Underground lakes
Crossed by boat.
Marko Simić — CC BY-SA 4.0 · J.KYSELAK — CC BY-SA 4.0 · J.KYSELAK — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ines Zgonc — CC BY-SA 4.0 · ModriDirkac — CC BY-SA 4.0
Križna Jama, the «Cross Cave», is a cave in the Lož Valley in southern Slovenia, between the Lož and Cerknica karst fields and the Bloke plateau, about 8 km in a straight line south-east of Cerknica. It is famous for a chain of underground lakes, some of which are crossed in small boats. Its calcite formations grow extremely slowly, no more than a tenth of a millimetre a year, and are very fragile, so visits to the flooded part are limited to just four people a day. As a result it is one of the best-preserved show caves in Slovenia, and with 45 species of organisms it is the fourth-richest cave ecosystem in the world by biodiversity. At the point called Calvary the cave splits in two, and most visitors continue by boat along the Variegated Passage to the Crystal Mountain, the largest chamber. The cave also holds one of the largest deposits of cave bear bones in this part of Europe, and it was first documented in 1832. A short tour of the dry section suits most visitors, while longer boat tours of the flooded part must be booked in advance. It is cold inside, so bring warm clothes and non-slip shoes.
Crossed by boat.
The largest chamber.
A large deposit.
Near Podlož, Loška Dolina, Slovenia
Yes, for the boat tours of the flooded part.
Cold, so bring warm clothes.