Chagyrskaya Cave, Archaeological cave in Altai Mountains, Russia
Chagyrskaya is a cave in the Altai Mountains that extends about 35 meters into the hillside with a broad stone entrance opening toward the river valley below. The site contains multiple chambers where archaeologists have recovered remains and artifacts from different periods of habitation.
Excavation of the site began in 1984 and revealed layers of occupation stretching back roughly 44.000 years into the past. The recovered tools and animal bones show that early humans and carnivores inhabited the space during overlapping time periods.
The site reflects the lives of early inhabitants who sheltered here during harsh climate periods and left behind remnants of their daily existence. Visitors can observe how people adapted to living in this enclosed space thousands of years ago.
Access to the cave requires special permits and proper climbing gear since it sits high above the river valley and demands careful navigation. Summer months offer the best conditions for visiting, as the site remains more accessible and research teams are often working there.
The cave was long inhabited by cave hyenas, and researchers discovered that humans and these large carnivores lived in the same space but during separate time layers. This kind of coexistence between humans and apex predators is rarely documented at sites of this age.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
