Hike in the canyon
The destination of my new adventure is a cave system located in Pustý Žleb Canyon in the Moravian Karst Protected Landscape Region. It is easy to find. We travel to Blansko to Skalní mlýn. Here we have two options. We can take the road train to the cave, but hiking enthusiasts can walk along the Punkva River to the cave entrance, which takes about 40 minutes. I chose the latter option. In the quiet forest surrounded by rocks, the diverse songs of forest birds, the scent of flowering plants, the sounds of the wind and the river accompany our journey.
The first exploration
The Punkva Caves, this amazing natural wonder, were discovered in stages by the Czech scientist Karel Absolon (archaeologist, paleontologist, geographer, speleologist) and his group of cavers between 1909 and 1933. The cave’s passages decorated with stalactites were created by water flows over thousands of years. During the tour, you can see the various forms of these formations. Stalactites form on the ceiling, stalagmites grow upwards from the bottom. Their growth is a very slow process, it’s less than half a millimeter per year.
Through the caves
The temperature is 7-8 °C (~46°F) and the relative humidity is about 99%. The tour duration is an hour and it has eight stops, starting in the dry part of the cave. We pass through the Front Dome, Mirror Lake, Reichenbach Dome, Back Dome and Angel to reach the Bottom of the Macocha Abyss. The Macocha means stepmother. This abyss is unique in the Czech Republic. It is 138.7 meters (~151.7 yd) deep, and at the bottom there are two lakes illuminated by daylight. The Punkva River flows through these lakes and continues its journey through the caves. This is the water part of the cave where is the last two stops of the tour, the Upper Landing Stage and Masaryk Dome. We board the electric flat-bottomed boats and continue our journey through the cave river. You have to watch your hands and head, because in some places the cave wall is quite close to you. Therefore, unfortunately, for safety reasons, you can’t take pictures here. This 440-meter (~481.2 yd) section is impressive, captivating, mystical and breathtaking!
Journey in the sky
After visiting the caves, I also visited the upper part of the Macocha Abyss. I went up there on the 1.7 km (~1.1 mi) long and 130-meter (~151.7 yd) high Cableway. This cableway has been operating safely since 1995 and is one of the most environmentally friendly transport solutions. From the height, there is a magnificent view of the canyon and the surrounding forest area. From the top, it takes about a 5-minute walk to reach the top of the Macocha Abyss, where we can admire this magnificent natural formation from above.
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”
– Jawaharlal Nehru