Peştera Huda lui Papară

Useful Information

Location:	Muntii Trascäu (Mountains of Trascäu). DN 75 from Câmpeni or Turda up to Salciua de Jos parish. Earth road 4 km to the Sub Piatra village, or DJ107 Aiud-Râmet-Bradesti, then earth road to Salciua parish. 2 hours walk from the centre of the Salciua village, 36 km from Bistra. (46°22'45" N, 23°27'40" E).
Open:	after appointment [2006]
Fee:
Classification:	Karst cave River cave
Light:	none, bring own/provided
Dimension:	L=5200 m.
Guided tours:	L=500m
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:
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

1980	Ecologist and Mountain Touring Club Albamont constituted.

Description

Huda lui Papară is a huge cave with a cave river. Pollution of the surrounding karst area by the locals and visitors, and destruction of the cave by careless cave visitors made it necessary to protect the karst area. As a result in 1980 the Ecologist and Mountain Touring Club Albamont was constituted to protect Alba County. Polaris Speleological and Geological Research Centre, an Institute of the "December 1st 1918" University of Alba-Iulia, is the custodian of the cave.

Huda lui Papară is entered through Vânatarea sinkhole, at the foot of a limestone cliff at the meeting of three valleys, Valea Poienii, Valea Ponorului and Valea Seaca. Behind the entrance a sequence of huge tunnels follows, mostly high and rather narrow gorges, but with some smaller parts towards the end. The main passage contains a cave river over a length of 2022 m. There are several waterfalls in the cave, which require some climbing.

The cave is visited only in the entrance section. The Ecologist and Mountain Touring Club Albamont built an elevated wood path, approximately 250 m long at an average height of 20 m above the river.