The Cave of Olympi,

 

an impressive natural attraction in Sykia area, which is located about 35 km from Chios town and 5 km from Olympi village.

 

 

This Cave is famous for its extraordinary stalactite and stalagmite formations(created by the chemical deposition of calcium carbonate from the rain water entering the cave)
and was explored in 1985 by the Hellenic Speleological Society.
Some of the stalactites are formed in a slanting shape, challenging the law of gravity, this peculiar formation may be the result of the continuous downward flow of air through the openings on the roof of the rock.
According to archaeologists, the stalactites at Olympi Cave started forming about 200 million years ago, but the creation of the cave itself is difficult to estimate.
There are also some “anthropie ton spileon” (cavemen) which are shaped as people.

 

 

The calcium carbonate and the argilic contents together paint the cave in multiple colors.
The gray/white calcium carbonate stone is beautified with the reddish yellow argilic earth at some places, and together they make the cave a spellbinding place.The temperature inside the cave is almost constant throughout the year, 18 degrees and a humidity of 95%.
According to scientists, this peculiar formation may be the result of the continuous downward flow of air through the openings on the roof of the rock.  
The stalagmites and stalactites are still forming, that’s why human intervention must not affect the micro-climate inside the cave. Hence the double door entrance system stops any air currents from outside.
In 2003 the first guests had a chance to visit the cave.

 

The cave is now open from May to November except on Mondays, from 11:00 to 18:00 o’clock.

 

The Agio Galas Cave,

 

discovered in 1969, is the largest and most important cave of the island and one of two caves, open for visitors. The Cave of Agio Galas is located in the north-western area of Chios Island, about 70 km from Chios Town. It actually consists of a complex of three caves.
There is archaeological evidence of their existence since the Neolithic period (5500 BC).

 

 

A special legend about the cave: Once a Byzantine King banished his daughter, who suffered from leprosy, to the North-West of Chios. She reached a cave where she found shelter.
There was a woman dressed in black who took care of her and after three years the King regretted his decision and sent a boat to bring back his daughter.
She was found cured by the healing milky water or milk-like liquid dripping from the stalactites of a part of the cave.
Because he was so thankful, the king decided to have a church (“Agio Galas”, named after the healing milk-like liquid, because in Greek “Gala” means “milk”) built in the interior of the cave, but every morning the workers building the church kept finding their tools outside the cave so it was then constructed outside of the entrance of the second cave.
Later on the small church of St. Anna was constructed deeper in the tunnel.

 

The cave consits of a elongated corridor with a total length of 220 meters, forming meanders, while expanding creating spacious halls and chambers.
The entire Cave of Agio Galas has not yet been explored but it is said to have elaborate limestone formations of spectacular morphology.