Location: |
Rovanjska, 23244.
Between Rovanjska and Modrić, Croatia. Near Zadar, Dalmatia, Central Croatian Coastal region. (44.256723, 15.537309) |
Open: |
All year after appointment. [2022] |
Fee: |
Adults HRK 160. [2022] |
Classification: | Karst Cave |
Light: | none |
Dimension: | L=829 m, A=30 m asl, T=18 °C. |
Guided tours: | D=2 h, MinAge=12. V=700/a [2019] |
Photography: | allowed |
Accessibility: | no |
Bibliography: |
Mladen Kuhta, S. Bozicevic, Sanja Kapelji, Slobodan Miko (1999):
The protection and utilization study of the natural environment of the Modric cave and its surroundings,
Open file report, Institute of Geology, Zagreb, 86p.
M. Malez (1987): Quaternary vertibrata fauna from Modric cave near Rovanjska, Rad Yug. Ac. Sci & Art 432, 141-154, Zageb Slobodan Miko, Mladen Kuta, Sanja Kapelj (2002): Environmental baseline geochemistry of sediments and perculating waters in the Modric Cave, Croatia, Acta carsologia Vol 31 No 1, pp 136-149 academia.edu Toni Brozic (1998): Modric spilja: najveca na nasoj obali, Hrvatski planinar, 90 (1998), 3; pp. 75-76. ISSN 0354-0650. Slobodan Miko, Mladen Kuhta, Sanja Kapelj (2001): Bat Guano Influence on the Geochemistry of Cave Sediments from Modrič Cave; Croatia 13th International Congress of Speleology 4th Speleological Congress of Latin América and Caribbean 26th Brazilian Congress of Speleology researchgate DOI Maša Surić, Zvjezdana Roller-Lutz, Magda Mandić, Ines Krajcar Bronić, Mladen Juračić (2010): Modern C, O, and H isotope composition of speleothem and dripwater from Modrič Cave, eastern Adriatic coast (Croatia), International Journal of Speleology 39 (2) 91-97 Bologna (Italy) July 2010. pdf |
Address: |
Modrić Špilja, Ul. Vrtlina 21, Rovanjska, 23244, Tel: +385-98-348-437.
Modrić Špilja, Marijan Buzov, Zara-adventure agency, Danijela Farlattija 7, 23 000 Zadar, Tel: +385-23-342-368, Cell: +385-91-563-1507 (Marijan), +385-91-555-8495 (Irena). 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. |
The entrance chamber has been used as a natural shelter for centuries. | |
1985 | inner series discovered by excavation. |
2004 | start of semi wild cave tours. |
Modrić Špilja (Modric Cave) is a wild cave which was opened for the public on cave trekking tours. The entrance is located at the altitude of only 30 m asl, some 70 m away from the major coastal highway Rijeka-Zadar in Croatia. The two-hour tours are preceded by a safety briefing and the outfitting with caving gear including overall, helmet, head lamp and gloves. We recommend good walking shoes, gum boots are not required as the cave is rather dry. The helmets are equipped with carbide lamps, so if you have you should bring your own helmet with LED headlamp, which is less work. While there are short narrow passages, they seem to be big enough to fit even overweight people. So far they have been mastered by a man weighing 120 kg. Nevertheless, you have to walk to the cave and the whole tour requires basic physical fitness.
Most of the cave is a passage which ranges between two and eight meters wide and high, and is heavily decorated. At some points the speleothems are so abundant, they block the passage and small portions had to be removed for the crawl. At one point the passage reaches a height of 29 meters. There are quite unique stalactites and stalagmite with weird shapes.
The cave was formed within Cretaceous limestones. The horizontal chambers and channels are slightly inclined. The Silty loams with guano contain abundant quartz, illite and taranakite and minor vivianite. There are high concentrations of Cu (2869 mg/kg), Zn (951 mg/kg) and Cd (28 mg/kg) in the sediments.
The cave entrance is at the bottom of a small doline, the first chamber was used as a shelter for a very long time. The passage behinde was blocked by a rockfall and was discovered after the blocks were removed by local cavers in 1985. Although the cave was only discovered in 1985, it has once been known to man, before the collapse. Human bone remains and remnants of Neolithic pottery were found inside. Also, the remains of Holocene fauna, including cave bear (Ursus spelaeus).