Ухловица

Uhlovitsa - Uhlovitsa Cave - Пещера Ухловица

Useful Information

Location:	3 km northeast of Mogilitsa village. Rhodope Mountains. 37 km from Pamporovo, 47 km from Chepelare. From Smilyan Rd 8683 5 km towards the Greek border. From the parking lot 1 km/150 m walk uphill. (41.514393, 24.659997)
Open:	MAY to SEP daily 9-17. OCT to APR Wed-Sun 9-17. Tours every hour on the full hour, last tour 16. [2021]
Fee:	Adults BGN 6, Children BGN 3. Groups under 5 people BGN 30. [2021]
Classification:	Karst cave
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:	L=460 m, A=1,040 m asl, T=10-11 °C.
Guided tours:	L=330 m. V=3000/a.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Uhlovitsa Cave, 8683 55, 4761 Mogilitsa, Tel: +359-889-121-014. Tourist Information Center – Smolyan, 5, Bulgaria Blvd, town of Smolyan, 4700, Tel: +359-301-62530, Fax: +359-301-62530. E-mail:
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

1967	discovered by Dimitar and Georgi Raichev.

Description

Пещера Ухловица (Uhlovitsa, Owl Cave), also known as Улцата (Ultsata, The Streets), is famous for its wealth of speleothems, especially the abundance of cave coral and helictites. Notable is the Hall of the Abysses on the top level of the cave system. There are four shaft in the floor leading down to the lower levels. The tour follows one shaft on a steel staircase to the lower level, where most of the speleothems can be found. The end of the cave is formed by Seven Lakes, but those rimstone pools are water filled only in spring. Here is also the most attractive formation called the Big Stone Fall, which sparkles in white.

The cave is located in the Rhodope Mountains in southern Bulgaria, in an area which is called Mестността „Сините вирове“ (Mestnostta "Sinite virove", Blue Pools Area). The mountains consist of marble and are heavily karstified, there are narrow gorges and multiple caves and karst springs. Following the river Arda valley there is a parking lot at the road. A long staircase leads uphill to the cave entrance, which is 1 km long and ascends some 150 m. The ascent to the entrance of the cave is tiring and requires convenient clothes and shoes. If you are physically fit you should plan about half an hour. The cave entrance offers a great view on the river Arda valley. It is closed by an iron bar gate, which allows bats to enter and leave the cave. The cave is located beneath the village Uhlovitsa, which sits on a plateau above the valley, and was named after the village. So both are named after a certain type of owls, Strix owls (Strigidae), which are called Uhlovitsa in Bulgarian.