Kefalovryso, Ancient spring of Inachu river.
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The only point of entry and exit of the Kefalovrysos spring, as seen from the inside. Observe the two huge stalagmites as well as a number of smaller stalactites. -
The diver enters the antechamber whilst taking a moment to admire the interior decoration of the Kefalovrysos cave just before the dive begins. -
The diver, enters the cave with great caution and respect. The layering on the walls of the spring is clearly visible. -
A close up of the stalactites. A splendid decor that one finds within all the air pockets of the ancient spring of the Inachu river. -
The declination of the Kefalovrysos cave can be seen leading the diver to its deepest part. -
A section of a large air pocket that is approximately two-thirds under water. A number of small stalactites are clearly distinct. -
At the end of the dive a diver observes the unique stalactite formations of the cave. -
At some points in the cave, the stalactites continue below the surface. This indicates, in the past the water level was lower than it is today. -
The village square in 1964. Archive Kostantinas Stavrou. -
Mapping of Kefalovrisos spring. -
Video from Kefalovryso, Ancient spring of Inachu river.
Kefalovrysos. The ancient spring of the Inaho river.
At the foot of Lyrkion, Kefalovryso emerges in a lush green landscape. A mountainous village between Frangokoukra at 1648 meters and Mavrovouni at 1260 meters. Situated in dense vegetation with walnut trees, poplars, fruit trees and many plane trees. The village is at an altitude of 750 meters and is located about 36 km from Argos. Up until 1928 it was called Ano Belesi and then renamed to Kefalovrysos. With respect to the spring of the ancient river Inahos, ruins have been found with reference to the construction style of Hadrian’s Aqueduct, which fed all of the Argidian plain. The spring of the ancient river Inahos, Lerni Mylon and Erasinos River are the three most important springs in the province of Argos. The village remains untouched by time, with its ever changing landscape, depending on the season and the weather, offering panoramic views of the Argolic plain. Permanent residency is very low, about 40, and are mainly engaged in agriculture, olive cultivation and livestock farming. The central church of Kefalovrysos is the Assumption of the Virgin, but the settlement is traditionally brought to life during the great feast of the church of Agia Paraskevi which falls on the 25th of July. The flora and fauna in Kefalovrysos is wild and rich while it is suitable for hiking with trails in Lyrkion mountain, waterfalls and plane trees. The Greek Ornithological Society has recorded an endemic bird that makes its presence here, known as the Aegean Eagle or the Golden Eagle. The walk from Kefalovrysos ends at a location called “The Doors”, which is considered to be one of the best
preserved monuments of ancient road construction. Whilst it is not particularly visible to the unaware traveler it remains impressive nevertheless. Finally, the village is particularly rich in exhibits which can be found at the Folklore Museum, a donation made by Evangelos Doris, in which the village’s library is also housed.
Source: Evangelos Fil. Doris. My village Kefalovryson Argos.
Information on the cave.
The cave of Kefalovrysos, formed by the spring of the ancient Inahos river, is a karstic type cave. Its entrance is noticeable to the passer by, the same is true for the extremely beautiful stalactite formations which are hidden in the antechamber. Starting the dive and for the first 90 meters, the direction of the cave is southwest with a maximum depth of 4 meters. At several points along this first section, the roof is exposed to the air, where the diver can surface and admire the stalactites that cover most of these chambers. The width of the entire cave ranges from 1.5 to 4 meters. Most of the cave is made up of clay created by the deterioration of rocks due to the friction created by the continuous movement of water.The rocks are dissolved in very fine particles (almost in molecular form, while the size of the grains of the clay differs depending on the quality of the original material). The composition of the cave in conjunction with the divers
movement and the bubbles exhaled, result in the material being disturbed and the suspension of particles of clay in such large quantities that dramatically reduce visibility. The following 165 meters the direction of the cave constantly changes from southeast to southwest. The final part of the cave of Kefalovrysos ends in a north – northwest course with a diameter of no more than 3 meters. The maximum depth is 28 meters, whilst the marked cave line that was used for mapping the cave showed a maximum length of 395 meters from its entrance. The cave does not contain extensive passage ways branching out to other parts, except for a few “gray areas” in the first third part. Generally speaking, what makes cave diving here particularly interesting is the morphological variety of the cave of Kefalovrysos, both in terms of the materials that it consists it but also the constant change of direction and depth. Shortly before the diver arrives at the end of the journey, he has to pass a huge rock, with special care due to it being very sharp he enters the last chamber. At this point, due to the percolation caused by the bubbles there is almost zero visibility. On the way back the flow of water of the Inahos River will assist the diver to exit which is a pleasant and welcome surprise. Throughout thousands of years the spring provides the foundation stone for life in the entire area with it’s pristine drinking water.