The Cave of Zoniana, Sfendoni or Sfendoni's Hole, is located 1km north of Zoniana. It is on the southern slopes of the hill of Halepa at an altitude of 630m. The cave is accessible and is the most beautiful cave in Crete and one of the most beautiful in Greece, with rich stalactite and stalagmite decoration. It belongs to the Natural Park of Psiloritis, which is a protected zone of Natura 2000.
The cave has an area of 3000 square metres. Visitors can visit two-thirds of it, walking along a path of about 270 metres. The maximum length of the cave is 145 metres. There are huge columns that create labyrinthine compartments inside the cave. Many stalactites and stalagmites of different colors and shapes decorate the 14 rooms of the cave. In several places, there are water basins. Also, you can see the so-called "cave pearls”, a type of speleothem, a concretion of calcium salts which forms in limestone caves, and resemble pearls. Finally, the glow coming from the tiny crystals of calcium carbonate is particularly impressive.
