Location: |
Güzelçamlı, Dilek Peninsula-Büyük Menderes Delta National Park.
(37.7113, 27.2158) |
Open: |
no restrictions. [2020] |
Fee: |
free. [2020] |
Classification: | Karst Cave |
Light: | bring torch |
Dimension: | |
Guided tours: | self guided |
Photography: | allowed |
Accessibility: | no |
Bibliography: | |
Address: | |
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info. |
This is again a Zeus Cave, there are virtually hundreds of them around the Aegaean. Most of the caves are connected with the the legend how Zeus was saved from his father Chronos who eat his children. Here another legend connected with Zeus happened, so it is again called Zeus Cave.
Zeus's brother is Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. Sometimes when Poseidon is angry with his brother, the waters rise and a storm-tossed sea is not a good place to stay. So Zeus hides from his wrath in the calm waters of this cave.
Old Legend
Another legend says that Zeus slipped away from Mount Olympus to swim with village girls where his wife, Hera, couldn’t find him. Obviously she was not able to see through rock, despite being a goddess.
Zeus Mağarası is located behind the restaurant Zeus Piknik on Milli Park Cadesi. There is a huge parking lot, an explanatory sign and wooden boardwalks leading into the cave. It has a huge entrance portal which is visually obstructed by olive trees and wildflowers. Inside a path leads down from the entrance to a cave lake, with stone steps and a metal railing.
The water of the lake is a mixture of karst water, which is drinkable, and a little salty seawater from the nearby Mediterranean Sea. The result tastes like mineral water. When the sea is not very convenient to swim in due to waves, people often come to the cave to swim inside. The cave is a cool retreat in summer, and warm and cosy in winter. It is popular among locals and tourists alike.