Location: 5 km away from Peshtera Map
Open: Summer: 9am- 5:15pm Mon- Sun
Winter: 10am- 4pm Mon- Fri
Snezhanka Cave is located in the South Bulgaria, 5 km from a town of Peshtera which is translated as "a cave" from Bulgarian language. The name of the cave itself is translated as "snow" or in some cases "snow white". Snezhanka Cave was known to men centuries ago. Several artifacts indicate that ancient tribe of local Thracians made their way inside the underground tunnels. However over time Snezhanka was forgotten and rediscovered only in 1961. Despite its short span of about 145 meters in length it is one of the most beautiful caves in Rhodope Mountains as well as all of Bulgaria. It contains pretty much every geological formation of the cave: stalactites, stalagmites, sinter lakes, and flowstones. Different shapes also have their names. This include Sarakatsan, the Statue of Liberty, the Dwarfs, the Parrot, and Snow White. The cave itself is made up from different chambers cut by the waters of Novomahlenska River. This includes the Big Room, Music Romm and Udder Room.
Warning:
Please don't make pictures or use any
types of flashing devices inside the cave. For people cave might be
an oddity. While others call it home. This include several species
of bats like the Greater Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum),
the Lesser Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros), the Geoffroy’s
Bat (Myotis emarginatus) and the Greater Mouse-Eared Bat (Myotis
myotis)
Located in the Batak Mountains in the Rhodope Mountains and is located 5 km from the town of Peshtera. After the deviation from the main road from the town of Peshtera to the town of Batak, there is about 2 km of narrow asphalt road, on which it is difficult for two cars to pass. The asphalt road leads to a parking lot where you can leave your car. The cave is difficult to access (about 25 minutes up a steep eco-trail with a length of 830 meters).
The cave gets its name "Snow White" because of similar cave forms resembling the fairytale heroine.
It was discovered in 1961 by chance by
cavers who first entered it at 9 am and came out late in the
evening, captivated by its beauty. Its length is only 145 meters,
with a constant annual temperature of 9 degrees. It was formed by
the Novomakhlenska River during the Levantine era and completed
during the Quaternary.
It is rich in stalagmites,
stalactites, stalactites, draperies, sinter ponds. The largest
stalactite is 1.27 m long. "Snow White" consists of several
beautiful halls: the Udder Hall, the Great Hall, the Music Hall,
connected with the Landslide, over which a bridge passes. In the
Magic Hall, covered with snow-white crystal sinter, nature has
created a figurine resembling a fairy-tale heroine. The name of the
cave comes from the snow-white sinter.
In the middle of the
cave there are round hearths, next to which objects from the Early
Iron Age and animal bones have been found. The Thracians used it as
a refuge from enemies.
This cave is an important refuge for hibernation of protected species of bats, including: great nightingale (Myotis myotis), tricolor nightingale (Myotis emarginatus), great horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), small horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros), southern horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros), southern horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros). From early November to late March, they hibernate here.