Ochtinská Aragonite Cave

A cave found by miners

Ochtinská Aragonite Cave (Ochtinská aragonitová jaskyňa) is one of the most extraordinary caves in Slovakia. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site “Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst” and is protected as a national nature monument. It lies on the north-western slope of Hrádok hill in the Revúca Highlands, part of the Slovak Ore Mountains, between the small towns of Jelšava and Štítnik.

The cave had no natural entrance. It was discovered by chance in 1954 by mining surveyors from Jelšava, M. Cangár and J. Prošek, while they were driving the “Kapusta” geological exploration adit. Work on a separate 145 m visitor tunnel began in 1966, and the cave opened to the public in 1972. The passages formed in a lens of ancient Devonian crystalline limestone and ankerite surrounded by non-karst rocks (phyllites), which is why geologists call this kind of place a cryptokarst.

The cave’s great marvel is aragonite, a special form of calcium carbonate. Three generations of it have been identified. The oldest, milky kidney-shaped crusts, are 121,000–138,000 years old. The most common second generation consists of needles several decimetres long and curved, sometimes spiral helictites about 14,000 years old; they form bushes and tufts, including the so-called “iron flower”. These formations are still growing, which keeps them snow-white. The youngest aragonite “fans” are only 2–4 mm across. The stable microclimate is maintained by iron ochres that absorb and release moisture. Very few show caves of this type exist anywhere in the world.

What to see

The tour starts through an artificial entrance: a 144 m tunnel that descends 19 m by way of 104 steps. The route then leads 300 m through the underground halls, and the whole visit takes about 30 minutes. The highlights are ceilings and walls covered with white aragonite bushes against brown-orange ochre and grey-blue limestone. The temperature is 7.2–7.8 °C with 92–97 % humidity, so bring a jumper and comfortable shoes. Guides ask visitors not to touch the formations and not to photograph bats at close range.

Practical information

A 2 km side road leads to the cave from the road between Štítnik and Jelšava on Hrádok hill. It is 25 km from Rožňava via Štítnik, 10 km from Jelšava and 80 km from Poprad via Vernár, Dobšiná and Štítnik. The car park is 300 m from the entrance, followed by a short, almost level walk, so the cave is manageable even for people who find mountain paths hard (there are steps in the tunnel, though). The nearest bus stop is “Gočaltovo, Hrádok”.

The cave is open from 1 April to 31 October, Tuesday to Sunday, with a guide only. Prices in 2026: adults €12, children aged 4–15 €6, students and over-60s €11. Photography without tripod or flash is free. A scheduled tour runs with at least 4 visitors; bookings are not taken and each tour has limited capacity, so in summer it is best to arrive before midday.

Nearby

Ochtinská Cave is easy to combine with a visit to Betliar Manor near Rožňava or to the ruins of Muráň Castle above the Muráň Plateau. About an hour’s drive north is another UNESCO cave, Dobšinská Ice Cave, open from mid-May to mid-September.

Official website: ssj.sk

Photos: Jojo, en:Jojo_1, pl:Jojo, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.