Frozen all year round, Peștera Scărișoara (Scărișoara Ice Cave) holds one of the largest underground glaciers in Romania.
The cave
The entrance is at 1165 m, at the bottom of a shaft 60 m wide and 48 m deep, which you descend on metal stairs. The cave is 720 m long and 105 m deep. The block of ice in the great hall holds, depending on the estimate, between 75,000 and about 100,000 m³, and a study published in Scientific Reports in 2017 showed that its oldest layers are around 10,500 years old.
Scărișoara has been a speleological reserve since 1938 and is part of the Apuseni Natural Park. The access stairs have been replaced, and the cave reopened to visitors in July 2021.
Getting there from the guesthouse
The cave is about 40 minutes by car (27 km).
Good to know
- It is cold in the cave all year round, even in August: bring a warm jacket and shoes that don't slip.
- Opening hours and ticket prices can change from one season to the next; check them before you go.
- The cave has licensed guides; visits follow the fitted route.