Almopias Cave Park is the first and only cave park in Greece. It is located at the foot of Mount Voras, near the village of Loutraki in the Municipality of Aridaia and within the limits of the Thermal Baths facilities.
About 15 caves and hollows have been recorded and investigated since 1990 until today. Of these caves, Varathro has become a tourist attraction and can be visited, the Bear Cave is of paleontological interest, the Cave of the Rebels is of archaeological interest, while the rest are of varied but lesser interest.
The Almopia Cave Park is a special area of intense interest in terms of geology, paleontology and archaeology. Stone tools, arrowheads and other important finds were discovered here which give valuable information and testify that the area was inhabited from the end of the Stone Age and the beginning of the Bronze Age. After studies by paleontologists, it was found that the ancestor of today's brown bear with terrifying dimensions lived in these caves.
Among the most important findings of speleologists are the fossils of prehistoric animals which are thousands or even millions of years old. Among them remains of the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) dating from the Pleistocene era, i.e. from 120,000 to 10,000 years ago.
Also, bones and teeth were found that testify to the presence of the cave lion (Panthera leo spelaea) and the cave hyena (Crocuta crocuta spelaea), the leopard (Panthera pardus), the fox (Vulpes vulpes), the badger (Meles meles) ) of the wolf (Canis lupus) and herbivorous herbivores Capra ibex, Bos primigenius, Cervus elaphus and many other small mammals (rodents, bats, lagomorphs) of the Upper Pleistocene. The abundant paleontological material of the caves is valuable for scientists and is considered one of the richest in Greece.
The area has been renovated so that it is easily accessible to visitors and has been used for scientific, research, educational and tourist purposes.
The finds from the excavations carried out in the cluster of caves are housed in the paleontological exhibitions of the Physiographic and Folklore Museum of Almopia in Loutra and in the municipal Museum of Natural History in Aridaia.
In addition to the caves in the area there are thermal baths and the amazingly beautiful Vora gorge with impressive waterfalls.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou