Peristera’s cave

History of the Cave

The residents of Megalochori once believed that the cave was haunted, and that “fairies” and evil spirits originated from it. At some point, a resident of Taktikoupoli, Vangelis Lazarou, dared to enter the eerie hole against all beliefs and discovered the cave, which was subsequently named “Peristeri” (Pigeon).

After being explored and mapped by the Greek spelunker Anna Petrocheilou in the 1970s, “Peristeri” was found to be over 150 million years old.

Description of the Cave

The cave is now easily accessible for drivers via the Stenou-Vathis road. However, it is not easily accessible on foot. The entrance consists of numerous massive boulders, which are unstable, and there is always the risk of major or minor landslides during rainfall.

The length is approximately 240 meters, and the area is about 4000 square meters. At the beginning of the path to the entrance, there is a cliff starting almost from the asphalt and reaching an altitude of about 30 meters from the road, with an incline of almost 30 degrees. At that point, there is a flat field of large and relatively stable boulders, and the visitor can now see the section of the cave’s roof that once collapsed, creating the entrance gap. Then begins the challenging descent. The large rocks leaning against each other create many gaps that the visitor must navigate with great care. The constant humidity and lack of direct light have created a slippery surface on the rocks, making the descent even more difficult, which, like the first section described, has a slope of around 30 degrees and a length of almost 50 meters. We placed ropes for the transport of our diving equipment (a particularly difficult and laborious task) to ensure a safer descent.

However, the view that the visitor encounters when the lake comes into view is captivating. The light reflects from the waters of the lake, illuminating the ceiling with a deep blue color. In some areas, the waters are transparent, and overall, the water on the surface is colder than half a meter deeper. Many of the visitors we met that day took a refreshing swim in the waters. There is a strong smell (a common feature in caves) due to the stagnant air and the waste of the large population of bats that live on the ceilings, especially above section 2 (see Petrocheilou’s map photo).

Τhe Dive

Three divers from our team (Yiannis Liardakis, Andreas Michalopoulos, Antonis Grafas) and one surface assistant (Stratos Vergadis) participated in the mission. The depth at most points does not exceed 2 meters (much shallower, to be precise.) The waters have many haloclines, creating a very impressive atmosphere but significantly affecting visibility. In areas where the diver is under submerged rocks, there is a continuous fall of a characteristic yellow or terracotta powder that adheres to the limestone. Generally, the limestone, due to its contact with water rich in magnesium and calcium carbonate, was soft and easily crumbled in places where it was very thin. In conclusion, especially in comparison with the difficulty and danger of transporting equipment from the road to the waters of the lake, the dive at this particular point is considered very easy. We could more easily and safely enjoy the place with snorkeling combined with basic caving equipment to approach all the chambers. Swimming with diving equipment from section 2 to section 3 was not possible, and consequently, the divers had to climb the entire pyramid with their diving equipment worn, under the constant gaze of the bats that inhabit the ceiling.