The Cave of Aggitis, mentioned by Herodotus, lies 23km northwest of Drama in Kato Nevrokopi in the lowlands of the Mount Falakro (Rodopi mountain range). The River Aggitis starts at the Maara springs which are the outlet of an underground river that crosses the Maara cave. The cave is a pipeline conduit that is directly connected to the sinkholes of Ochyro on the Kato Nevrokopi plateau. The underwater river is fed by rainwater and streams on the plateau.
In modern writings the cave and river are first mentioned by M.E.M. Cousinery, French Consul in Salonika in his book, “Voyage in Macedonia” (1831). The cave was explored in 1978, when a group of Greek and French speleologists were diving near the Maara springs where at a depth of 7m they discovered an entrance to the cave and a cavern of 500m length. Inside the cave there is evidence of human habitation dating back to 3000 B.C. and the fortifications near the entrance are from the 6th century A.D. Today the cave has been explored for 8.5km of its length and is accessible for 2.5km, of which the first 500m are open to the public while it is estimated that the real length of the cave is 12km.
Inside the cave the temperature of the water is 11.5°C and the air, 12.5°C. Along the length of the cave there is a flat area and chambers up to 25m in width alternating with narrower areas of up to 1m wide. A characteristic feature of the cave is the underground river and the stalactites in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes..
