The Dimnice Cave

The Dimnice Cave attracts visitors with its unusual phenomena.

Near the villages of Slivje and Markovščina, not far from the Kozina–Rijeka regional road, lie two almost 40-metre deep chasms that are linked by an underground passage. The cold air entering one of the chasms during winter pushes the warmer cave air out from the other chasm, creating a characteristic mist that looks like a column of smoke. This phenomenon gives the cave its name, since ‘dim’ means smoke in Slovenian.

Dimnice is a cave that is about 8 km long and contains a 180 m deep stream. There are passages on two levels. The upper passages are dry, full of beautiful dripstones, and are arranged with tourist pathways. An underground stream runs through the lower passages, before flowing into the Rižana River spring. The cave and its surroundings are a true treasure trove of typical karst phenomena. Visitors are most enthusiastic about the dripstone formations that could easily feature in the Guinness World Records.