Grande Grotta
7a+ – 8a · 4 routes · limestone · French
- Approach 12 min — steep stone steps and a fixed rope up from the Arginonta road; approach shoes recommended
- Best season April to June and September to November. The cave is shaded and climbable in light rain.
- Published
- Updated
Grande Grotta is the most photographed cave in Greece: a huge limestone arch overhanging more than forty degrees, packed with tufas and stalactites, and graded almost entirely between 7a and 8b. It is the reason most people first book a flight to Kalymnos.
What the cave gives you
The climbing is steep and three-dimensional. You will be pulling on tufas, kneebarring behind stalactites, and clipping from positions where a fall leaves you well clear of the rock. The holds are mostly positive pockets and pinches, so the difficulty comes from endurance rather than from finger strength.
The cave stays dry in rain, which makes it the reliable option in a wet week. It also stays cool, because it faces north and is shaded most of the day.
Grades and structure
There is very little here below 6c and nothing easy above 8c. That narrow band makes Grande Grotta a poor choice for a mixed-ability group and an excellent choice for a group of fit 7a climbers who want to try something steep.
Most lines are 20 to 30 metres. A 70 m rope is standard; check the guidebook before lowering off anything on the right-hand side.
Logistics
Kalymnos is reached by ferry from Kos or by air to Kos then ferry. The main season is April to June and September to November; July and August are too hot for anything south-facing. Rental scooters are the normal transport and the road up to the sectors is narrow.
Routes · 4
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Hold types tufa · pinch · kneebar
Open beta
The classic introduction to the cave. Follow the biggest tufa on the left through three rests, then commit to the final bulge on pinches.
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Hold types pocket · kneebar · undercling
Open beta
Straight through the middle on pockets, with a kneebar rest behind the biggest stalactite at two-thirds height. Do not skip it.
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Hold types jug · roof · heel-hook
Open beta
Steep roof on big holds, all about foot placement and pacing. Pumpier than the grade suggests in warm weather.
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Hold types pocket · crimp · tufa
Open beta
Thirty-metre link-up through the steepest part of the cave. No single hard move; the difficulty is not falling off at the last bolt.
Crag ethics
Crag ethics
Kalymnos limestone is soft in places, especially after rain. Do not climb on wet tufas — they snap. Stick to the fixed lower-offs and do not add new bolts.
