Postojna - 'ome to the olm (Postojna Caves (Slovenia))

Member Name: fizzywizzy

Product:	Postojna Caves (Slovenia)
Date:	22/09/08 (263 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fascinating and bizarre rock formations, fun way to see the caves

Disadvantages: The vivarium is overpriced and disappointing

In 1818 a man fell down a hole just outside the small town of Postojna and discovered what would one day become Slovenia's most popular tourist attraction. In taking a tumble, he found the entrance to the largest cave in Slovenia; it was known before then that there were caves there and the 'graffiti' around the 'north entrance' shows that people knew of its existence as early as 1213 but no attempt was made to explore any further until the mishap brought about the discovery of the main section of the cave which is where concerts are now sometimes held. In all 21 Kilometres of the cave system at Postojna have been explored; just over 5 Kilometres are open for the general public though caving enthusiasts can explore other parts.

Today visitors flock to the cave for two reasons; the first - to see the weird and wonderful rock formations in the cave - is obvious. The second is to see a tiny albino creature known as the 'human fish'. This curious beast is only found in the cave systems of this part of Slovenia Istria in northern Croatia and part of Bosnia and Hercegovina and much research has been carried out to help scientists better understand how life can exist in these subterranean environments. The newly built Proteus Vivarium allows visitors to catch a glimpse of this oddity for themselves.

While there are some 7,500 caves in the Karst region of Slovenia - that is the southern and western part of the country where the land is largely limestone - around one hundred can be visited, some by the general public, the others by experiences cavers only. Nearby there are also the famous Skocjan Caves but visiting Postojna is easier because of the train ride and because it is largely a 'horizontal' cave - that is, the sections explored by visitors are flat and do not involve any climbing.
The caves were created many thousands of years ago by an underground river, the Pivka. When the river emerges it flows on and eventually becomes the Ljubljanica River that flows through the capital Ljubljana.

HOW TO GET THERE
Postojna Cave (in Slovene 'Postojna jama') is situated just fifteen minutes walk from the town centre of Postojna although most visitors come by coach or private car. Many visitors come as part of organised tours or tour company day trips from holiday resorts in northern Croatia and the Slovenian coast.
Independent travellers using public transport are quite well catered for. The bus station is about twenty minutes walk from the cave and rucksacks can be stowed in lockers there. It is quite possible to stop off and see the cave if making the journey by bus between Ljubljana and the coast without spending the night and there are a handful of hotels and lots of private homes offering rooms. In addition there is the huge concrete Hotel Jama right in the heart of the complex.

VISITING THE CAVE
Tours leave every hour (see the end of this review for further details) and tickets are bought at the visitor centre in the park complex. You can buy a ticket just for the caves, one for the caves and the Vivarium and a package ticket that gives entry to both the cave and the Vivarium as well as nearby Predjama Castle (alas not near enough for us to walk there and there is no public transport out of season).

Depending on how long it is before your tour is due to commence you can visit the Vivarium (if you wish to) before or after the cave. Close to the tour start time everyone starts to queue near the entrance. As you enter and show your ticket, a photographer takes a snap of each visitor (some small family group posed together) and you can purchase a copy of this photograph at the end of the tour. I deplore this kind of commercial and requested 'No publicity'.

Just before you go in you have the chance to rent a cape (dark green felt, very fetching!) which is a good idea if you haven't brought a waterproof. The temperature in the cave is a constant 8 degrees which felt comfortable for almost all of the tour but I did notice my toes were feeling a bit chilly towards the end. Cape rental is 3 Euro.

The bulk of the tour is done by miniature train; each train is quite long and depending on how many are booked for each tour, several trains might operate. The train is a bit like a roller coaster, but of course it runs only on flat tracks. However it does fair rattle through the caves at some points and it would be wise to hold on to any children who may be with you.

The train takes you through 4 KM of the cave, gallery after gallery of the most unbelievable rock formations created by thousands of years of dripping water. Depending on the mineral salts in different parts of the cave the colours vary form black to rich red and a slightly bluish white. Some stalactites look like spaghetti dangling from the roof of the cave, while stalagmites look like melting candles and Gaudi-esque wedding cakes. Others look like giant fungi and every now and again you can spot a 'stalacto-stalagmite' - created when a stalactite and a stalagmite join up.

There were calcite curtains that were so thin and fragile they looked like fluttering panels of voile, with the light streaming through them and where natural hollows had been formed, lights had been installed to give the impression of a mini-grotto. It really does look like a scene from a fairy tale and some parts are really quite eerie.

