State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic
Slovak Caves Administration
In terms of the act of the National Council of the Slovak Republic no. 543/2002 on Nature and Landscape Protection, every cave in Slovakia represents natural monument. The 13 show caves have an important place among the educational localities. They represent important geomorfological phenomena with rich and special flowstone, aragonite or ice fill, moreover some of them are significant archaeological and cultural localities. Since they are the most attacked caves by man, they require a special protection. Their sustainable use resides in observation of visitors’ influence on natural environment of caves, including its regulation. All show caves are designated national nature monuments.
The Ochtinská Aragonite Cave, Domica Cave, Gombasecká Cave and Jasovská Cave are inscribed on the World Natural Heritage List since 1995 within the „Caves of the Slovak and Aggtelek Karst“ site, which was extended by the Dobšinská Ice Cave in November 2000. The protection and operation of show caves in the Slovak Republic is carried out by the Slovak Caves Administration in Liptovský Mikuláš, as a specialized organization of nature protection under the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic.
Big effort is given to annual waste removal from caves, which was thrown here during the last decades and also at present. The serious pollution is from communal and many times toxic waste and remains after agricultural activities.
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The Slovak Caves Administration secures the closures of the most threatened and valuable caves. The priority is according to the level of attacking, threatening and occurrence of natural, cultural and historical values in caves.
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The caves require regular care. The karst and cave territories are regularly checked by the speleological guard service – the rangers specialized for cave protection control the cave ecosystems and gates closing the threatened caves.
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Cave protection zone on the surface over the cave, which is or can be threatened by various activities, are declared by the territorially appropriate regional office for the environment according to § 24 section 8 of the act no. 543/2002 of the Legal Codes on nature and landscape protection on the basis of submitted project
More ...Dear visitors, visiting the cave requires adequate physical fitness.
The route includes:
- a longer walk in an enclosed darkened area
- reduced temperature and increased humidity
- ascent and descent
- higher number of steps (in some caves)
Special note to persons with medical limitations:
If you suffer particularly from cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems, high blood pressure, mobility limitations or are in poor physical condition, please consider taking part in the tour.
If you have any doubts about the appropriateness of your visit, please consult your doctor about your medical condition.
Your safety is of paramount importance to us.
Thank you for your understanding
Slovak Caves Administration, State Nature Conservation of the Slovak Republic
Dear visitors, we would like to inform you that due to the technical conditions of payment terminals, there may be situations when card payment will not be possible. For this reason, we recommend that you have an adequate amount of cash available if you want to be sure that you will be able to visit the cave. Thank you for understanding.
Dear visitors, due to technical reasons at the cave, it is not possible to provide food and drinks, including coffee vending machine services. We apologize for this inconvenience.
Dear visitors, the parking lot doesn't belong to cave administration. The fees are collected by different entity. Thank you for your understanding.
Dear visitors, the Domica cave will be closed on 24th of September 2025 due to operational reasons. We apologize for any inconvenience.
