Новомурадымовская пещера

Novomuradymovskaya Cave - Novomuradymovskaya Peshchera

Useful Information

Location:	Southern Ural, Muradymovskoye Gorge Nature Park P240 between Meleuz and Kumertau, turn off on P361, after 50 km turn left to Mrakovo. Follow road to Yuldybaevo 1, 2 and 3. At Yuldybaevo 3 turn right into Muradymovskoye Gorge. Road end at the river, trail to the cave starts on the other side of the ford. (52.572462, 56.867621)
Open:	Winter and Summer. Closed during Spring floods. [2021]
Fee:	Adults RUR 250. [2021]
Classification:	Karst cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	L=1850 m.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Ildar Gainutdinov, Shamil Abdullin, M.Y. Sharipova, I.E. Dubovik (2017): Cyanobacteria and algae in some caves of the Bashkirskiyi Ural Biosphere Reserve (Southern Urals, Bashkortostan Republic, Russia) Cave and Karst Science. 44. 119-126. researchgate
Address:	Novomuradymovskaya Peshchera, Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia 453340.
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

1998	Muradymovskoe Gorge declared a protected Nature Park.

Description

Новомурадымовская пещера (Novomuradymovskaya Peshchera, New Muradymov Cave) is located in the природный парк Мурадымовское ущелье (Muradymovskoye Gorge Nature Park). The Muradymovskoye Gorge is a limestone gorge with numerous caves and a popular hiking area which was cut into the limestone by the Bolshoy Ik river. Novomuradymovskaya is a mostly horizontal cave with some speleothems and some pools.

In the valley below is a kiosk selling tickets to the cave at a price of 250 rubles per person. Children are not allowed, or at least have to pay the full price. At the cave is another hut where the guides wait for the visitors, equip them with boots and flashlights. There are two groups allowed in the cave at the same time, so you have to wait until a group leaves the cave. At least that's during summer and good weather weekends, when the place is quite popular.

The cave is not a well developed show cave, its actually a semi-wild cave with iron staircases at steep places. Except for those stairs the cave has not more development than a simple plastic rope as handrail and a rough mud path. The cave is not suitable for elderly, disabled or young children, but if you are moderately fit, it is easily visited. Helmet with headlamp and old clothes are nevertheless a good idea. Because of the water we recommend rubber boots, but if you have good walking shoes, they are probably better. The trail is definitely dirty and slippery but the pools can be avoided, so many people prefer sneakers.

The cave entrance is located at the foot of a limestone cliff, at the bottom of a depression. A wooden staircase and some stone steps lead down to the gated entrance. Inside metal staircases lead down further to gorge-like river passage. The river passage is dry during summer, except after very heavy rains. It is also dry during winter, when the area is covered in snow. But as the cave entrance is full of snow during winter, a rope is required in the entrance part for abseiling from the rim. But during spring and snow melt it is not possible to visit the cave because the passage is flooded. The frequent floods of muddy water create patterns on the wall which consist of clay or top soil. The are destroyed and reformed by every flood. They sometimes look like arabic letters or like the dotted fur of a leopard.

Then a narrow passage follows and the Concert Hall, the biggest chamber of the cave opens up. The cave ends at a siphon or sump, which is only accessible for cave divers during dry times of the year, in late summer. The water emerging from a pile of debris flows through the main cave passage and then vanishes in the sump. The water was dye traced, it reappears in nearby Vodosbrosovaya cave. There were even diving expeditions connecting the two caves.

The caves of the area were once freely accessible, which you can still read in older publications. In 1998 the Muradymovskoe Gorge was declared a protected Nature Park, and as a result many caves were closed and others are onlöy accessible for a fee now. Thats how Novomuradymovskaya unvountarily became a show cave. On the other hand there was no need to actually develop the caves and the fee is nominal. It is intended to pay for the time of the gudes and the minimal installations. And the park actually helped to keep the gorge clean, uncontrolled garbage dumps and deforestation are forbidden in the park. Park visitors are provided with parking lots and firewood for a fire.

The cave is located in the Bashkirskiyi Ural UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Much of this reserve is karstified and there are 166 known caves. The most important caves are Shulgan-Tash (Kapova), Novomuradymovskaya cave and Sumgan cave. There are numerous dolines, natural bridges, dry valleys, karst springs, and ponors. The high biodiversity is a result of the variety of landforms, the complex history during the pleistocene and holocene, and meeting of two major forest biomes from Europe and Siberia. But obviously the remote location and the low human impact are also quite essential.

Nearby is the Staromuradymovskaya Cave (L=210 m) which contains Mesolithic cave paintings, but it is closed with an iron bar gate. Another cave with human remains is the Golubiny grotto. Along the 5 km long Muradymovskiye Gorge there are 75 known caves. This makes this area the place with the highest density of caves in the Urals.