The Škocjan Caves, where the Reka river plunges into an underground canyon

The river that carved a canyon

The caves are the work of the Reka river. It rises below the Snežnik plateau, flows for about 55 km on the surface and, on reaching the Karst limestone, deepens its bed both by erosion and by dissolving the rock. At first it does so in the open, along a gorge of about 4 km that ends at a wall beneath which it vanishes. A few hundred thousand years ago the cave roof collapsed near the entrance, forming two great dolines, Velika dolina, up to 165 m deep, and Mala dolina, 120 m deep, separated by a natural bridge.

At the bottom of Velika dolina the Reka disappears for good and does not resurface until 34 km later, at the springs of the Timavo near the Adriatic. The section it flows through, Šumeča jama or the Murmuring Cave, is about 3.5 km long, 10 to 60 m wide and more than 100 m high. Its largest chamber, Martel’s Chamber, is 308 m long, with a ceiling rising 146 m above the river and a volume of 2.2 million m³, the largest cavity discovered in Slovenia according to the park. After heavy rain the water inside can rise by more than a hundred metres.

What you see on the tour

The guided tour leaves on foot from the reception centre for the Globočak doline. An artificial tunnel leads first into Tiha jama, the Silent Cave, a dry passage full of stalactites whose Great Hall holds the Giant, one of the largest stalagmites in the system. Then you pass into the Murmuring Cave, with the Reka roaring below, and cross the canyon on Cerkvenik Bridge, a stretch which, according to the park, leaves no visitor indifferent.

Back in daylight, the route continues unguided through Velika dolina, Tominc Cave, rich in archaeological finds, and under the natural bridge to Mala dolina and the Mahorčič and Marinič caves beneath Škocjan village, before climbing at the end to Matavun. In full it takes two and a half to three hours, 5 km and about 1,000 steps; you can leave early through Velika dolina, and from January to April and October to December the tour always ends there. It is 12°C inside, photography is not allowed and pets are not admitted.

A sacred place three thousand years ago

Škocjan is not just geology. In the 50 m Mušja jama shaft, archaeologists found more than 600 metal objects from the 12th to the 8th centuries BC, many burnt and broken, the remains of offerings to the gods of the underworld. The park says pilgrims came from Italy, the Alps, Pannonia, the Balkans and even Greece. Those finds, and the oldest inscription found in Slovenia, can be seen in the park’s museum collections at the information centre and in Škocjan village, a short walk away.

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Tour times and prices in 2026

In October 2026 groups set off every hour from 10am to 3pm, and in November and December there are just two, at 10am and midday; in July and August, hourly from 9am to 4pm. The caves close on 1 January and 25 December. An adult ticket costs €16 from November to March, €18 in April and October, €22 in May, June and September and €24 in summer, with reductions for seniors, students under 26 and children.

Getting to Škocjan

By car, leave the motorway at Divača, turn right, then left after 1 km towards Škocjan and, after another kilometre, left again towards Matavun, where the information centre is. By train, get off at Divača and follow a waymarked path of about 4 km, roughly 50 minutes. On weekdays there is also ToyotaGO, an app-based on-demand service within the local municipalities. To combine them with other visits, see caves in Slovenia, Postojna Cave and the Lipica stud farm, close by.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Divača for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.