The Skocjan cave travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises, spa and resorts

Skocjan Caves is a system of limestone caves in the Kras region in southwestern Slovenia, containing collapsed valleys, about 5 kilometers of underground passages, caves more than 200 meters deep and many waterfalls. This is one of the most famous sites in the world for the study of karstic (limestone) phenomenon. Because of their unique natural features and cultural heritage they have been on the UNESCO world heritage list since 1986, and in 1999 were put on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance as the world’s largest underground wetlands. You will marvel at the beauty of both the underground world and the surrounding karst world above. The temperature in the cave is constant 12°C.

The Kras is a region rich in limestone, with caves formed by water erosion. The River flows for 55 km as a superficial stream until it reaches the Kras, where it disappears underground for 300 meters in a cave under the village of Skocjan. The river continues its flow in the cave for another 3.5 km, with underground lakes and waterfalls. There are several chambers 308 meters long, 123 meters wide and 146 meters deep. The river continues its flow for another 30 km underground before it reappears.

The Skocjanske jame caves have an extremely complex system of cave passages in a total length of 5.8 km. The difference between the lowest and the highest point in the caves is 209 meters. With the shifting of sink holes in the geological past, numerous collapsed valley have formed at the contact point where flysch meets limestone under the caverns. The finest view of both dolines with the natural bridge and the cave that separates them is from an observation point. The caves, with an immense underground gorge and halls, are the beginning of the Skocjan underground system. The height of the gorge exceeds 100 meters at several points.