The largest open cave. What are the best caves to visit in Georgia? The karst cave of Krubera.

In 1950 and 1979 in France were discovered Pierre-Saint-Martin Cave (depth - 1408 meters) and Jean Bernard Cave (depth - 1600 m). For decades, these caves were considered the deepest in the world.

But in 1960, Georgian speleologists discovered in Abkhazia (in the massif of Arabica) previously unknown karst cave, which was named after the famous geographer and speleologist Alexander Kruber. They initially conducted a study of only 95 meters of the well. The following expeditions descended lower and lower, reaching new depths: 210 m, 340 m, 710 m ... In 2007 the expedition led by Oleg Klimchuk reached the depth of 2191 meters.

In 2012 the Ukrainian Gennady Samokhin, a member of an international group of speleologists, reached the bottom at 2197 meters and broke his own record set in 2007. Nowadays the Kruber Cave, or the Kruber - Voronja Cave in the Berchil Ridge is the deepest hollow cave discovered in the world (2197 meters).

Another remarkable fact is associated with the "bottomless pit" (so this cave is called): here at a depth of 1980 meters was discovered a primitive wingless insect from the order of arthropods (Plutomumis ortobalaganensisi). This insect, of all the fauna living on earth, is the deepest subterranean creature. Just like other cave dwellers, this four-millimeter-long, six-legged insect exists in the dark, so it has no developed organs of vision.

It should be noted that the famous massif of Arabica, located on the Gagra Range, in the depths of which are formed the world's deepest karst caves, is recognized as one of the most unique regions on the planet. Notably, the shortest river in the world, the Reproix River, feeds the waters of the Krubera Cave.