Skocjan Caves

The Škocjan Caves are located in the Kras region (literally meaning Karst) of southwest Slovenia, not far from Trieste. It is considered a well preserved unique example of Karstic erosion.

Its inscription was favoured above the better known Postojna caves, which are larger and longer
and have a richer fauna than Skocjan but have been modified significantly by
tourism development and have much higher pollution levels.

The protected area of limestone caves extends over 200ha and includes four deep and picturesque
chasms, Sokolak in the south, Globocak in the west Sapen dol and Lisicina in
the north. It contains collapsed dolines, about 6 kilometres of underground passages, caves more than 200 metres deep, many waterfalls and one of the largest known underground chambers. It's also an important scientific site for the study of the karstic phenomena.


Year Decision Comments
1988 Inscribed Reasons for inscription

Reviews

Klaus Freisinger (Austria):
Less famous than the renowned Postojna caves, the caves at Skocjan in southwestern Slovenia near the coast are certainly no less impressive and more important from a scientific point of view. They are the classic karst caves and are much less polluted than others, forming its own ecosystem and hosting several endemic species. Besides, they are extremely impressive, with huge stalactites and stalagmites, a river running through it and a mighty canyon with a footbridge 40 metres above the water that makes your knees shudder... The guided tour takes about an hour and a half and is pretty strenuous, since from about the halfway point it is mostly uphill over slippery steps. Despite this, a visit there is just fascinating and highly recommended.
Date posted: May 2008
Joyce (The Netherlands):
The caves can only be visited on a guided 2-hour tour where you will visit 3 kilometers of the total of 6 kilometers of tunnels and rooms filled with stalagmites and stalactites. The biggest chamber you’ll visit (the largest one in the cave system is too dangerous to visit) is impressive. After the big chamber you will follow a path along the underground river, which is quite amazing, and a little scary too if you are afraid of heights. Finally you will end up in a little valley with it’s own ecosystem.
The view from the viewpoint is spectacular with high cliffs and at the bottom a waterfall coming out of the caves and a small cliff-side village with a church.
Date posted: July 2006


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