/3 of it is open to the
public, but it is fully sufficient to give the visitor an incredible
experience of subterranean beauty.
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The
guided tour takes place on a 270 m long "bridge" to prevent
people from coming into direct contact with the vulnerable ecosystem.
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| The cave is open every day in the summer season from 9.30 am to 4.00 pm. | ||
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