Ravlića Špilja-Pećina

Useful Information

Location:	Peć Mlini bb, Drinovci 88344. From Sarayevo take A1/E73 30 km, at the end of the motorway turn right on M17/E73 79 km, from Mostar follow M6.1 27 km, turn left on R420 12 km, left on M6 10 km, turn right on R421 7 km, turn left 5 km. (43.3390724, 17.3231573)
Open:	All year daily 9-19. [2025]
Fee:	Adults BAM 5, Children (7-17) BAM 2, Children (0-6) free. [2025]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided, L=350 m. V=20,000/a [2011]
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Brunislav Marijanović (1981): Ravlića pećina (Peć Mlini) GZM BIH, Ns 35/36, Sarajevo, 1981, pp. 1-97. Brunislav Marijanović (2012): RAVLIĆA PEĆINA Prapovijesno naselje - RAVLIĆ CAVE Prehistoric settlement, ISBN 978-9958-0992-0-6. academia.edu
Address:	Ravlića Špilja-Pećina, Avanturistički park Peć Mlini - Adventure park Pec Mlini, Peć Mlini bb, Drinovci 88344, Tel: +387-63-986-419. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1977	trial excavation.
1978-1980	excavations of an area of 192 m².
2008-2010	excavations.
2011	opened to the public as a show cave.

Description

The name of Ravlića Špilja-Pećina is quite weird, as it translates "Ravlica Cave-Cave". The term Špilja as well as the term Pećina translate cave, actually this is in former Yugoslavia mostly a regional thing, a sort of dialect, in some parts of the country one name was used in other parts the other name. Its unclear why they decided to use both names in the official name of this show cave, we can only guess because they expect guests from both areas and want to make really sure that this is a cave. However, the actual name of the cave is Равлића пећина or Ravlića pećina.

The Ravlica Cave is actually a single huge chamber with a diameter of almost 100 m. Entering through the huge portal, which is 10 m high but 38 m wide, a paved trail leads down a slope of debris to the floor of the huge chamber. Such a hill of debris in the entrance of a cave is quite common, it is the result of frost weathering of the cliff above the portal. The loosened rocks fall down and pile up in the entrance. The trail ends in the middle of the chamber at the deepest point. But on the far end there are two staircases leading further up the back wall.

The easy access made this cave a great shelter for prehistoric man, and so remains from the Neolithic were excavated at the cave entrance. It was frequented until the end of the Bronze Age. Four different stages of habitation were found. The first phase was during the older Neolithic and is characterized by the production of coarse and fine ceramics. The second phase was during the younger Neolithic and findings included several artworks. The Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age are the third phase and show great changes the ornaments of bowls, pots, and other vessels. It is called the Cetinje culture. The youngest layer is also in the Early Bronze Age. It produced examples of Litzen ceramics and a spoon. A skeleton of a child about a year old was also found in the cave. The excavations were led by Prof. Dr. Sc. Brunislav Marijanović, Head of the Department of Archaeology of the University of Zadar and the Department of Archaeology of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Mostar.

Some visitors are annoyed, because the cave tour takes less than half an hour while several websites state it takes 2 to 3 hours. The explanation is simple: the cave is part of the Theme Park Avanturistički park Peć Mlini. There is also the source of the Tihaljina River, a huge karst spring which is well worth a visit, the zip line across the site, and the hydroelectric power station.

Peć Mlini is a former mill which is today a hydroelectric power station. The water for the generators is from the Trebižat River, which is dammed on the other side of the hill. Then it flows through huge steel tubes through the hill. The 50 km long river has numerous names, like Matica, Tihaljina, and Vrljika. Only the lower 30 km are actually named Trebižat, and as this is karst the river only exists in the poljes, where it sometimes forms several parallel arms just to reunite at the other end of the polje. There it flows into ponors and reappears in the next polje. The hydroelectric power plant actually uses this situation and the height difference between the two poljes. The Matica river and the Jezero Matica are about 250 m asl, while the power plant is only 150 m asl.