First, some context - a large part of Slovenia is made up of limestone, which means that there is a series of underground caves: some 7,000 in all, with many arranged to accommodate tourists. The southern region where the caves are is known as the Karst - a region of plains which sits above the gulf of Trieste. Now for those of you who have perhaps been to Vietnam's Halong Bay, you will know that a karst generally refers to a rocky limestone outcrop, left by the effects of weather; well it turns out that the term "karst" originates with the Slovenian Karst region! As there are so many caves and sink-holes on the Karst, "karst" has now become the international term for limestone areas with many depressions.
Let's get the region's position; it's about an hour from Ljubljana (but then nearly everywhere in Slovenia is about an hour from Ljubljana!):
The explored length of caves is 6,200 metres, with around 3km of that open to the public; due to some maintenance work being conducted, one section was closed, but we still got a good 2/3 of the regular tour. As the system is less well-known, and it is not the full summer season, there were only 10 of us on the tour, which lasted for about 90 minutes. There are some 500-600 stairs involved, but our guide (Marco) went at a really good pace, to ensure we had time to view the cave, and catch our breath.
The Skocjan caves are the home of one of the largest known underground canyons in the world, and it is truly spectacular; parts of the canyon are 100 metres high, with the highest section around 146 metres. At one point, you cross a bridge, which is 45 metres above the river below - the river still flows through the canyon in the caves. So, while there are not a lot of stalactites or stalagmites, this cave makes up for it through the sheer stunning beauty of the canyon system.
Unfortunately no photos are allowed inside the cave, to protect the animals that live there away from the light, as well as minimising moss and algae growth in the moist conditions.
Overall, I rate the caves and this experience exceptionally highly.
In the mid-fifteenth Century, the knight Erasmus (Erazam) holed up here for a year and a day; the castle seemed impregnable; however, Erasmus (known as the robber knight) was conquered through betrayal - his besiegers were able to aim their cannons precisely at the spot where he was performing his daily ablutions when a treacherous servant shone a light at the location to aim their cannons.
This cave system is some 21km in length, but we saw around 5km of that - we didn't have to walk the whole way, as you take a train in for the first 2km, and then take it out pretty much the same way. In between, there is about 1km of walking, which takes around 45 minutes, with a few stops along the way.
Clearly, this is the better-known of the caves, as the English-guided group numbered well over 100; unfortunately, a large contingent of the Japanese tourists in the group clearly believed that the "no photographs in the caves" didn't apply to them, as they were merrily snapping away for most of the time.
There is one section of about 500m which is black from another reason - during WWII the Germans used the cave as a storage bunker for fuel and ammunition; a couple of local partisans, knowing their way around, came in from another direction and set fire to the fuel which exploded. The fire lasted for a week, and the soot still covers the walls and ceilings in the area.
Again, photos not allowed, except at one, called "Brilliant" for its pure white colour.
On the way back to Ljubljana, we slipped by the "Intermittent Lake"; it is called this because it is only a lake a couple of times a year, and for the rest of the time it is a pleasant meadow. Unfortunately for the locals, the lake is currently in flood (well above normal), covering some of the local villages quite extensively.
Back in Ljubljana we had time for Gorazd to show me a couple more interesting Roman sights, which includes a stretch of Roman wall that goes for a couple of hundred metres, and a Roman house. Then it was back to the apartment.
Overall, a great day exploring, made all the better for having a knowledgeable and friendly guide. For anyone coming to Slovenia, I highly recommend getting in touch with "George" for all of your touring needs - you can check out his web-site at: www.slovenia-private-tours.com.