Skocjan Caves in Slovenia (Slovene: Škocjanske jame; Italian: Grotte di San Canziano; German: Höhlen von St. Kanzian) is a structure of limestone caves in the Kras (Karst) region in southwest Slovenia, incorporating crumbled dolines, some five kilometres of underground passageways, caves more than 200 metres deep and many waterfalls. Skocjan Caves in Slovenia are one of the better-known sites in the world for the study of karstic (limestone) phenomena.
The Slovenia Skocjan Caves Regional Park lies in the south-west of Slovenia, on the big Karst plateau, from which the word Karst originates. The park comprehends 413 hectares and is 15 km from Italy (Fernetici by Trieste), 80 km from Ljubljana and 12 km from the Lipica Stud. The Slovenia Skocjan Caves, with the grandness of their belowground halls and gorges, carry a specific place among the many thousand caves in Slovenia. The Slovenia Skocjan Caves consist of a network of eleven caves, with hollows, swallow holes, natural bridges among them and many geological features. Because of their particular natural characteristics and cultural heritage they have been on the UNESCO world heritage list since 1986, and in 1999 were put on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance as the world’s largest underground wetlands. You will wonder at the beauty of both the belowground world and the encompassing karst world above. The temperature in the cave is constant 12°C.
The Reka River vanishes underground at Velika Dolina into the Škocjan Cave (Škocjanske jame) and then flows underground for 34 km towards the Adriatic Sea showing up near Monfalcone, Italy where it turns the source of the Timavo River. The sight of the big river, in the rainy season as it disappears underground, on the bottom of Velika Dolina, 160 m under the surface, is both awesome and frightening. The locality of the Skocjan Caves Park is archeologically extremely rich, indications are that it was inhabited since more than ten thousand years ago. A valuable treasure of archeological findings in ‘Musja Jama’ point the influence of Greek civilization, where a cave temple was set after the end of the Bronze Age and in the Iron Age. This region was surely one of the most fundamental pilgrimage sites in Europe, three thousand years ago, specially in the Mediterranean world where it was part of important cult significance in association with the afterlife and contact with the spirits of the ancestors.
What the Slovenia Skocjan Caves proposes you
In addition to tours of the Škocjan Caves, which are open to visitors year-round, the park offers visitors various other possibilities for learning about the Kras region and its features.
• Škocjan Museum expositions. A tour of the village itself takes on an ethnography exhibition in the J’Kopin Barn, an illustrated history of the exploration of the Škocjan Caves in the Jurjevo Barn, and biology, geology, and archeology exhibitions in the Natural Science Center.
• Visit the caves in winter, early spring, and late autumn when tour groups are smaller than throughout the summer high season.
• Škocjan Education Trail, a moderately demanding hour and a half walk around the Velika dolina and Mala dolina collapse dolines in the heart of the park. Educational signs show the fundamental features of karst phenomena and numerous interesting descriptions of karst plants and animals and the rich cultural and historical heritage of the area.
Guided tours of the Education Trail for visiting groups can be set up in advance during the school year.
Access to park:
There are diverse paths to the park. The simplest route is via the Ljubljana-Koper highway. Take the Divača exit and observe the signs for two kilometers to the Skocjan Caves. On the regional road there is a marked turnoff for the village of Skocjan, and the Skocjan Caves. Information Center is in the village of Matavun.
On the Ilirska Bistrica-Divača road there is a marked turnoff for Škocjan Caves Park in Famlje. Increasing numbers of guests are coming to the park via train and by walk. The train comes in Divača, from where a marked track leads through Dolnje Ležeče to the Škocjan Park Information Center. The walk takes about 45 minutes.
Visitors are taken on a tour of the Skocjan Caves by fully-qualified guides. The tour involves an hour and a half and explanation is given in English language.
On the surface ancient barns housing ethnological, karstology, and archeological expositions await your visit. You can also walk through the park, marvel at its natural and cultural sights, and enjoy its unspoiled nature on the Škocjan Education Trail.
Tours:
January = 10h – 13h – *15h
February = 10h – 13h – *15h
March = 10h – 13h – *15h
April = 10h – 13h – 15.30h
May = 10h – 13h – 15.30h
June = 10h – 11h – 12h – 13h – 14h – 15h – 16h – 17h
July = 10h – 11h – 12h – 13h – 14h – 15h – 16h – 17h
August = 10h – 11h – 12h – 13h – 14h – 15h – 16h – 17h
September = 10h – 11h – 12h – 13h – 14h – 15h – 16h – 17h
October = 10h – 13h – 15.30h
November = 10h – 13h – *15h
December = 10h – 13h – *15h
* Sundays and public holidays
Škocjan Caves Information Center, Matavun 12:
Hours: January-March 9:00 to 13:00 (Sundays and holidays to 15:00); April, May, October 9:00 to 15:30; June-September 9:00-17:00
Tours of cave: year-round from 10:00 (according to posted schedule)
Prices for tours to the caves:
Adults 14.00 €
Senior citizens 10.00 €
Students 10.00 €
Children 6.00 €
Tourist agencies can get a 10% discount. Guides of bigger groups (over 21 person ) have a free entrance.
