Bulgaria 2018
Duhla cave - the longest cave in Bulgaria
Duhla cave is located on the south-western slopes of Mount Vitosha, perhaps the most famous mountain in the Balkans, since it rises right above the capital Sofia and can be seen from almost every point in it. An old winding road leads to the cave and near it there are several comfortable camping areas. On one of them, in the very last light, we pitched the tents, dressed quickly and, despite the fatigue accumulated from the flight and the long day, we entered the cave with all our heart.
A gust of cold greeted us. Duhla cave was discovered in the early sixties, and since then several caving clubs have been working in it on mapping and exploration. It is a horizontal labyrinthine river cave made up of seven channels and no fewer than six levels. It is very easy to get lost in it.
Despite its length and complexity, we needed no SRT equipment in this cave, only auxiliary ropes for overcoming a few obstacles. As befits a European cave, it is decorated with beautiful stalactite galleries and the average temperature in it is around 10 degrees, so long stops are not really recommended. A full and comprehensive tour of the whole cave takes several days, but endless circular tours can be done in it. We advanced in single file, helping one another through the difficult passages and stopping for photos at the beautiful spots. After 3 hours of advancing into the depths of the cave, fatigue overcame us and we retraced our steps twice as fast as we had entered. Outside the tents were waiting for us, whispering an invitation to come inside. We fell, tired and shattered, each into his own tent. There is no better way to start the trip.
Rushova cave - a river cave and a lesson in human impact on groundwater
A slow morning getting ready, a 3-hour drive, a few questions and directions from locals, and we got out of the vehicles next to the entrance of Rushova cave. The cave is one of the simplest caves to visit and tour. It is very close to the road and most of the tour in the cave is done walking upright. The cave is built of a lower, active channel in which an underground river flows. At the end of the lower channel the ceiling becomes low and it is not possible to continue upstream. At about this point it is possible to climb to an upper level in which an ancient river flowed in the distant past.
About half a year earlier, heavy rains hit the area and caused floods the like of which had not been seen in recent years. The floods took the lives of two civilians. The connection between the underground and the surface is very close. The heavy floods did not spare the cave either and flooded it completely. Debris from the surface was swept inside and the lower, active level of the cave filled with plastic bags and plastic bottles. The underground river, which is part of the area's groundwater, became polluted and today it contains sewage. We could not have received a more important lesson about the impact of humans on the environment in the unseen realm. Groundwater pollution is a global blow. In Israel too many of the groundwater reservoirs are polluted and unfit for drinking. And in Israel too, sadly, plastic bags, plastic bottles and disposable dishes are readily available products. Too available - it is time to outlaw all of these.
Barki 8 cave - an underground playground
We spent the next three nights at the Ledenika hut in the Ledenika valley at the foot of Mount Vratsa. A simple hotel from the communist era in a mountainous and wooded area, cut by huge cliffs and a pilgrimage destination for climbers from all over the world. There are hundreds of climbing routes in the area at different levels and lengths, reaching even hundreds of meters. It is also the most karstic area in Bulgaria. I have never seen such a karstic area. To date about 300 caves are known there, at depths of up to 350 meters. There is no doubt that this is only the tip of the iceberg. Thousands of dolines (karstic valleys) are scattered tens of meters from one another. At the bottom of every doline there is a cave, even if it is not currently exposed at ground level. I have to admit that I was seized by envy.
Barki 8 cave is about a two-hour walk from the Ledenika hut; the walk to the cave is on a marked hiking trail on the mountain. It is one of the most beautiful trails I have walked. The trail makes its way between linden and dogwood trees covered in moss and fungi. Fallen leaves in yellow, orange and red cover the ground like an endless magnificent carpet. The cave was discovered by the Bulgarian Academic caving club on its 25th anniversary and was therefore first called the 25th birthday academic cave. The length of the cave is 800 meters and its depth is 196 meters.
The cave is a winding meander that descends steeply through a series of waterfalls and narrow passages. Along the whole cave there are stalactite galleries of magnificent beauty. The cave is a playground for adventure lovers in caves. Every few meters there is a different type of obstacle that requires a different skill. Climbing a chimney, crawling through a narrow meander, sliding on your backside over smooth, steep rock surfaces for tens of meters, and more and more. The cave is very cold - less than 10 degrees - and as long as the body is moving there is no problem getting by. It is recommended to give up long breaks. Non-stop action.
Zmejova cave - getting on the rope
Zmejova cave is a three-hour walk from the Ledenika hut and an hour's walk from Barki 8 cave. A hall cave at the bottom of a shaft 50 meters deep. Encho, from the Bulgarian caving club, rigged the SRT route and we rappelled after him, one by one. Rappelling the shaft is simple and is done while crossing from one side of it to the other. The shaft is slippery, muddy and sparsely decorated with stalactites. At the bottom of the shaft, all at once, a stalactite hall of magnificent beauty is revealed. The dimensions of the hall are 20x20 and it is one of the most beautiful halls I have seen. It is entirely decorated densely with stalactites and stalagmites, in many colors and great richness. In its center is a pool of water as clear as crystal, magnificent in its beauty.
Above the water level two pool deposits in the shape of cakes protrude. The walls and ceiling are full of developed calcite crystals on which tiny bats, no bigger than two fingers, cling, wrapped in their black wings. Even our presence did not stop them from going on sleeping. Time was pressing, so the moment the last one came down the first one immediately began to climb. Getting 9 cavers out of a cave of such depth takes about an hour, an hour and a half, so each of us got a comprehensive tour and enough time for photography.
Temnata dupka cave - underground canyoning and back to Sofia
Temnata dupka cave is a horizontal cave 9 km long. It is a very well-known cave in Bulgaria; a tidy path secured with an iron railing leads to its entrance. Many visitors come to the cave, but they only visit near the entrance and do not go far into its depths. In the past drinking water was pumped from the cave to the villages in the area, but because of pollution in the water the pumping was stopped. A rushing river flows along the cave, cutting into a narrow canyon and pooling into clear turquoise pools.
We decided to make a short visit to the cave of no more than two or three hours to give people time to walk around Sofia a little. We split into two groups - the tired group that made a short, slow round of the cave, and the 'hooked' group whose aim was to advance as deep as possible without exceeding the agreed turnaround time.
The cave is a cave for extreme lovers at the highest level. Truly underground canyoning. As we advanced into the depths of the cave it captivated us with its charms. We did not want to turn back. At the end of each section we advanced we lied to ourselves that we would just peek beyond the next bend and that was it. Luckily Encho the Bulgarian was around to reset us and remind us that we had agreed on a turnaround time with the rest of the group. With great regret we tore ourselves out of the cave. This is a destination I will certainly return to for a more comprehensive round.
Sofia and home
In Sofia we were hosted at the caving club 'Sofia caving club and school'. The club is in an old building in the heart of Sofia and contains a classroom, a lounge, a bar, two equipment stores and a shower and toilets. The equipment stores are packed with caving equipment worth tens of thousands of shekels. On the walls hang maps, historical equipment and old photos - a history and tradition of 60 years. The club is not only a caving club. It is a meeting place for friends. And friends are the heart of the club. My heart filled with envy. But the good kind - the kind that increases wisdom - our club too will look like this. It will take as long as it takes. We have a model to emulate.
After dinner at a restaurant that serves beer from a tap coming straight out of the wall and counts how many liters you consumed, we went to sleep at the caving club, and at 4 in the morning we began our journey back to Israel.