Surprise Cave (Peștera Surprizelor)
Recommendations for visiting Surprise Cave Do not go down into the cave on your own. This is not a "tourist" cave, and being inside it is dangerous. A safe descent is only possible accompanied by…
VIAR ID: t7j906
Virtual tour
About this place
- Do not go down into the cave on your own. This is not a “tourist” cave, and being inside it is dangerous. A safe descent is only possible accompanied by a competent person with caving experience.
- Use proper equipment for the descent: overalls made of tough fabric, sports shoes, a helmet and a headlamp. Always carry a spare light.
- Inside the cave it is strictly forbidden to make loud noise, litter, smoke, use prohibited substances, or use this natural monument as a public toilet.
Under LAW No. 1538 of 25.02.1998 “On the Fund of Natural Areas
Protected by the State”, Surprise Cave is a protected natural monument in the category of paleontological and geological natural monuments.
The cave lies near Dubasari, on the right bank of the Dniester River, 2 km north of the town of Criuleni, in a forest belt. It has been known since the 1970s, when it was discovered by amateur speleologists. It is one of the largest caves in Moldova, second only to the “Cinderella” cave. The cave has three entrances, two of which are very difficult. It was formed by tectonic shifts of the earth’s crust in blocks of sedimentary limestone. It is a network of cracks in the earth’s crust, crevices and cavities up to 5 meters high and up to 1.5 meters wide, which in places widen into spacious halls (“Golden Ring”, “Elevator”, “Metro”, “Cinema Hall”, etc.), as well as deep shafts, some of them even dangerous. Its total length is approximately 1700 m. It is a horizontal cave with two to three levels.
Being a large cave, it maintains constant humidity and temperature. The average temperature is 12-14°C above zero, and relative humidity is 75-80%.
The cave is well ventilated and contains no gases other than those found in the atmosphere at the surface.
As in other caves of this type, the flora and fauna are not very rich. There are several micro-colonies of bats. In addition, several species of invertebrates (pseudoscorpions, arachnids, myriapods, crustaceans, etc.) have been found and recorded.
“Surprise” Cave has no stalactites or stalagmites, but it is of particular interest as a sporting challenge. At times you have to crawl in very awkward positions and put in extra effort to get past obstacles. Some narrow galleries strip anyone wearing overly bulky clothes or gear with lots of pockets and straps… Things are also tough for those whose waistline slightly exceeds the norm – they often fail to squeeze through the narrow gaps.
The cave is a true factory for recruiting new speleologists. It is an invaluable caving training ground for practicing chimneying and passing extreme squeezes, as well as for training in digging through blockages, orientation and cave surveying.
At the same time, the cave has aesthetic value thanks to its extraordinary landscapes, an expression of the forces of nature. It reveals for study the various sedimentary layers of the ancient sea that once covered Moldova.
But whatever you do, never go down there alone! It is very dangerous!
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On the map
Where this tour was filmed.
47.23242, 29.15459
