Mystery or puzzle caches are exactly that – a mystery. An enigma, if you will.

In Niedersachen, Enigma #1 (GC448A) ranks high among mystery caches in Germany. The cache is more than 10 years old, and despite all advances in technology, still remains a true difficulty 5, terrain 3 geocache. Even its final coordinates are a mystery.

The cache became so famous that a geocacher placed the “holy grail of geocaching” in the cache container to symbolize its status and influence on the geocaching community.

The cache page includes a link to a list of 10 difficult questions (in German). The answers are essential to understanding and deciphering three detailed maps. The treasure-seeking adventure is filled with hikes, some are steep at times. It is comprised of outdoor and indoor paths as well as detours as you interpret the maps and navigate with GPS.

Impressed with the mystery cache, Chris, a.k.a. famerlor_dragon nominated this recent find. He says, “Every German geocacher wants to go here at one time. It was truly a rewarding experience doing the cache myself.”

Chris continues to explain, “As you draw closer to the cache, hoping that your last coordinates are good, sweat dripping from your forehead and then finally you see the waymark from your last treasure map and you know you are right and the cache is within reach. Opening the big box (it has recently been replaced – I am sure new pictures will be there within a very few weeks) and holding the grail is a very rewarding experience. One of a kind.”

Over 1,500 geocachers who logged a smiley agree with Chris. The mystery cache has earned 763 Favorite Points, and geocachers are not holding back on their extensive logs describing their exhilarating experiences.

Another geocacher logged this find saying, “We spent a lot of time preparing. A lot. It took a few months before we felt confident enough to tackle this four-stage mystery cache. Today it was time. I read two days ago that the box is gone and that the owner had already placed a new box on the ground. The experience is exhilarating. We found ourselves getting mad and we found ourselves laughing. Most of all, we found the beauty in this game through this cache. Thanks Vinnie & nici for an extraordinary experience!”

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com.

Brace yourself! Because to log this Geocache of the Week, we’re going to come face-to-face with an ancient monster of the sea.

Awaken the Leviathan (GC2QK8W) is a difficulty 2.5, terrain 5 Multi-Cache located on the most southern tip of Cape Town, South Africa.

This cache is only accessible given the right sea and tide conditions and is best attempted during a spring low tide. Even under the best conditions, the journey to this cache is fraught with peril and past adventurers advise taking the utmost caution.

By attempting to log this cache, geocachers agree to undertake a mission of extreme importance: to determine once and for all whether or not the myth of the great Leviathan is true.  The local lighthouse keeper has allegedly spotted a foul and rank-smelling beast slithering on the rocks far below the cliff top. Is this monster real?

To find out, geocachers must brave the sea, traverse slippery rocks, edge their way along a cliff, and finally enter a cave that is home to the beast itself. Less than 30 geocachers have actually dared to embark on this epic journey since the creation of the cache in March of 2011. One of those brave geocachers is Chris, a.k.a. SawaSawa. Chris was so impressed with this cache that he decided to nominate it.

He says, “It is a terrain 5 rating and thus potentially mentally and physically challenging due to the extreme location and the elements of danger involved – in the form of narrow cliff ledges and dangerous incoming tides. In fact, I had a sleepless night before doing the cache as my mind ran through the route we would have to follow to reach GZ. On the route back I had a few heart-stopping moments negotiating the cliff ledge.”

He goes on to explain that paddawan, the cache owner, is “renowned in South Africa by those who have found his caches as one of the most ingenious and prolific hiders of caches, which garner numerous favorite points. He therefore well deserves further recognition for his wonderful efforts of which this cache is one of the finest examples.”

Chris isn’t the only awe-struck geocacher. As one geocacher logging the find put it, “Exhilarating! We feel very proud of the courage caching has given us. The beast was rumbling and grumbling. But on hands and knees by the light of our lantern, we found what we were looking for, completed formalities and escaped before he could turn nasty. Thank you for an awesome experience!”

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com.