Pelekiton cave

The Cave of Pelekita is one of the largest caves in Crete, having a length of 310m. The cave of Pelekita is located at an altitude of 100m, at the foot of Traostalos Mount, well hidden within the bare rocks of the wild landscape of Zakros. The entrance of the cave is located 5 km northeast of Kato Zakros, in the position Pelekita or Sikia.

To reach the cave, the visitor has either to walk one hour from Kato Zakros or one quarter by coming from the sea.

The cave is also called "Cave of the Fig Tree", named after the old fig tree near its entrance. It’s real name, Cave Pelekita (meaning “carved”), comes from the ashlar stones that were extracted in the abandoned, today, quarry that is located near the cave. These boulders were used for the construction of the Minoan Palace of Zakros.

Pelekita Cave has huge rooms, with towering columns, slippery boulders, stalagmites and stalactites and steep slopes that give a feeling of being in an amphitheater. The entrance is very impressive. At the end of the cave, there is a small lake with water.

The total length of the cave is 310m in a straight line and has an area of 4.5 acres.