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Karst Caves

velkavrh24. 11. 2019 05:48:43

Hikers at the end of the hiking season do a trip into the unknown. These hikes or hiking trips are usually in November and December. Mountaineering guides organize a specially arranged trip for ourselves at the end of the season. These are often karst caves, mine museums and other museums. Last year among others we were at Pivka Military Museum and even crawled into the displayed submarine. The year before we visited Vilenica cave - it wasn't easy descending 500 steps into the cave. Three years ago we were in Italy at Rabelj mine. They take you through the mine by little train. These trips are called Guides' Trip into the Unknown. This year it was really into the unknown. We visited a karst cave in Carinthia. This is Huda luknja karst cave. We climbed through the upper Medvedov passage. Cavers from Koroški-Saleški caving club - SPEELOS SIGA took us into the cave. Visit possible only with accompaniment and guidance of cavers. Cave not lit and tour means real adrenaline shock. Cave entrance hidden in forest and locked. Already the descent into narrow hole hints something really unusual will happen. Right at narrow descent at entrance crawling on wet gravel on all fours awaits us. Cavers equipped us with caving suits, boots and helmets with lights. Must have good waterproof gloves. After a few meters passage ceiling rises and we stand up, but low ceiling so walk in not too wide and high rocky part of cave. Floor wet, slippery, full of rocks. Follow a couple of awkward descents in passage. Then cave widens and we see first dripstone formations that enchant and large bat colonies. To cave end about an hour and a half and back same way of course. Two more crawls on all fours. Once along long mud, second along laid scree. At scree almost splashing in water and drag more on them than crawl. Then to cave part where cave widens and to ceiling over ten meters. Walls and ceiling adorned with all possible stalactite forms from curtains to wonderful formations stretching along cave wall top to bottom. Edge full of siphons - currently full of water. To cave part where wade in water nearly 40 cm high. Without tall rubber boots no go. Even so cavers pumped water day before our visit and such water level will last maybe a day or two, then visit not possible again. Then walk part where path equipped with aluminum platforms. At end arrive big hall where visit for visitors ends. Back as I said same path. Again crawling and boots sink in deep mud several times. Nine of us and three cavers accompanied us. Really beautiful and adrenaline-packed, unrepeatable at least for most participants.

Karst Caves The entrance is hidden in the forest. From the road to the entrance it's about twenty minutes.

Karst Caves Here are small doors which they unlock and then a descent of about one meter into the cave follows.

Karst Caves The cave is not illuminated, so the photos are poorer.

Karst Caves In the cave on one shelf we even see bones of cave bears.

Karst Caves This is how we walk through most of the cave.

Karst Caves Group photo after successful exit from the cave. We are muddy from head to toe.

Karst Caves Always near our final goals we also look for some tavern to toast our hiking season.

Karst Caves Here they have good food and friendly service.

Karst Caves This adorns the walls in the inn.

(+4)

TamaraTP24. 11. 2019 23:43:21

Nice. Caves really have their charm.

velkavrh17. 11. 2024 16:14:24

Yesterday guides from PD Škofja Loka visited Planinska Cave also called Paradise Cave and Malogradska Cave. Half the group went boating in the cave - it takes a good four hours. That's an extremely demanding feat. I didn't opt for that adventure. I preferred the tourist tour of the cave, which lasts about two hours. You need to book it in advance. They tell you the time and a guide takes you to the cave. They also hand out lanterns because the cave is unlit and you need lanterns for the tour. It's a bit wet and slippery - you need non-slip footwear. The cave has a constant temperature of about 10 degrees. Outside it was much less. The guide unlocked the entrance and darkness enveloped us. A magical underground world of the cave opened up to us. Water was rushing below. The path is safely fenced. Some passages are quite narrow and low. Not for two-meter tall people. There aren't many stalactite formations. A mysterious underground world surrounded us. The cave is extremely rich with life in eternal darkness. After two and a half hours we came back to light. It was beautiful - unrepeatable.

So we are in the cave - the flashlight illuminates the ground under our feet and looks for interesting points on the walls.

Behind us a group walks that will boat through the cave.

velkavrh17. 11. 2024 19:06:41

On 06.04.2018 we visited Pekel Cave. Explored it six years ago and found this beautiful cave. So far one of my most beautiful caves. With great enthusiasm waiting for visit to Divaška Cave.

Tadej1. 09. 2025 08:42:23

Some snapshots from the trip through Divaška Cave. The cave is beautiful and worth seeing.

Best, Tadej

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velkavrh16. 11. 2025 17:41:59

This time I'll show Dimnice cave, located near Italian border. PD Škofja Loka guides visited it. Most did hike through whole cave and changed to boots, suits before cave and equipped with helmets and lights. Cave not lit which is its additional charm. Their hike lasted over two hours. Rest of us walked with female guide through karst cave full of stalactites - beautiful. Already entrance special. Quite deep descend into cave on spiral stairs, plenty of them. Then lights on and into karst cave darkness. Cave full of beautiful stalactites various structures - beautiful. We were thrilled. This was about tenth karst cave I visited since Postojna in school years. Cave really fascinated me.