Cave of Agios Ioannis - Irakleia

La grotte de Saint-Jean. Situé presque tout à l'ouest de l'île d'Iraklia il vous faudra 1h40 de marche pour vous y rendre et autant au retour depuis le port d'Agios Giorgios qui est aussi le village principal. Si vous n'y avez jamais été il est préférable d'acheter un carte de l'île à la supérette "Pergiali" qui se trouve au début de la monté qui débute au bout de la plage. Quelle est l'intérêt de cette grotte ?... 2 choses. 1) Une ballade magnifique qui offre des vues variés sur l'ensemble des petites Cyclades à l'est et une fois qu'on a passé le col pour passer à l'ouest de l'île sur Ios, Paros voire Sikinos et Folegandros si la visibilité le permet. 2) Le bonus à l'arrivée de visiter une immense grotte souterraine avec stalactites et stalagmites. Cette grotte de prolonge par au moins six autres grottes beaucoup plus petites (mais pas moins jolies) Pour la visiter il est indispensable de prendre un lampe fiable et puissante pour voir loin et distinctement. L' entrée est gratuite. Il y a deux grottes en arrivant de la ballade, la vraie, la belle c'est celle de droite avec la petite entrée qu'on doit pénétrer à genoux sur 3 à 4 mètres (pas de problème pour les genoux, des planches de bois ont été posés pour faciliter la reptation) Je mets 5 étoiles pour la balade. 3 étoiles pour la grotte (donc une moyenne de 4) car la grotte même naturellement très belle est endommagé par endroit avec quelques graffitis.

Het is wel een pittige wandeling maar goed te doen. Let wel op dat er weinig schaduw is en dat je voldoende water mee neemt. Op de route zelf kom je niks tegen. Dat is direct wat opvalt de stilte.

Η πιο δυσκολη αλλα και πιο ομορφη από τις πεζοπορικες ξεναγησεις που οργανωνουμε στο νησι! Επισκεφτειτε το discover-iraklia.gr για περισσοτερες πληροφοριες για τις δραστηριοτητες που οργανωνουμε!

Arrivée sur place nous avons d'abord découvert la cave en face pensant que c'était la bonne. Mais il faut se diriger un peu vers la droite pour trouver l'entrée de la vraie cave extraordinaire. Il est vraiment très impressionnant d'aller à la découverte de cette très grande cave avec des nombreuses stalactites et stalagmites. Pensez à apporter une bonne lumière, car le flash light du téléphone ne suffit pas.

Fantastic views. Good walk. Recommended.

The hike across Irakleia to this cave took us three hours in searing heat. Thankfully there were few bugs but saw lizards and a large four lined snake in a shaded hut on the way! The path is not an easy traverse for those with vertigo or mobility issues and compared to (say) Mt Zas (on nearby Naxos) this is a significant challenge. The views enroute are amazing and the water sparkles beautifully from on-high. The cave itself features a small shrine and many impressive stalagmite and stalactites. The interior requires a strong flashlight to see inside properly, your phone light will not be sufficient. Bring a friend, hat, sunscreen, water and a good map or gps as the route may not be clear to inexperienced walkers. Recommended.

Natural limestone cave, the largest among the cyclades group of islands. Accessible by a one hour (2,3 km or 1.5 mi) hike (including breaks) on a rocky path across a ridge which brings you up and down about 200 vertical meters (600 vertical feet), or alternatively from the ocean via a shorter path. In any case, you'll be drenched in sweat by the time you get there. The cave entrance faces the entrance of another cave (which we didn't enter). It has a small tree in front that obscures the entrance from view, and also carries a bell which the guide rings in order to inform the group that they have arrived to or exited from the cave. The mouth of the cave is so low that it is necessary to crawl on all fours to get in. There's a wooden floor to crawl on, so bare knees are ok (everybody in the group I went with had shorts). Inside, there are several places where you need to climb up or down or across ledges, and they are all extremely slippery. The guide is indispensable for first-time visitors in pointing out the best places to climb and put your feet. A group of around 10 people seemed ideal for this cave - not so many that we couldn't fit in each of the rooms and locations along the way where the guide stopped to inform us, but enough that some could illuminate the cave with multiple flashlights, while others could take photos. And, more importantly, we could give each other a hand for the ascents/descents, where one slip would cause a good bruise or worse. In some places, there is little headroom and ideally, hardhats would be appropriate. However, we managed with only a couple of minor headbutts into the ceiling, thanks to good illumination and instructions from the guide. The cave contains the largest stalagmite in the area, around 4-5 meters tall. Also several other structures, that the guide points out, along with explanations about the discovery of the cave around two centuries ago. Our guide spoke mostly Greek, as the majority of the group were Greeks, but also explained to us in English. He waited and took care that the slowest members of the group could catch up while on the trail to and from the cave, as well as inside. The advertised price for the guided tour is 12 EUR per person, but we paid 10 due to the size of the group. The caving part took 1 hour, and with a few minutes additional rest before entering and after exiting the cave, the entire trip was done in 3 hrs 15 minutes, starting at 17 (5 pm). The guide kindly called the driver of the local bus, which is scheduled to leave at 2015 (815 pm), so that it arrived to pick us up ten minutes later. I would advise checking that your travel insurance covers such caving expeditions.

If you want to walk from Agios Greorgios, we strongly recommend get up really early in the morning or you will suffer the sun, especially in the summer. There are two caves, one seems big and it's "only" a cave, the other seems a little hole, but you can access inside, and this is the cave you want to visit. Bring cold water and a torch!!