As the train makes its journey through the cave you can hear the 'Oohs' and 'Aahs' of the passengers and every now and then a squeal as an icy drop of water goes down someone's neck. All too soon this part of the tour comes to an end and the train comes to halt at a wide platform and everyone alights. Passengers must head towards the illuminated sign for their language and gather there; when all the trains have emptied the guide arrives and explains that the next section is a 1.5 Kilometre walk through the cave with stops to hear the some commentary along the way. There exists a proper footpath through this section which is quite even though it can be wet and appear slippy in places. Sensible shoes are a must (in Serbian this translates as 'wedge heeled espadrilles', in Australian this translates as 'thongs' - I'm sure an Australian is planning the first ascent of Everest in a pair of flip flops!) People with mobility problems can stay with the train and meet the group further on.

The English language group was by far the biggest on our tour and this meant that - even though she used a microphone - it was difficult to hear everything the guide said. Still I learned a little about the caves that I did not already know and I think that the length of commentary was about right given that some people were cold and wanted to keep moving. One fault I found was that the guide said we would be moving on and crossing the 'Russian bridge' - built by Russian prisoners of war - but I wasn't entirely sure which section this turned out to be because there was no commentary at this point.

As there are so many people on each tour and you need to stay with your group to hear the right commentary at each stopping point you need to keep up and so it does feel a bit rushed. I would have liked to have gone more slowly but it's not really possible to stop where you would like as it would hold up the others.

Railings on either side of the footpath prevent people from getting too near to the formations but it is possible to touch them. However, I have always been told not touch the rock formations in caves like these though many other visitors seemed to think it was fine. Nor may you take photographs using a flash although again few people took notice. I thought that was the case originally but there were so many people taking them I thought it must be acceptable and took a couple; the guide announced at the next stop that it was not permitted, so (as usual) I was right in the first place.

At the end of the walk you pass through a narrow tunnel and rejoin the train. If you are quick you can even dash to the loo before the train goes - the cold and the dripping water seemed to affect lots of people in that way!

THE VIVARIUM
Admission to the Proteus Vivarium is charged separately but having now been I do think the price should be incorporated into that of the cave admission fee. Usually the tour of the vivarium begins with a short film but as we had around twenty minutes before our cave tour was due to start we decided to look around the vivarium then take the tour and return for the film later on. As it turned out we were so disappointed with the vivarium that we did not go back for the film.

Entry to the vivarium is through the visitor centre; you are given a torch as you enter though they aren't of much use. The vivarium is actually a section of the original cave entrance so it is in effect another part of the cave and is, like the rest of the cave, cold and dank. In it are a series of display boards intended to educate and edify but are actually rather complicated and stuffy and not at all enticing to stand and read, especially in the gloom.

The point of the vivarium is to explain some of the animal life that exists inside the caves and there are a series of tanks containing such delights as cave woodlice, guanobites - little creatures that live off bat droppings and a variety of beetles. However, the only creature we could see inside a tank was an underground dwelling shrimp. The caves and the containers are so dark that the chances of seeing anything are remote.

More impressive was the central collection of vivaria containing the star of the show - the 'human fish'. They are about twenty centimetres long, and resemble a slim white salamander. They have no pigment because they have adapted to their dark environment and they have virtually no eyesight and instead they have highly developed senses of smell and taste. They can live for up to one hundred years and feed mainly on aquatic invertebrates. Apparently they earned the nickname the 'human fish' because they are supposed to look like little people with their short arms and legs and pale skin colour. Yeah right....

I was only pleased I had visited the vivarium because I got to see the 'human fish' (also known as an 'olm'). Had I not seen these little creatures I would have wanted my money back. This is one for the real enthusiasts only.

OTHER FACILITIES
As you would expect from a tourist attraction of this size there are plenty of places to eat and drink and generally be parted from your hard-earned cash and the prices are inflated because of the location. To save money eat in town and bring your own drinks. There is a nice area to sit by the river (not the underground one) if you fetch your own food. I didn;t like this aspect of the complex at all, most of the 'souvenirs' had little to do with the caves and it was really just an excuse to peddle all kinds of tacky rubbish.

I would say that a visit to Postojna Jama is a must for anyone visiting the western part of Slovenia. When I learned that the admission price was 19 Euro for adults - just for the cave - I thought it was a bit steep (this is especially expensive for Slovenia) but the tour last over ninety minutes and you are unlikely to experience such an amazing sight again.

For opening hours and admission prices look at the official website at
http://www.postojnska-jama.si/en-index

To watch a trip on the train through the cave go to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfiSdBF1a50&fe ature=related
To see a picture of the not so human-looking human fish look at
http://camp.rrc-kp.si/praksa/proteus/index_en.htm

There is a Channel Five documentary presented by Nick Baker sees him go to Slovenia in search of the olm. I don't know if you can view this online anywhere but it was an excellent insight into this weird little creature and I learned loads more from watching this programme than I did in that vivarium!

Summary: Slovenia's most popular tourist attraction