Educational trails
Educational trails are important environmental and educational means. The visitors can get acquainted directly in the field with the most valuable natural, cultural and historical values of the cave and surrounding karst surface and usually also with the ways of their protection. The boards contain text information regularly in several languages supplemented with graphical illustrations. You can find the following educational trails directly connected with the caves:
To the Harmanecká Cave
constructed in 1992, renewed in 2002. The length is 1,3 km with vertical distance 260 m. The trail contains 9 information boards: 1. introduction, 2. geological settings of the Harmanecký karst, 3. forest and plant societies, 4. invertebrates of cave surrounding, 5. vertebrates, 6. yew in Harmanec surrounding, 7. Harmanecká Cave, 8. animals of the Harmanecká Cave, 9. the history of the cave.
To the Belianska Cave
open on April 17, 1997, the length 890 m, vertical distance 122 m. The trail contains 6 boards: 1. basic information, protection of High Tatra nature, 2. geological and geomorfological settings of the Belianske Tatras, 3. forest societies, 4. plants, 5. animals, 6. Belianska Cave.
To the Dobšinská Ice Cave
open on June 29, 1998, the length 470 m, vertical distance 66 m with 5 boards: 1. basic information, protection of Slovak Paradise National Park, 2. NP Slovak Paradise, ravines, forests, 3. national nature reserve Stratená, natural values, 4. flora, fauna and forest societies, 5. Dobšinská Ice Cave.
To the Demänovská Ice Cave
open on May 21, 1998. The length is 450 m, vertical distance 90 m, 6 educational boards: 1. basic information, situation map, 2. national nature reserve Demänovská Valley, forest societies, 3. animals, 4. plants, 5. Demänová cave system, 6. Demänovská Ice Cave.
To the Demänovská Cave of Liberty
open in 1999, vertical distance 52 m, contains 6 boards: 1. introduction, sketch of the trail, 2. basic karst phenomena of the territory, karst hydrology, 3. karst and cave of Slovakia, 4. Slovak show caves, 5. Demänovská Cave of Liberty, 6. discovery and development of the Demänovská Cave of Liberty for public.
To the Malá drienčanska Cave
open in 1992, renewed in 2002. The trail begins at the Centre of Environmental Education of SEA Drieňok. The length is 7,540 m, vertical distance 55 m, with 15 stops: 1. Drienčansky karst and basic information about the trail, 2. hickory trees of the protected area Hickory Stand, 3. water birds of the Teplý Vrch dam, 4. the history of Drienčany village and the personality of P. Dobšinský, 5. geology of the Drienčanský karst, 6. the ruins of the Drienčany fort, 7a. karren, 7b. karst vulnerability, 8. dry and blind valleys in karst, 9. forest societies, 10. bowl and kettle doline, 11. collapsed doline, 12. entrance to the Veľká drienčanska Cave, 13. alluvium of the Blh brook, 14. Malá drienčanska Cave – pass through the short part of underground space, 15. edge karst lakes.
Other educational trails outside the caves
however with karst theme can be found in the Demänovská Valley, at the Domica Cave, in Hradová near Tisovec, on the Jasovská Rock, in Kamenná Baba (Lipovce, Lačnov), in Manínska Gorge, in the breach of Dunajec river, in the Prosiecka and Kvačianska Valley, in the area of Sivá Brada and Dreveník, in Slovak Paradise, in Zádielska Gorge, at Gánovské travertines and in Malá Fatra Mts.
Educational boards
A simpler way of introduction of natural, cultural and historical values of caves and their surrounding are educational boards. The Slovak Caves Administration has already installed the following boards: Jasovská Cave (1995, bat protection), Dobšinská Ice Cave (1995, bat protection), Bystrianska Cave (1996, bat protection), Važecká Cave (1996, 2006, 2 boards about extinct cave bears, 1 board about animals of the cave), Gombasecká Cave (1999, 3 boards: Slovak Karst National Park, caves of the World Natural Heritage, Gombasecká Cave), Driny Cave (1999, 4 boards: geology, geomorphology, plants and animals of Malé Karpaty karst, Driny Cave – values, history).