One of Ljubljana's unique attractions is its proximity to some of the world's most spectacular underground caves accessible to tourists, tugged away in Slovenia's legendary Karst region that became the namesake of limestone landscapes around the world.
Even with the luxury of three nights in Ljubljana, we were faced with the difficult decision between two world-famous caves for an optimally paced day-trip, or attempting to fit both into one long and hectic day. It was the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Skocjan versus the immensely popular Postojna, or both if we're content to return to Ljubljana after dark.
It may surprise some readers that we picked Skocjan which, despite its magnificent underground canyon, receives only a tenth of visitors to Postojna, one of Slovenia's major tourist draws since the late 1800s when the caves received Slovenia's first electrical lights ahead of Ljubljana. Two years ago I made another tough choice of declining a chance to visit the Akiyoshido Caves in Western Japan, opting for the annual Yanai Festival instead as we already had Skocjan in our sight.
Getting to Skocjan was supposedly a breeze with regular trains and highway buses both making the same trip in about 90 minutes to the local train station of Divaca, where a free shuttle bus from the Visitor Centre was to meet the train's arrival ... except this wasn't quite Switzerland and trains don't always arrive on time. We were lucky to have taken a highway bus that connected seamlessly with the shuttle which, despite being operated by the train company, took off before the train's arrival.
With three tours being offered by the Visitor Centre, we join the classic Tour #1 with multi-lingual guides leading hundred of visitors to the underground canyon though a well-maintained yet slightly claustrophobic tunnel. The initial 20 minutes was your typical show cave of stalagmites and other dripstone formations, fascinating but nothing compared with the upcoming canyon that made Skocjan a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
No photos were allowed, but everyone's jaw dropped as we crossed the man-made bridge over the magnificent canyon, a precarious 50m above the raging rapids and cascading waterfalls and still another 90m or so below the airy ceiling of a ginormous cavern reminiscent of Tolkien's Middle-Earth dwarf kingdoms.
Aside from its touristic appeal, the Skocjan Caves' unique microclimate also harbours its own ecosystem of endemic subterranean species, the most famous being the endangered cave salamander considered the giant panda of Slovenia in terms of cultural significance. Just look at the popularity of their plush toy versions at the gift shop.
The trail back to the Visitor Centre would swing by the collapsed cave entrance known as Velika Dolina where the Reka river seemingly funneling into the underworld and would not be seen for another 34 km, before resurfacing and emptying into the Adriatic Sea.
The return path also passed by the Tominc Cave inhabited by prehistoric cave dwellers some 10,000 years ago. It is hardly surprising that a furious river draining into an abyss would be associated by ancient civilizations as the entrance to afterlife, attested by the discovery of a cultic cave temple in the park.
The guided tour lasted for 60 minutes, followed by a 20 minute walk back to the Visitor Centre. Those interested in exploring the course of the underground river could move onto Tour #2, but we decided to grab some lunch before returning to Ljubljana for an afternoon visit to its 12th century castle.
Lastly I must commend Skocjan's Visitor Centre for bucking the trend of overpriced souvenirs and bland cafeteria food at national parks everywhere. 13 euros for an entree of grilled baby calamari was refreshingly reasonable, and I still regret not purchasing another bottle of truffle-infused olive oil at its souvenir shop, priced shockingly cheaper than most epiceries in Ljubjlana.
Before returning to Ljubljana I took a picture of the elusive shuttle bus timetable outside Divaca's train station. With only 5 buses per day even in summer tourist season, it does take some planning -- or a taxi call -- to make a good connection with the return bus or train.
It was only after reviewing the highway bus timetable that I decided to quickly hop on the next train back to Ljubljana. Buses however would be ideal for travelers connecting to the Postojna Caves or to Koper on the Adriatic Coast, as a springboard to lovely Istria.
One final advice to fellow travelers transferring from the Istrian Peninsula (e.g. Rovinj) to Ljubljana. In retrospect we could have saved a return trip (3 hours total) from Ljubljana by fitting Skocjan into an overnight stay upon entering Slovenia. All it would have taken was to hop off the Rovinj-Ljubljana bus at Koper's Bus Station and transfer to the next bus to Divaca, check into a local hotel and leave the heavy suitcases either at the hotel or at the lockers at Skocjan Visitor Centre, and pick up the baggage after visiting Skocjan before taking the next train or bus to Ljubljana. If this sounds too complicated, leave me a message below with your questions.
IF YOU GO
Skocjan's visitor centre is connected by free shuttle buses from the small train station at Divaca, 90 minutes from Ljubljana by trains or highway buses. From Divaca it is also possible to connect to Postojna for more subterranean adventures, or to the local transport hub of Koper where one could easily transfer to Slovenian (Piran), Croatian (Pula, Rovinj or Porec) or Italian (Trieste) cities along the Istrian coastline.
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