Hidden Earth 2025

Caving in lowland Slovenia – Classic Karst

45 minute Lecture|Iain Crossley

Abstract

Slovenia is an exciting caving destination for serious explorers of high mountain karst as demonstrated over the last 30 years by Imperial College Caving Club at ‘Sistem Migovec’. For the more faint-hearted, happily, there is another, softer, side to Slovenia, mysterious vanishing rivers, karst polje and majestic caves that contain a unique beauty and scale that rivals many of the much larger karstic topographies found in southeastern China, Vietnam, Laos, and Papua New Guinea. This is the home of the unique olm or proteus.

This session explores a recent pre-covid Northern Pennine Club ‘expedition’ to the lowland karst south of Ljubljana and the stunning subterranean splendour which is accessible as a type I and type II caving holiday rather than the type II and type III experience of deprivation on expedition.

Iain Crossley
Northern Pennine Club