Travel Blogs Slovenia · Skocjan Caves · by Crackly

---

Well yes its Crackly again. This blog is a little different to all my others. Its mainly because of the fact that words cannot describe the awe-inspiring beauty of these magnificent caves. No matter how hard I try, I am unable to find the words to explain how truly breathtaking this cave system is. For the first time, I understand what it means when something takes your breath away. I felt so small and insignificant... but Skocjan will do that to you **** How to get there??? Well the caves are in The Skocjanske jame Regional park in Slovenia ( or in English Skocjan Caves Regional Park). What I did was catch the train to Divaca station and walked to the caves. (You can catch the train from Ljubljana to Divaca. Take the train heading to Koper). Its a 45 minute walk and its suitable for most fitness levels, I would say. I didnt find the walk tiring and Im not super-fit. The people at the station are helpful and you can get a free walking map on how to get there. (There are only 3 lockers at Divaca station so you will need a bit of luck to get an available one). The walk starts off nothing special, but after 20-25 minutes you enter the national park track and you get some great views (see photo). The 45 minute walk took us 1hr15minutes because we kept stopping to look at the views and take photos and video. Most people drive in or come on tour buses but if you can do the walk, I would recommend it. **** The cave ticket office opens at 1030 and the first tours start at 11am. It costs approx 10 euros (price OK Feb 2007). This includes the ticket for the cave tour and park admission. I never mind paying these things because the upkeep and maintenance would cost a fair bit, and besides the whole park is UNESCO listed. The Skocjan cave is the 2nd biggest chamber cave in the world and the biggest in Europe. At one point you will have to cross a VERY STURDY bridge ( called Cerkvenik Bridge) at a height of 50 metres (155 feet) over a huge revine. You are in a huge chamber underground over 100 metres long, over 100 metres wide and over 70 metres high. There is a river gushing through, there is a fine mist and stalagmites so long you cant see where they finish. Along the way you see features like gours, natural bridges, stalactites (over 20 metres long), cave pearls (very rare) and many wierd and wonderful formations. **** Ask anyone who's into caves, and most will know of the caves in Slovenia. (There are other caves nearer to Ljubljana called the Postonja caves which are also very popular. I didnt go to these caves so I cant give an opinion. However, most Slovenians said to go to the Skocjan caves. I got the impression that even though less tourists visit Skocjan, thay were the better caves. But Im sure Postonja caves are also beautiful). ****The tour goes for about an hour and a half and I have to say, the guides are passionate, informative and really into giving you a memorable experience. It takes a while to find your "cave feet" but the walk is safe and a pretty leisurely pace. Its about a 3 kilometre walk in total. When you exit the caves, you still get to walk up the path towards the top of the grotto (see photo) and this walk also is full of scenic beauty and photo oppurtunities. The only thing that was a downer is that photos and videos in the cave are banned. While I can totally respect and understand why, not having photos makes it almost impossible for anyone you tell to grasp the magnitude and majesty of what you saw -trust me, I've tried- and they police it rather firmly. But it's one of those things that you have to see with your own eyes. You have to breathe the dank air, smell the fresh mist, and let your senses be totally blown away. Upon leaving, you realise how small you really are and how powerful nature is. I spent the whole walk back wondering ....why am I here?? It truly is that kind of place...Till next time, Crackly **** (PS I have also blogs on Lichtenstein, Andorra, Siclily and also more on Slovenia).

---

Photos

Exiting Skocjan cave
After an hour and half of dimly lit pathway and blackness, we exit into the sunlight

Walk into Skocjan National Park - Grotto
This is one of the photo stops on the walk from Divaca train station

Walk up the path to the cable car
After leaving the cave you walk uphill for about 15 minutes, then get on the cable car back up to souvenir shop and HOT COFFEE....mmmm.....