Topla (Burjak) - Matjaž Cave

Access to starting point:
A) We drive to Črna na Koroškem, where from the roundabout in the center of the settlement we take the exit towards Koprivna. At the next intersection we go slightly right, so that over the bridge we cross the Meža River, and alongside it we then continue driving. Črna na Koroškem then ends, and we drive on the main road to TIC Topla, where we turn right into the Topla valley. We then drive along the Topla valley, where the road makes two hairpin turns, then a little further from the climbing area in Topla (climbing area Burjakove peči) the road emerges from the forest, and we drive to a smaller chapel, which is located near the Burjak homestead. We park in a suitable place nearby.
B) We drive to Solčava, then follow the signs for Črna na Koroškem. This is followed by an ascent to the Spodnje Sleme pass, from there a descent towards Koprivna. Lower down we drive along the Meža River and continue in the direction of Črna na Koroškem. When the road into the Topla valley branches off to the left, we continue left; we then drive along the Topla valley, where the road makes two hairpin turns, then a little further from the climbing area in Topla (climbing area Burjakove peči) the road emerges from the forest, and we drive to a smaller chapel, which is located near the Burjak homestead. We park in a suitable place nearby.

Path description:
At the chapel, we continue right onto a side road that takes us over a bridge to the Burjak farm. We bypass the structure on the right side, then the ascent begins across the hay meadows. Higher up, the path takes us to the next farm, a little further ahead we reach the asphalt road that leads to the nearby Florin farm. Behind the houses the asphalt ends, and the blazes direct us right onto a cart track, alongside which we also notice the mountain signs for Dom na Peci. We continue along the initially still panoramic cart track, then the path enters the forest. We soon leave the cart track, as the blazes direct us onto a footpath that higher up crosses the cart track several more times. Higher up we walk through the forest for quite some time and cross an old, partly already collapsed pasture fence, behind which we step onto the abandoned mountain pasture Javorje, which today is overgrown with fern. On the pasture, where we again cross the cart track, stands a hunting cottage, and we continue along the overgrown trail that bypasses the mentioned cottage on the right side. Above the cottage we cross the cart track two more times, then continue along the trail, which is no longer overgrown with fern but with tall grass. Orientation on this section is quite difficult, and we ascend mainly upwards and slightly to the right. On the upper part of the overgrown section we notice a large wooden blaze, at which the path goes right into the forest, where it becomes easier to follow. This is followed by an ascent through the forest; behind the collapsed cottage we step onto the cart track again, which we cross several more times, and higher up the marked path leads slightly left of it. When the path takes us higher to a wooden log cabin, we bypass it on the right side and continue ascending along a fairly overgrown path to the marked path that starts at the mine in Topla and leads towards Dom na Peci.
We follow the well-beaten marked path to the right; it soon flattens and takes us through a larger clearing to a marked junction.
We continue sharply right in the direction of Votlina Kralja Matjaža (left Mala Peca 3 minutes, straight Dom na Peci 5 minutes) and slightly descend to the next junction. Again we go right (left Dom na Peci) and in a few minutes of traversing or slight descent arrive at Votlina Kralja Matjaža.
Burjak - planina Javorje 1:30, planina Javorje - Votlina Kralja Matjaža 1:00.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in 2018 (July).

On the way: Florin (930m), Planina Javorje (1330m)

Trip can be extended to: Dom na Peci , Mala Peca , Petzen (Kordeschkopf) (Peca (Kordeževa glava))