"Our guide turns out the lights and suddenly there is nothing. Just total darkness, the sound of gentle dripping and a creeping feeling of unease. The switch is flicked back on and the shadowy world that lies deep beneath the Karst returns. I'm in Vilenica, thought to be the first cave in the world ever opened to tourists, with records of visitors dating back to 1633."
"But below ground is where it's really special, with enormous caves, sinkholes and subterranean rivers. Later in the day, I visit the region's other main visitor cave, Skocjan, where I'm amazed to see an underground river thunder through a chamber almost 150 metres high. It's an almost surreal sensory experience, with the rush of the rapids echoing around the walls."
The Karst region of western Slovenia and eastern Italy contains thousands of caves, sinkholes and subterranean rivers carved in porous, soluble limestone. Vilenica, with visitor records dating back to 1633, features a grand antechamber of stalagmites and stalactites streaked by iron oxide and dotted with crystals. Skocjan showcases an underground river thundering through a chamber nearly 150 metres high, creating a surreal sensory experience. Above ground, the limestone produces a landscape of lined striations and dolines where the rock has collapsed. Bilingual villages dot undulating hills along a historically shifting border. The area promotes a slower, authentic cross-border tourism alternative to overtourism.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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