Caves

CEREMOSNJA CAVE
LOCATION: This cave is in Eastern Serbia, in the vicinity of the town of Kucevo (15 km), at the foot of the Homolje Mountain, 75 km from the Belgrade-Nis motorway and 150 km from Belgrade.

DESCRIPTION: The cave was prepared for and opened to tourists in 1980. Ceremosnja is a cave through which a stream (Strugarski potok) flows. The length of the cave is 775.5 metres, of which 431 metres are accessible to visitors. Close to the cave, there is a motel from which the visitors can descend to the cave's entrance, go along the underground stream and reach the cave's biggest hall, the so-called Arena, the most beautiful one in Serbia's karst region. Its domed ceiling is lined with white crystal calcite and adorned by many stalactites and transparent curtains and folds.

TOURS: Permanent guide service is available. Visiting hours: 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. from April 1 to October 31 and by prior appointment in winter.

MERMERNA (MARBLE) CAVE
LOCATION: The Mermerna (Marble) Cave is located in the village of Donje Gadimlje, in the vicinity of Pristina (20 km). It lies 360 km from Belgrade and 65 km from Skopje.

DESCRIPTION: The cave was opened to tourists in 1976. The total length of the cave is 1260 m and the tourist path is 440 m long. The air temperature ranges from 12 C to 15 C, the relative humidity is less than 100 per cent and the air velocity is between 5 and 10 m/sec. The cave is made up of marble cliffs formed by the metamorphosis of limestone, a very rare phenomenon. The following can be differentiated in the cave: the Entrance and Western, Northern and Eastern Galleries. Massive pillars are predominant in the halls while the ceiling is covered with stalactites. Many pillars reach heights of up to 5 meters and they are covered with spikes, which is a special oddity of the cave. Ornaments are in different colours, ranging from aragonite white crystal to red, with all shades in between these two contrasting colours.

TOURS: Permanent guide service is available, visiting hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (from April 1 to October 31).

PETNICKA CAVE
LOCATION: The Petnicka Cave is located 5 km south west of Valjevo at the foot of a high limestone cliff.

DESCRIPTION: The length of the tourist path is about 500 meters. The Petnicka Cave is of spring origin and consists of 11 natural entities. The Concert Hall is the Petnicka Cave's biggest hall. Daylight filters into it through two openings in the ceiling. The Dragon's Hall has a pool in it (20 m long, 10 m wide and 8 m deep) whose water level varies. The Petnicka cave was inhabited by the Paleolithic man and it is a rich archaeological in the remains of Ice Age fauna.

POTPECKA CAVE
LOCATION: The cave is located in the northern foothills of Dresnicka Gradina (923 m ) in the village of Potpece, near Uzice (14 km). It lies only 2.5 km from the Beograd-Uzice highway and 188 km from Belgrade.

DESCRIPTION: The length of the tourist path is 800 meters. Air temperature varies between 9 and 10 degrees Celsius and relative air humidity is 95 %. The entrance is huge and horseshoe-shaped (height 50 meters, width at the base 16 meters and under the roof over 25 meters). This is the biggest cave entrance in Serbia. The cave consists of three floors of passages decorated with stalactites and stalagmites, pillars and coral-like calcite deposits. The tourist paths rise to a height of 30 meters and have about 700 steps.

TOURS: The Potpecka Cave has a permanent guide service. Tours of the cave last 60 minutes. Visiting hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (from April 1 to October 31) and in the winter period by prior appointment.

RAJKOVA CAVE (Rajko's Cave)
POSITION: The cave is located at the spring of Mali Pek, 2 km from Majdanpek in Eastern Serbia. It is 120 km from the Beograd-Nis highway and 200 km to Beograd. It is a river cave through whose entire length flows the Rajkova reka (Rajko's River).

DESCRIPTION: The total length of the cave is 2.304 meters while the tourist path is 1.410,5 meters. Air temperature is 8 degrees Celsius and relative humidity is 100%. The cave consists of two physically separated caverns: an underground river channel and a spring cave, both of which have two floors. A series of attractive groupings are found in Rajko's Cave: The Egyptian Goddes, the Snail, Stump with Mushrooms, Sleeping Bear and several cave halls. The Rajko's cave has the highest quality of cave ornaments.

