Postojnska Jama
Visited by more than 30 million people, the famous Postojna Cave has been an official tourist site since 1818; graffiti signatures prove it's been attracting visitors since the 13th century. The largest of the classic Karst cave systems, with a network of over 20km (12 miles) of chambers and galleries connected by passages and tunnels, this is, quite frankly, the Disneyland of caves, complete with a little tourist train, which each day propels thousands of noisy people through an artificial tunnel and into the heart of the cave system. Visitors then divide into groups on the basis of language (a terribly time-consuming process) before being led off on a tour of Postojna's most representative and exotic chambers; there are galleries with such telling names as Beautiful Cave, the Gothic Hall, and the Brilliant Passage. All in all though, it's a remarkable journey, with a second train trip that gets you even deeper into the system. Along the way, you'll also see the unusual "human fish," a salamander-type creature, or olm (Proteus anguinus), that's blind and the color of Caucasian flesh, hence its fanciful nickname. Note that the caves are chilly (46°-50°F/8°-10°C), and walking surfaces slippery; bring something warm and wear nonslip shoes.
Visited by more than 30 million people, the famous Postojna Cave has been an official tourist site since 1818; graffiti signatures prove it's been attracting visitors since the 13th century. The largest of the classic Karst cave systems, with a network of over 20km (12 miles) of chambers and galleries connected by passages and tunnels, this is, quite frankly, the Disneyland of caves, complete with a little tourist train, which each day propels thousands of noisy people through an artificial tunnel and into the heart of the cave system. Visitors then divide into groups on the basis of language (a terribly time-consuming process) before being led off on a tour of Postojna's most representative and exotic chambers; there are galleries with such telling names as Beautiful Cave, the Gothic Hall, and the Brilliant Passage. All in all though, it's a remarkable journey, with a second train trip that gets you even deeper into the system. Along the way, you'll also see the unusual "human fish," a salamander-type creature, or olm (Proteus anguinus), that's blind and the color of Caucasian flesh, hence its fanciful nickname. Note that the caves are chilly (46°-50°F/8°-10°C), and walking surfaces slippery; bring something warm and wear nonslip shoes.
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