Accompanied by a guide, visitors interested in the wild subterranean world can explore the Mala Boka and Srnica caves.
Explorers of the underground world will find many interesting sites with the potential for everything from leisurely tourist excursions to more demanding expeditions.
The Srnica cave
At the foot of the Kanin mountains, there are 750 m of tunnels and caves.
The Srnica cave is distinguished by fossilised heart-shaped mussels. In long-lasting or heavy rains, the Srnica cave fills up with water and turns into a temporary water source. A waterfall forms at the upper entrance to the cave.
There is a 63 m difference in altitude between the entrances to the cave. Exploring the Srnica cave is difficult and can only be attempted with the right equipment and an experienced guide.
The Mala Boka cave system
This cave system is 1319 m deep and 8168 m long.
Possibly one of the deepest cave systems in the world, Mala Boka has been attracting countless experienced cavers for over 30 years now.
The entrance is situated at the Boka waterfall at an altitude of 450 m. The average temperature in the cave is 8 ºC. A small section of the cave system is open for guided caving tours, organised by several Bovec sports companies. The locals know it as the Golobja cave. The large entrance hall measures 35 x 12 m.
When it rains, the dry and silent tunnels of Mala Boka, the cave halls and the stalagmite and stalactite displays are filled with wild waterfalls and torrents.
MIG System
MIG System is the longest researches cave system in Slovenia (35.800 m).
Explorers of the underground world will find many interesting sites with the potential for everything from leisurely tourist excursions to more demanding expeditions.
MIG System is a very demanding complex of cave passages and pits in the total length of 24900 metres and reaching the depth of 975 m, accessible only to experienced and well-equipped cavers.
Although caves in the area are not equipped for massive touristvisits, many of them can still be visited under the guidance ofexperienced cavers.
It is recommended to get all additional information at the local cavers’ club.
The Cave of Zadlaška jama or Dante's Cave
The cave of Zadlaška jama, named after the village Zadlaz, is one of several caves through which the waters of the Soca glacier flowed.
This cave complex is 1.140 m long, 41 m deep and boasts three halls.
It is said that at the beginning of the 14th century, the patriarch Pagano della Torre hosted the poet Dante Alighieri in Tolmin. At that time, he is said to have visited the cave, which inspired him to create the Hell of the Divine Comedy. The cave was later named after the poet.
In 1922 it was explored and mapped for the first time by the members of the Krpelj Tourist Association and it was later made suitable for visitors - stairs have been carved in and passages deepened. It was fully explored and mapped by the Speleology section of the Tolmin Mountaineering Society in 1977.
There are two types of cave bugs living there – namely, Anophtalmus ravasnii sontiacus; Muller 1935 and Anophtalmus Tolminensis; Muller 1922, Pretnar 1970, as well as the bat, known as the Rhindolophus hipposideros.
Zadlaška jama is among the most difficult tourist caves, which is why it is only possible to visit it in the company of a competent guide and with appropriate equipment.
Čehi 2
The deepest cave in Slovenia and the 10th deepest in the world, Čehi 2 is situated in Rombonski podi over Bovec.
A complex cave system that has never been fully explored, Čehi 2 remains a popular destination for Slovenian and international cave expeditions. The total length and depth of the cave have still not been established.
Believed to be 1502 m in depth and 5291 m in length, the Čehi 2 cave entrance is situated on Rombonski podi at an altitude of some 2000 m.
The cave should only be accessed by very experienced cavers familiar with the local specifics of the cave system.
Other caves in the Kanin and Rombon mountains
The Kanin and Rombon mountains boast a veritable maze of pits and caves, widely accepted to contain some of the deepest and most complex caves in Slovenia and on a global scale.
Covering an area of 7 km², Rombonski podi is situated at an altitude of 1400 m–2150 m on the edge of the Triglav National Park.
The caves should only be visited by experienced, properly equipped and trained cavers.
Caves in Kaninski podi:
- Skalarjevo brezno, length: 4765 m, depth: 911 m,
- Renejevo brezno, length: 3548 m, depth: 1242 m,
- Brezno pod velbom, length: 1565 m, depth: 910 m,
- Vrtoglavica, the cave with the world's deepest single vertical drop (pitch); length: 643 m, depth: 643 m.
Caves in Rombonski podi:
- Črnelsko brezno (system), length: 11,450 m, depth: 1241 m,
- Čehi 2, Slovenia's deepest cave; length: 5291 m, depth: 1502m,
- Vandima, length: 2500 m, depth: 1182 m,
- the Hudi Vršič pit, length: 737 m, depth: 620 m.
