Маарата

Maarata Cave - Водопада - Vodopada - Waterfall Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Near the village of Krushuna, Letnitsa Municipality. 34 km from the city of Lovech. From Pleven 35 south 30 km to Lowetsch, turn left on 301 to Alexandrovo, turn right, through the village to Krushuna. In the city center turn right and follow road to the end. Parking at the spa, 10 minutes walk. (43.242320, 25.034150)
Open:	no restrictions. [2023]
Fee:	free. [2023]
Classification:	Karst Cave Lower Cretaceous limestones of Aptian age
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	L=1,995 m, Yavg=100 l/s.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Maarata Cave, Balkan Adventure, Tel: +359-885-61-25-04, Tel: +359-879-31-36-74.
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

1965	first siphon crossed by caver P. Mozhari during a Bulgarian-Hungarian expedition, cave surveyed to a length of 1,775 m.
1971	another 200 m explored and surveyed.
1995	Pleven cave diver Kr. Petkov from "Studenets" crosses siphon and discoveres 200 m, which are not surveyed.

Description

Маарата (Grotte Maarata, Maarata Cave) is a river cave of some size, which is also known as Водопада (Vodopada, Waterfall) or Пещера Водопада (Pestera Vodopada, Waterfall Cave). It is the main resurgence of the waterfalls of Krushuna and so it is also called Крушунската пещера (Krushuna Cave). The eco trail of Krushuna Waterfalls leads to the entrance and there are explanatory signs. The cave has a big portal, which is very wide but not very high. The cave was originally known to the first siphon which is 160 m from the entrance. During summer, when the flow is low, visitors may enter this far, though there is no trail, but the floor is level. Gum boots are recommended, or probably neoprene shoes, as it is necessary to wade through the water at some points. However, such a visit is not supported by the management of the waterfalls park.

The company балкан адвенчър (Balkan Adventure) offers guided trips with boat into the cave, unfortunately they do not have a website, so it is not possible to get any information about them. Also, it seems they rely on social media and only in Bulgarian, which makes the tours unavailable for foreign tourists. They neither have an address nor a working homepage, probably they are busted [2023].

The troglobiont Pseudosinella duodecimocellata was found in the cave. It is also inhabited by bats.