When talking about caving, most people think about North America. Do not dismiss Europe though since there are so many interesting opportunities that you are going to really appreciate. The caving options that are offered by the continent are very good and really complex. Speleogists already found so many great destinations that are tourism worth and that you can look at. Some are very old and even feature beautiful prehistoric cave paintings.
Europe’s caving options will be numerous and if you conduct a really fast research, you will find dozens of great destinations in almost every single country in Europe. If you want to visit great caving destinations in Europe, make sure that you think about the following, in no particular order:
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Gouffre Berger – France
Gouffre Berger is considered by many as being the best cave that can be visited in the world for the spelunkers because of the really easy access that is offered, the beauty and the size that appear. The only problem is that flooding is really common. That does bring in some safety concerns and you will need to be really careful.
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Holloch Caverns – Switzerland
One thing that some do not know is that the Holloch Caverns stand out as number 2 largest cave system all around the world, covering a length of 118 miles. There are sections that are touristy, really light, guided tours, multi-day expeditions to choose and trips that are only to be tackled by the advanced spelunkers.
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Ease Gill – England
If you go caving here you gain access to so many possible routes and a river passage that is simply stunning in the main Drain. The UK cave is definitely one of the best in Europe and it is the longest of the British Isles systems.
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Dan yr Ogof – Wales
The south Wales based 10 miles long system actually covers 150 miles, many being undiscovered. The showcave here is normally seen as being one of the greatest of Britain’s natural wonders. Cavers from all around Europe often visit this location.
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Grotte de Paques – France
Many of those that love caving will tell you that this is a classic destination that features many corroded galleries extending over 16,400 feet.
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Pierre Saint Martin – France & Spain
This cave drops an impressive 4,400 feet. It features a truly fantastic karst system, the most interesting one you will find in Europe. Since the location of the cave system is the Western Pyrenees, you can combine caving with hiking and nature watching so the experience would be even more interesting.
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Eisriesenwelt – Austria
This is basically the largest of all the ice caves that you can go caving in from all around the world. Expert spelunkers do not really want to visit since the destination stands out as quite a major tourist attraction. Hundreds of thousands of people visit this cave every year so if you want a more intimate experience, you will need to settle for a smaller ice cave.
