The Škocjan Caves tours begin
at the Information Centre in Matavun. The trail
leads us to the typical Karst collapse doline,
referred to as Globočak by the
local inhabitants. A 116-metre long artificial
tunnel built in 1933
leads into the natural cave. The passage at the
entrance, abundantly covered with flowstone deposits,
is called Paradiž (Paradise) and
contains the most beautifully preserved stalactite
formations
in the Škocjan Caves. The tour then proceeds
through Labirint (Labyrinth) into
the Great Hall, from which enormous stalactites
called the Orjaki
(Giants) rise up to 15 metres. Slightly
ahead of the renowned Orgle (Organ),
visitors for the first time hear the roaring
of the river, which
enters the Karst underworld through the spacious
Šumeča jama (Murmuring Cave).
Upon leaving the Tiha jama (Silent Cave),
the view of the underground canyon
of the
Reka
River is very impressive both for those who have
already visited the caves and for those visiting
for the very first time. The trail continues
along the gallery chiselled through the rock
walls to the Cerkevnik Bridge that
towers above the riverbed at the height of 45
metres, precisely
at the point where the Reka River enters the
Hanke’s Channel. Descending through the Müller
and Svetina Halls, we reach the lowest point
of the tourist path, 144 metres beneath the surface.
We then leave the Reka River for a short while
and ascend to the Dvorana ponvic (Rimstone
Pools’ Hall).
Visitors see daylight again in the Schmidl Hall
that opens
into up to 165-metre high walls of Velika
dolina.
At the bottom of this collapse doline, we see
the Reka River and over 10-metre high waterfall
for the last time. The path then ascends through
a passage called Pruker to the
lift that takes us from the collapse doline.
The tour ends where
it started, at the Information Centre in Matavun.
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