Scarisoara Ice Cave
One of the most unique formations of the Western Carpathians has to be the Scarisoara Ice Cave, the cave that hosts the biggest ice block in Romania. Situated at only 1165 meters, I was kind of surprised that such a big block of ice could be preserved here for the last 4000 years ( I expected it to be at much higher altitude before we got there).
Entrance costs approx. 1,5 Euros, and you aren’t allowed to go down to the grotto by yourself. There is a tour guide that waits for a group of 20-ish to gather, then opens the gate and leads everyone down the many stairs to the mouth of the cave. Unfortunately, the tour guide was a bit of a disappointment. He only spoke in Romanian (although there were a few foreigners with the group) and he only told the necessary logistics of the cave which could easily be read from the pamphlets you got along with your ticket.
As you go down the stairs, it gets more and more chilly. We were there last July, when the temperature went from 30°C to ~-5°C (so don’t forget your coat!) from the top of the stairs to the entrance of the cave. I have to admit that I enjoyed the intense green surroundings of the grotto more than the cave itself. It gives you the feeling that you’re not in Romania anymore (it actually reminded me of a scene from Karate Kid- haha!, the scene when the boy goes down a similar grotto to get a bonsai tree..if you remember 😀 )
Once you get to the cave, you’ll notice that much of the ice has melted. Because of the changes in temperature for the last thousands of years, it is said that a layer is melted every year in the summer, but is nourished and supplied a new layer each year during winter. They say that it’s melting even at it’s base, but is “fed” with new streaks from the top.
The Big Room hosts an ice block which is more than 40 meters thick – pretty impressive, huh? There is a smaller saloon that contains bigger blocks of ice which are much better preserved and are in amazing shape! However, only scientists can step foot among them, it is strictly forbidden for tourists- in the name of conservation.
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The last picture is awesome! I remember going when I was little and we hiked for like 2-3 hours to get there so I was very disappointed by the cave, thinking “we walked all this way for THIS??!?!”, haha 😀
The guide was a total asshole. And I also thought it would be even more spectacular but, that’s what global warming does to you :))