Kapsia Cave is a stunning natural wonder located in the heart of the Peloponnese. It’s a place of breathtaking beauty and endless fascination, where visitors can explore the depths of the earth and discover the secrets of the natural world.
Experts have classified the Kapsia Cave as one of the ten most remarkable caves in Greece and as one of the most magnificent caves with stalactites and stalagmites in Southern Europe.
The cave is of significant importance for the studies of speleology and geology, but also for historians and archaeologists, as it is famous not only because of its natural beauty but also because of the numerous findings that were discovered inside it.
Located 15 km away from the city of Tripoli and next to the village of Kapsia – after which it is named – the cave has a long history that goes back to the 4th and 5th centuries BC. Human and animal remains and objects created by people in ancient times have been found inside it, proving that the cave was once inhabited.
The Kapsia Cave is situated in the periphery of the closed geological basin of the Mantinean plateau, and it is linked to a complex system of natural sinkholes that are all connected to a large aquifer network of caves.
The cave was discovered in 1887 by French archaeologist Gustave Fougères, who was conducting excavations for ancient artefacts in the wider area of Mantineia at the time.
However, the first proper excavation of the cave started a few years later, on August 20, 1892, by a Greek-French delegation headed by an Arcadian engineer, Nikolaos Sideridis and two French engineers. Sideridis and his team recorded the excavation process and published their findings in the French scientific journal Spelunga in 1911, bringing the Kapsia Cave to world fame. That publication was the most important Greek speleological study at the time, and it awakened my interest in speleology (the study of caves) in Greece.
Speleology and geology were developed quickly in Greece with lots of interest from international scientists, who travelled to Greece to participate in excavations. The plans to further search in underground caves, as well as the Kapsia Cave, were abruptly stopped, however, because of the two World Wars, and started again a few decades later.
In 1974, a new Greek French mission was carried out under the responsibility of Greek speleologist Ioannou, and a large part of the cave, which was unknown to the first researchers, was discovered.
Traces of an old flood and many fragments of human and animal bones and skulls were found inside the cave, all covered with mud about half a meter thick and covering the entire cave floor. Additionally, lamps, tools and talismans (charms) were found inside the cave, proving that people lived there for some time until the cave was flooded and drowned.
Σπήλαιο Κάψια | Kapsia Cave with drone | Arkadia-Greece - YouTube
The biggest room within the cave is called the “Hall of Miracles” by geologists because it presents the rarest stone colours from any other known Greek cave. Fire red, orange, yellow, and green-blue shades, mixed with the off-white of the stalactites, offer a unique spectacle of natural art.
Stalactites can be seen on the roof of every room within the cave, and while some are cylinder or triangle, others have the shape of a jellyfish and some others hang like curtains. Red predominates in most areas of the cave due to the large concentration of magnesium metals and iron, and where yellow predominates, it is due to the sulphur contained in calcium carbonate.
In November 2020, decades after its discovery, the Kapsia Cave attracted the attention of the speleology community again when a team of speleologists from Argolida and Korinthia in Greece found a large path within the cave that connects it to another large cave in Argolida, Cave Tousi. This latest excavation also found Human bones and objects from the Neolithic and Hellenistic years (4th – 6th BC).
The team of speleologists are currently mapping the connection of the two caves to see the length of the cave system, which is expected to be several kilometres long.
The Speleology Team of Argolida said in a recent announcement: “The Kapsia Cave is a book that records important geological and historical events. A big flood has left certified traces inside it and killed the residents of the cave. After years of work, we brought to light from the depths of the earth lamps, tools, and bone fragments, all of which tell the story of survival.”
“From the moment it was discovered, it became clear that this cave is a laboratory of the earth and the refuge of early men. Human bones and everyday clay utensils were found in this cave of endless beauty. The history of the earth and the history of man are intertwined in a magical whole in Kapsia,” the statement read.
To visit the cave of Kapsia, you need to buy a ticket.
Thus, the entire ticket costs €4, and children pay €2; if you prefer to join a group for a guided tour, then count on paying €3 per person.
How do you get to the Cave of Kapsia?
To reach Kapsia Cave from Nafplio, you can follow these steps: From Nafplio, follow the national road towards Argos.
Continue along EO Patras Tripolis/EO Tripolis Olimpias/EO111/ΕΟ74, following signs for Kapsia Cave.
In total, you can count on a trip of about 1 hour.
Please note that Kapsia Cave is located in a rural area, so having a rental car is a good idea.
When you arrive at Kapsia Cave, you will find a parking area and a visitor centre where you can buy tickets and get information about the cave.
The Kapsia Cave is open daily for visitors who wish to take a guided tour inside it, which lasts for about an hour. For more information visit: Σπήλαιο Κάψια - Κάψια Αρκαδίας (spilaiokapsia.gr)
