Today we’ll talk about the caves of Škocjan, a place where to feel vertigo without being at a high altitude but the contrary, cause this area of Slovenia is underground. How’s that possible? Because it’s the deepest underground canyon in Europe!
With over 1000 caves, Slovenia’s a karst country, especially the area where the name Kras comes from, in which we can find plenty of what this phenomenon based on limestone produces, like stalactites, stalagmites, geodes, caves or even underground canyons as Škocjan. Despite being part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, usually travelers who come to Postojna have no time or don’t even think about approaching Škocjan, but it should be a must-see destination when going to Slovenia. In Škocjan it’s an unforgettable experience to peek into the underground river and to a 100m deep canyon from that bridge in which it’s possible to have vertigo below ground.
This system of underground tunnels created by Reka river is one of the most impressive large scale karst on Earth. In the first part of the cave the visitor is enticed by stalactites and stalagmites grow at a “speed” of an inch every 100 years. In the cave there are several stone shapes and shades (large sheets of limestone that seem to be hanging) and large gours (a kind of hot water placed on terraces). The second part of the cave’s very interesting cause Reka river runs through a canyon over 100 feet deep. The way to visit this part of the cave’s spectacular; it’s at high altitude, close to the walls and through Červeník bridge over the canyon.
It’s quite impressive to see the paths that formerly used those who entered Škocjan and are still preserved inside the cave: narrow paths and stairs without railings or any kind of protection. Indeed, once all this enormous cavity was flooded, what definitely makes anyone gasp while passing through this network of 11 caves, natural bridges, sinkholes and water that disappears. The large size of some parts of the cave prevents sunlight from entering, which gives it a mysterious air.
Photos: Isidorrr, ajo2106, Els Slots and jgm.johansson.
