These Are The Most Dangerous Caves In The World (2024)

Cave exploration is a popular pastime all around the world. Unusual geological formations and unique biodiversity make caves a fascinating place to explore. The challenging structure of many caves also provides the opportunity for adventurers to test their physical and mental strength as they attempt to conquer these mysterious systems.

There are plenty of secrets hiding in these caves, however. From the largest caves in the world to tiny nooks, dangers seem to be lurking everywhere. While all caves carry a certain amount of risk, some chasms are naturally more dangerous than others. Dangerous gasses, false chambers, and freezing cold temperatures prove overwhelming for many, and dozens of travelers succumb to the elements each year.

Of the thousands of systems around the world, these seven caves are the most dangerous.

7 Veryovkina Cave, Georgia

Known Fatalities: 1

Veryovkina Cave, Georgia

As the world's deepest cave, Veryovkina Cave in the country of Georgia is inherently dangerous. Visiting the cave is a week-long adventure, even for professional spelunkers. Over 10 miles of cave branches and a maximum depth of 7,257 feet make Veryokina Cave a vast labyrinth.

The size of Veryovkina Cave undeniably poses its greatest danger, requiring a level of endurance and maintaining a sense of calm unachievable for many. The golden rule of cave exploration, never travel alone, is especially important in such a huge network.

Unfortunately, at least one adventurous soul has met their end trying to beat the cave. In 2020, Sergei Kozeev attempted a solo descent into Veryokina. The dark walls of the cave would be the last thing he ever saw. Kozeev likely succumbed to hypothermia and was found weeks later. Even his retrieval proved challenging, requiring a long and complicated process.

The cave continues to be open to the public, beckoning people to face the extreme depths of Veryokina.

6 Nutty Putty Cave, Utah, USA

Known Fatalities: 1

Utah is known for its dramatic, and oftentimes dangerous, natural formations. From Angels Landing, the most dangerous hike in the country, to the winding slot canyons that led to the events of 127 Hours, Utah is full of deadly wonders.

True to form, Utah is home to one of the most dangerous caves in the world - the Nutty Putty Cave. The Nutty Putty Cave consists of narrow passages, tight turns, and unexpected drop-offs. Renowned for its tight spaces, the Nutty Putty Cave has places called "the birth canal," "the aorta crawl," and "the Scout eater." Well, at least it used to.

The dangerous Nutty Putty Cave went through multiple rounds of being opened and closed to the public due to its dangers. It was fully sealed after a tragic accident in 2009. John Edward Jones went into the Nutty Putty Cave with his brother and nine other friends. Jones decided to go explore the Birth Canal area, but something went wrong.

Instead, Jones found himself in a narrow fissure, suspended by gravity over a near-vertical drop. His six-foot, 200-pound frame had nowhere to go, and the angle of the fissure made it impossible to back up or turn around.

Multiple rescue efforts were made, but they only wedged him deeper. At some point, the reality of the situation became clear, and a two-way radio was lowered to Jones to use to say goodbye to his pregnant wife.

Jones passed away of a heart attack inside the Nutty Putty Cave nearly 28 hours after being pinned. Unable to retrieve his body, the cave was sealed up, an eternal tomb for James Jones.

5 Kitum Cave, Kenya

Known Fatalities: 2

Kitum cave entrance to the surrounding tropical forest of Mount Elgon National Park in Kenya

There are a variety of things that can make a cave deadly, but perhaps none has more of an effect on the surface population than the deadly Kitum Cave.

A petri dish of zoonotic diseases, Kitum Cave and its natural minerals are an important part of the health of Africa's elephants, hyenas, buffalo, antelopes, and fruit bats. Inside the cave, a variety of diseases are deposited, and there they fester and change.

Most notably, Kitum Cave has been hypothesized to be the birthplace of Ebola. Other diseases, like the Marburg virus and Ravn, have also been linked to this 600-foot chasm. With mortality rates of up to 88 percent, most who enter Kitum Cave have already sealed their fate.

4 The Blue Hole, New Mexico, USA

Known Fatalities: 3

The Blue Hole, Santa Rosa, New Mexico, USA

While Carlsbad Caverns National Park is one of the most unique places to visit in New Mexico, the Blue Hole is a far less famous, and far more dangerous, cave experience. Underwater caves are some of the most inherently dangerous places in the world, as the combination of standard cave dangers converges with a limited air supply. These dangers are on full display in the Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, New Mexico.

A beautiful body of water, the caves at the bottom of the Blue Hole are narrow and extremely dark. What makes this one of the most dangerous caves in the world, however, is something much more ordinary. Silt along the bottom of the caves gets swirled up as flippers paddle by, reducing the visibility to almost zero.

In 1976, this combination proved to be the undoing of two divers, and a grate was placed over the deepest cave entrance, protecting future divers from suffering the same fate. 40 years later, a select group of veteran divers was allowed to enter the sealed caves. This proved a fatal mistake, and history was repeated when one of the divers, a former Navy SEAL and veteran diver, succumbed to the elements.

The claustrophobic sensation of this deep water cave proved too much, and it seems the diver died of asphyxiation from quickened breathing. The rest of the group managed to escape, and quickly locked the gate behind them, declaring that no one should ever be allowed in the caves again.

3 Ellison Cave, Georgia, USA

Known Fatalities: 3

Entrance to Ellison Cave, Georgia, USA

Georgia is full of underrated small towns and unique hidden gems, but its caves are perhaps best left to themselves. Caves are generally carved by underwater rivers, making them a dangerous combination of dark and cold.

Ellison Cave in the state of Georgia lulls adventurers in with its underground waterfalls and unique rappelling opportunities. Unfortunately, that exact combination is as deadly as it is beautiful.

In 2011, a group of college friends went to Ellison Cave as part of a trip for a birthday celebration. During their exploration, a bag of supplies fell onto a ledge near the waterfall. One of the students, Grant Lockenbach, went to retrieve it, but ended up tangled in the rappel line in the waterfall.

Freezing water crashing down, Lockenbach called for help. His friend, Michael Pirie, quickly descended, only to find himself in the same predicament. Dressed in only t-shirts and jeans, the two boys quickly succumbed to hypothermia, frozen alive in Ellison Cave.

2 Jacob's Well, Texas, USA

Known Fatalities: 9

Jacob's Well, a popular local swimming hole near Austin

On the surface, Jacob's Well is one of the best secret swimming holes in the US, tucked away in the middle of the arid Texas desert. Below the surface, however, is a deadly network of underwater caves.

Jacob's Well has claimed the lives of over a dozen divers, primarily due to two areas. The first is a narrow passage that requires divers to remove their air tanks. More than one adventurer has underestimated the time they need to swim through the chamber, and the combination of panic and no air quickly becomes deadly.

The underwater cave also has a false exit, which tricks divers into going deeper into the chasm than they have the air for. By the time they realize they've gone the wrong way, time is sometimes already up.

1 Cueva de la Muerte, Costa Rica

Known Fatalities: Unknown

A man in the entrance of a cave

When the name of the destination literally translates to "cave of death," chances are it's not a top vacation spot.

The Cueva de la Muerte in Costa Rica is one of the most unwelcoming environments in the world. Connected to active volcanic activity, the atmosphere inside Cueva de la Muerte is almost entirely carbon dioxide.

Just 10 feet long, Cueva de la Muerte is far from the grand spelunking escapade of other entries on this list. Fortunately, the abundance of warning signs and skull and crossbones imagery seems to keep most human visitors away.

An array of bones at the entrance of the cave suggests that the poor native fauna of the area has not been so lucky, with animals regularly suffocating within moments of entering the Cave of Death.