Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH A DETOUR: CAVING IN MORAVIA
The area to the immediate north of Brno has some of the country's best caving
in an area known as the
Moravian Karst
(Moravský kras). Carved with canyons
and some 400 caves, the region is very pretty, with lots of woods and hills. See
the area.
The karst formations here result from the seepage of faintly acidic rainwater
through limestone, which over millions of years slowly dissolves it, creating hol-
lows and fissures. In the caves themselves, the slow dripping of this water has
produced extraordinary stalagmites and stalactites.
The organisational centre for any caving expedition is the town of
Blansko
,
which has a good
tourist information office
(Blanenská Informační Kancelář; 516
sells maps and advance tickets to two of the main caves: the Punkva and Kateř-
inská caves. The office can field transport questions and can help with accom-
modation. On weekends, particularly in July and August, cave-tour tickets sell
out in advance, so try to book ahead with the tourist information office.
The most popular tour is through the
Punkva Cave
(Punkevní jeskyně; 516 418
Tue-Sun Apr-Sep, 8.40am-2pm Tue-Sun Oct-Dec)
. It involves a 1 km walk through lime-
stone caverns to the bottom of the Macocha Abyss, a 140m-deep sinkhole.
Small, electric-powered boats then cruise along the underground river back to
the entrance.
Another popular tour is to the
Kateřinská Cave
(Kateřinská jeskyně; 516 413 161;
www.moravskykras.net
;
adult/child 80/60Kč; 8.20am-4pm daily May-Aug,
9am-4pm Tue-Sun Apr & Sep, 9am-2pm Tue-Sun Oct, 10am-2pm Tue-Fri Mar & Nov, closed Dec-Feb)
. It's usually a little less crowded than the Punkva option. The 30-minute tour
here explores two massive chambers.
