Punkva (Punkevní) Caves - Visit
From the Canyon of Pustý Žleb visitors enter free areas of dry parts of the Punkva Caves through an artificially created tunnel. They enter spacious areas of the Front Dome. They walk along the Guard - 4 m long stalactite and get to the bridge made during the general reconstruction in 1996. There they can admire a marvelously decorated wall of the Front Dome and a view of the biggest stalagnate in the Punkva Caves - the stalagnate called the Salm Column. In the back part of the dome there’s situated the Mirror Lake. Inside it visitors can see the reflection of the interesting groups of dripstones - for example the Umbrella, Two Owls, the Castle on the Rock, or the two meters high Turkish Minaret. On the opposite side of the dome there are typical karren. The excursion continues through the siphon - it is the lowest dry place of the Punkva Caves which was often flooded in the earlier ages. Nowadays the level is regulated automatically with the help of pumps.
Visitors enter the Reichenbach Dome up long stairs, some ten meters tall space. The slips with years 1917, 1938 and 2006 show the highest level of the Punkva River during floods. Several tall chimneys go from the dome and the horizontal not accessible passage of Calcite Caves with a clear dripstone decoration. The tour goes then through the nicely decorated Stalagmite Passage to the Back Dome. The place of interest of this area is a couple of stalagmites with straight surfaces on the top - the Dwarf and the Vase. This area arose in the spot of sprinkling water falling from a great height. You will be attracted by the group of stalagmites called the Turkish Cemetery and the long stalactite called the Needle. Visitors go down the stairs into the Dome At the Angel - a huge stalagnate of the unique shape.
From these places the Tunnel Passage runs back to the siphon, but visitors continue through the artificial tunnel to the bottom of the Macocha Abyss. They will have a marvelous view of rock walls 138,5 m high. On the floor of the abyss under the pavement two small lakes can be seen and the so called Jalové Bed which the Punkva River flows through from the Předmacošský siphon out of the Amateur Cave. The Upper Lake is about 13 m deep and the Lower Lake, which the Punkva sinks through to next areas, is about 49 m deep according to the latest research in 2000. Visitors will listen to a legend about the Macocha Abyss and continue through the passage to the docks where the boat cruise starts. The first section of the boat cruise goes through the blind alley of the Punkva along the tall chimneys to so called Forty. Here, from the passage deep under the surface, the Punkva springs up to free space and the boat cruise can go on up the lift Rock Bridges under the water surface and flow through Fairy-tale Lakes to the underground docks.
There the visitors get off and go through the Beaver Hall where professor Absolon found the bones of Pleistocen beavers. Then they get to the Masaryk Dome with the most impressive dripstone decoration. The Masaryk Dome was discovered during the blast of ceilings in 1920 and a lot of sticks and dripstones of stick shapes have been preserved here. The dominant stalagnate is a huge lit one called the Hus Column. After coming back the boat cruise continues through a low tunnel which is lit by daylight and goes to the Punkva spring.
-
60 min / Tour duration
-
1250 m / Tour length
Shortened boat trip - Only when water level is higher!
-
70 min / Tour duration
-
1550 m / Tour lenght
Without the boat trip - Only when water level is too high!
-
55 min / Tour duration
-
1100 m / Tour lenght
