This ice cave is believed to be one of only 10 of this kind in Europe, filled with 7500 cubic meters of ice. The cave is located at an altitude of 1165 metres above sea level. It is 105 m deep and 720 m long, and the entrance shaft (50 m in diameter and 48 m in depth) gives access through metal stairs to a large chamber, (108 m long, 78 m wide) - The Big Hall.
From this point three openings lead to The Church (in front, with over 100 stalagmites), Great Reservation, Coman Gallery (left) and Little Reservation (right). In the Church as in the Small Reservation there is no ice but here is for instance the Palace of Sanziana what reach of formation is. The part that tourists can visit includes the entrance shaft, The Big Hall and The Church, the other chambers, which can be visited only with the agreement of the Speological Institute of Cluj-Napoca, being reserved for scientists.
The cave fauna is rather poor, the chief representatives being bats and ice-cave beetles, some 2-3 mm long (Pholeuon proserpinae glaciale). Not surprisingly the temperature inside the cave is frigid. In summer it will only reach 1 oC and in winter it drops to -7 oC. You can visit the cave each day between 9:00-17:00. To get to the cave you must leave the car in the Garda de Sus village and take a short 2 hour hike in the forest.
A.I.
