Skelska pechera
FAQFrequently asked questions
What is Skelska cave and what is interesting about it?
This is a karst cave in the southwest of Crimea, in the Balaklava district of Sevastopol, on the slope of a spur of the Ai-Petry massif. The total length of the corridors is about 670 meters, and the halls are sometimes 25 meters high, so there are plenty of stalactites, stalagmites and columns here.
How long does the tour last and what is shown there?
The equipped route has about 270 meters and five halls - Kaminny, Delphinium, Knight, Organ and Hall of Ghosts. The walk takes about 50 minutes, along the way you will be shown striking figures such as stalagmites, the Phoenix Bird and the Knight.
Is it cold inside and how to dress?
In the cave, it stays around 13 degrees all year round, and the humidity is almost 100 percent, so even in the summer you should take something warmer than a T-shirt. The underground lakes here are 30 meters deep, but no one offers to swim.
Who opened the cave and when?
The cave was discovered in 1904 by the village teacher F. Kyrylov from the village of Skelya, from whom the name came. It received the status of a natural monument in 1947, it was studied in detail in 1960, and it was arranged for tourists in 2003.
Why is the cave interesting to scientists?
In addition to beautiful rock formations, a rich location of vertebrate bones of the Holocene age and a variety of cave fauna were found here - that is, it is not only about beautiful halls, but also about real underground biology.
