Skelskaya cave
Skelskaya Cave is located in the southwest of Crimea, on the southern slope of the Ai-Petri massif spur separating the Skelskaya and Baidarskaya Basins. The cave was discovered by F. Kirillov, a teacher from the village of Skelya, in 1904. It was recognized as a natural monument in 1947. Skelskaya Cave was formed due to a tectonic fault and has a total length of 670 meters, the height of the halls reaches 25 meters. The upper floors of the cave are rich in stalactites. In 2003 it was equipped for visiting and became a popular Crimean attraction, open daily and at any time of the year. Tourists walk along a 270-meter-long route leading deep into the mountain and consisting of the Entrance Gallery, three viewpoints and several halls – Fireside, Dolphin, Knight, Ghosts. Many of the natural sculptures bear the names of fairy tale characters and animals, such as the Phoenix Bird, Knight, Gopher, and Monkey.
