In the Footsteps of Luka Čeč

Experience darkness and silence, and learn about the rich biodiversity of the karst underground outside of the bounds of tourist tunnels and discover the most beautiful part of Postojna Cave. The highlight will be your encounter with a dragon baby – the cave olm in its natural habitat.

The ‘In the Footsteps of Luka Čeč’ tour is carried out in the non-tourist parts of Pivka Cave and Black Cave as the last underground stations of the Pivka River. Accompanied by experienced speleologists and biologists, you will follow in the footsteps of the first explorers, and discover the most beautiful parts of Postojna Cave.

With your caving boots on, equipped with a rope, a head torch and a helmet, you will head to the hidden tunnels of the most attractive cave in the world and the largest tourist cave in Europe. This is an adventure for everyone who wishes to experience more demanding passages and test their strength by descending by rope and crossing lakes and the Pivka River. By performing fun tasks, you will step into the shoes of Luka Čeč, a cave lamplighter, who, as he was preparing for a visit by the Austrian Emperor Franz I, was the first person to dare to explore the then still unknown world of the Postojna underground.

Course of the experience:

• Meeting with the guide at the Jama Hotel.
• A welcome treat of local cuisine and the presentation of the experience.
• Putting on your caving equipment (boots, overalls, a rope, a head torch and a helmet).
• Transport from the Postojna Cave Park to the entrance to Pivka Cave.
• Entering the cave. On the way, the guide will tell you everything about the first explorers of the Postojna cave system and its biodiversity.
• Solving fun and adrenaline-filled cave tasks (descending on a rope, climbing over the river, assessing the age of cave formations, underground orienteering, crossing the lake in Black Cave).
• Riding the cave train to the exit from Postojna Cave.
• Culinary experience at the Magical Garden of the Jama Hotel or in front of the Modrijan Homestead (depending on the season).

Discounted prices for groups of 4 or more persons.

Read more about Pivka and Black Caves.

Trek through Three Caves

In the period between World War I and II, when the territory of Postojna was part of Italy, three caves of the Postojna Cave system, namely Postojna, Black and Pivka Caves, were connected by means of man-made passages. The construction of man-made passages was a military project and, according to a plan that eventually fell through, the tunnel leading from the Pivka Cave was supposed to continue to the Planina Cave, whose exit was located on the Italian-Yugoslav border. The man-made passage makes it easy to move from one cave to another, which gives you an excellent opportunity to learn about the vast size and grandeur of the Postojna Cave system.

The trek takes two to three hours following an easy trail, and starts with the cave train ride. The ride is, followed by a tour of the Beautiful Caves and a walk through Bertareli's Passage, from where you head to the Black and Pivka Caves. The tour continues in all the way to Postojna Cave, where visitors get to see the famous stalagmite called Brilliant and the cave aquarium, the Concert Hall and the Belvedere.  The trek comes to a close with another ride on board the legendary cave train. The guided tour takes place in small groups with an English- and Slovenian-speaking guide. The meeting point is in front of the cave entrance. No special equipment is required. Throughout the rest of the year, the treks are possible by prior arrangement.

Postojna Cave, the Small Caves and the Lower Tartar

The best way to see the fascinating network of the Postojna Cave system is a real caving tour lasting between three and four hours. The extended trek falls into medium difficulty level and is not suitable for children under the age of 15. Guided tours take place in groups of eleven to twenty people.

The Small Caves are a 500-metre-long passage inside Postojna Cave. They feature a myriad of cave formations with the Gothic Column attracting most of the attention. The Small Caves have been closed to regular cave tours for the last few decades, which has resulted in an interesting development of new cave formations, the so-called cave pearls – marble-sized spherical formations made of calcite. They are formed by water droplets moving and rotating small fragments, and calcite being deposed around the existing nucleus in concentric layers. 

The Lower Tartar is often flooded and connects the subterranean river Pivka with the central parts of Postojna Cave. The passage has no cave formations, it is however an excellent location for observing the changes caused by the Pivka (the heights of past water levels, changes in river banks, deposits etc.). The path leads past an underground lake. You may get lucky and see olms in their natural habitat.

Suitable caving equipment is required for the tour and is included in the price.

Adventure in the Cave under Predjama Castle

The Cave under Predjama Castle is the second longest show cave in Slovenia. It is spread over four floors, which are – except for Erazem's Passage – interconnected.

A visit to the narrow Erazem's Passage, which allowed the besieged knight contact with the outside world, is suitable for more daring visitors as it requires some climbing skills. The exit is on the plateau above the cave. A one-hour tour is possible only in a group of two to five people. The tour trail falls into the medium difficulty level and is not suitable for children under the age of 15. Erazem's Passage is open by prior arrangement from April to October.

The bravest visitors can also go on a tour of the Eastern Passages, which takes between three and six hours. A demanding and strenuous caving tour to the river Belščica siphon is possible only in groups of two to five people and is not suitable for children under the age of 15. The Eastern Passage can be visited by prior arrangement from May to September.

Read more about the Cave under Predjama Castle.