Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey” depicts
the perceptions of the ancient Greeks of the
Underworld where the doors to
the Kingdom of Shadows were believed to be
volcanoes and caves.
Before entering the Underworld, Odysseus makes burnt offerings to the gods – Hades and Persephone.
Homer’s epic poem,
one of the oldest preserved written pieces,
dates back to the first half of
the 8th century B.C and archaeological finds
near Škocjan belong to the same period.
In Skojcan’s 50-metre deep abyss, archaeologists discovered over 600 metal artefacts from the period between the
12th and 8th centuries B.C.
The settlements
at Škocjan and Gradišče as well as
numerous other burial sites and
archaeological finds testify to the
extraordinary significance of the Skojcan area
in the 1st century B.C. and confirm that
religious and sacrificial rites were performed
here during prehistoric times.
This is particularly evident in Mušja jama where burnt and broken objects from the abyss, mostly weapons and animal bones, provide evidence that sacrificial rites to the gods, similar to those described by Homer, were performed here in the late Bronze Age.
Judging by these remarkable finds, people made pilgrimages to this cult centre from Italy, the Alps, Pannonia, the Balkans and even Greece giving Škocjan a great symbolic religious power and transforming it into a cult centre without rival in Slovenia and far beyond.
Slovenia’s Škocjan Caves were included on UNESCO’s list of
world heritage sites on the 28th November 1986.
Škocjan Caves are a natural phenomenon of global significance, ranking side by side with the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, the Galapagos Islands, Mount Everest and others.
Ranking among the most important caves in the world, the Škocjan Caves represent the most significant underground phenomena in both the Karst region and Slovenia.
From time immemorial, people have been attracted to the gorge where the Reka River disappears underground as well as the mysterious cave entrances. The Reka River sinks under a rocky wall; on the top of it lies the village of Škocjan after which the Caves are named.
Archaeological research has shown that people lived in the caves and the surrounding area in prehistoric times – from the Mesolithic, the Neolithic, the Bronze and Iron Ages through Antiquity and the Middle Ages to the present; altogether for more than 5,000 years. The finds from this area testify that the Škocjan Caves had not only local but regional importance in prehistoric times.
Pioneering research of Karst and karst phenomena began in this area in the 19th century. The international karstological terms “karst” and “doline” originate here.
Škocjan Caves are a unique natural phenomenon, the creation of the Reka River.
The Reka River springs from below the Snežnik plateau and flows some fifty-five kms on the surface. After reaching the Karst, that is the limestone surface, the river not only deepens its riverbed through erosion, but also by means of corrosion – it dissolves the limestone.
In the first part of its course on the limestone, the Reka still flows on the surface, along an approximately four-kilometre-long gorge that ends with a magnificent wall under which it disappears underground. The Reka River blind valley is the largest in Slovenia.
In the distant past, probably in the Early Pleistocene, that is a few hundred thousand years ago, the ceiling of the cave collapsed some 200 metres from the sinks; as a result, the collapse dolines Velika dolina (up to 165 metres deep) and Mala dolina (120 metres) were created, separated by a natural bridge, a remnant of the original cave ceiling.
Above the caves, between the wall above the sink and the walls of Mala dolina, lies the village of Škocjan. Close to the houses, there is another entrance to the underground, a ninety-metre-deep abyss called Okroglica, which ends just above the underground Reka River.
Open all year
The tour lasts around 1.5 hours.
The tour is approx. 3kms long
Lowest point is 144ms beneath the surface.
Cave temperature is around 12 °C.
Sport footwear and a warm
sweater are recommended.
The Park’s Information Centre
is the starting point of the tour.
In the southwestern part of Slovenia lies the picturesque village of Lipica, where for more than 400 years beautiful, white horses called Lipizzaners have been bred. A local guide will take you on a guided tour through the stables pointing out different methods and stages of the breeding and training of these noble animals. A special feature is a show-program of star Lipizzaner studs performing. The Škocjan caves are the biggest and best known natural phenomenon within the classical Karst area. With their depth of 163 meters, Velika dolina and Mala dolina charm every visitor. Enjoy the finest views of both valleys with the natural bridge and the cave that separates them. The caves, with immense underground gorges and halls, are the beginning of the Škocjan underground system The caves probably have the biggest cave hall in Europe, measuring 12,000 square meters in cross section. The Reka river runs underground for almost 40 kms, to the sources of the Timav in the Gulf of Trieste in Italy.
Duration: full day, Included: bus transport, English-speaking guide, entrance fee to Škocjan Caves and Lipica Stud Farm
11 days/10 nights
7 days/6 nights
9 days/8 nights