Tovliani Abyss

Tovliani Abyss (translated as "Snowy Abyss") is located in Abkhazia, in the Gudauta municipality, on the Bzipsky ridge, near the Dzina pass, at an altitude of 1975 meters above sea level (the territory of Abkhazia is currently occupied by the Russian Federation). It consists of 4 connecting caves: Tovliani - Mezheni- Iluzia (Illusion) - Banka. The abyss is an impressive system of wells and shafts, and its depth is 1760 meters. The most deeply preserved glacier in the world is located in the Tovliani Abyss, which makes it unique. Its age is about 5 thousand years. The snow chasm was discovered on August 9, 1971. In 1971-1972, it was explored to a depth of 720 m, expeditions were periodically conducted, and at the end, in 2011, a plunge into Lake Morozovi took place, as a result of which the investigated depth of the cave increased to 1760 meters.