TOURS: There is a permanent organized guide service at Rajko's Cave. Tours last 60 minutes. Visiting hours: 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. (from April 1 to October 31), and in winter period by appointment.

RESAVSKA CAVE
LOCATION: The Resavska Cave lies in the eastern Serbia in the vicinity of the town of Despotovac (20 km). The cave is 52 km from the Belgrade-Nis motorway and 152 km from Belgrade.

DESCRIPTION: It is the first cave to be prepared for visits in Serbia. The length of the cave totals to 2,850 meters and the tourist paths is 800 m long. The air temperature is 14 0C and the average humidity 75%-80%. The Resava Cave consists of three floors of passages and halls connected by artificial tunnels and decorated by pillars and coral-like calcite deposits in various colours. Only parts of the first and second floors (Upper and Lower Gallery) have been prepared for visits. An underground river flows through the lowest floor (Third Gallery). The visitor to Resava can tour its numerous halls with different cave ornaments. The cave is very rich in cave ornaments of various shapes and colours and is richer than other tourist caves in the concentration of its decorations.

TOURS: Tours of the cave last about 40 minutes. The Resava Cave has a permanent guide service. Visiting hours: 8 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. (from April 1 to October 31) and from November 1 to March 31 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

RISOVACA CAVE
LOCATION: The Risovaca Cave is located at the entrance to the town of Arandjelovac. The entrance to the cave is located at a height of 230 meters, or 16 meters above the Kubrsnica River bed.

DESCRIPTION: The total length of the cave's passages is 167.5 meters and with the partly destroyed section of the main passage, 187.5 meters. The total length of the cave is estimated to be 400-500 m. Traces of the Paleolithic man were found in it, as well as the remains of fauna from the Ice Age and the bones of 20 animal species: the cave bear, cave lion, mammoth, leopard, hyena, deer and others. The cave has been turned into an underground museum of the Paleolithic man. In the Archaeological passage, the evolution of Paleolithic man is shown and in the largest hall a family of the Risovaca man around the hearth has been reconstructed in polyester.

TOURS: Visiting hours - from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Mondays, or by prior appointment.

STOPICA CAVE
LOCATION: The Stopica cave lies along the northern piedmont of Mt. Zlatibor in the village of Rozanstvo. The Uzice - Sirogojno road passes over the cave.

DESCRIPTION: The total length of the cave is 1,662 m and the tourist path is 1,615 m long. The cave consists of two caverns - an underground river course channel and a spring cave, connected by the underground flow of the Trnavski Stream. The entrance to the cave lies on a limestone cliff at a height of 711 m.

Five natural entities are differentiated. During high waters, the entire bottom of the Main Passage is flooded. The Stopica cave is poor in ornaments as it is still an active river cave.

ZLOTSKE CAVES
LOCATION: Zlotske Caves (Lazareva and Vernjikica) are located in eastern Serbia close to the town of Zlot. There are 22 km from the caves to Bor and 240 km to Belgrade.

DESCRIPTION: The Lazareva cave is 1.592 m long (the tourist paths 694.5 m) and the Vernjikica 1,015 m (tourist paths 620.50 m). The air temperature in Lazareva cave ranges between 9 C - 12 C and relative air humidity is 100%; in the Vernjikica cave, the air temperature ranges between 3 C and 9 C and the air humidity is 100%.

The Lazareva Cave consists of two main and a whole series of other cave passages. The passages in the upper part of the cave are dry and passable while an underground river flows through the lower floor.

The Vernjikica cave is located on the left side of the Lazareva reka canyon, about 1.5 km upstream from Lazar's Cave. The cave has 11 halls. Vilingrad is the biggest hall and its area is 2,950 square meters. The Colosseum is the biggest hall found in Serbia's Karst. The Gothic Cathedral Hall is a true lacework in stone while the Temple of Venus is the richest in cave ornaments of white calcite. The central place is held by the Cave Venus, a 3 meter high stalagmite in the shape of a gracious woman.

TOURS: The Zlot Caves have a permanent guide service. Tours of Lazareva cave last 30-40 minutes and of Vernjikica 3 hours. Visiting hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (from April 1 to October 31), and in winter period by appointment.