Melouri Cave Natural Monument (Georgian: მელოურის მღვიმე) is a karst cave located near village Melouri (8 km from village Kumistavi) in Tsqaltubo Municipality in Imereti region of Georgia, 418 meters above sea level.[1] Melouri Cave is one of the largest caves in Georgia. It is part of extensive Tsqaltubo Cave system which also includes nearby cave Didghele.[2]
Melouri cave has overall length of at least 15 km and boasts two naturally formed canyons with beautiful underground waterfalls.[3] Cave carved in Sataphlia-Tskaltubo karst massif [4] The entrance to the cave is at the bottom of the 8-10 meters deep ditch. Near the entrance cave is difficult to navigate due to presence of gypsum limestone boulders of up to 15 m height. Further inside cave pass is clearer with characteristic network of fissures, their intersections are 30 m by 40 m wide. At the end of the sequence of halls, a few kilometers long, there is an erosion canyon with an underground river. It creates waterfalls as it traverses the canyon and in the last hall there is a siphon lake. Interior of the cave is naturally decorated with chemical sediments: stalactites and large stalagmites. The cave is inhabited by bats, spiders, and beetles.[5]Exploring Melouri Cave is not extremely challenging but caving equipment is required: headlamp and waterproof caving boots. The cave has not been completely investigated and has many unknown corridors and branches.[6]
The inhabitants of the cave include Bergrothia. [4]
