Rosh HaNikra grottoes

Rosh HaNikra or Hanikra (Hebrew: ראש הנקרה, lit. 'head of the cavern'; Arabic: رأس الناقورة, romanized: Ras an-Nakura) is a geologic formation in northwest Israel on the border with Lebanon, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in the Western Galilee. It is a white chalk cliff face which opens up into spectacular grottos.

The Rosh HaNikra grottoes are cavernous hollows formed by sea action on the soft chalk rock. Their total length is about 200 meters. They branch off in various directions, with some interconnecting segments. A man-made tunnel was built by the British for the Haifa-Beirut railroad line, and in 1968 a second one was dug, both connecting the grottoes with each other and allowing access (currently: only exit) along the former route of the British railroad. For many years, though, the only access to the grottoes was from the sea, and the native swimmers and divers were the only ones capable of visiting. The 400-meter-long tunnel dug in 1968 between the grottoes and slightly above sea level allowed easier access, and soon after, a cable car was built to take visitors down from the top of the cliff to the caverns and tunnels. With a 60-degree gradient, this cable car is advertised as the steepest in the world.

A kibbutz, also named Rosh HaNikra, is located nearby. The Israeli city Nahariya is located about 10 km (6 miles) south of Rosh HaNikra.