Peștera Moanei

Moana Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Comuna Roşia, Pădurea Craiului. (46.899777, 22.527759)
Open:	16-APR to 14-OCT daily by appointment. [2022]
Fee:	depends on operator and tour. [2022]
Classification:	Karst cave River Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	L=1,232 m, VR=104 m.
Guided tours:	self guided. L=350 m, D=2 h, Max=8.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Pădurea Craiului, Tel: +40-359-410-556. 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

1961	explored and mapped, until the second sump, by Iosif Viehmann, T. Rusu and Maria Alb.
1975	T. Rusu discovered the origin of the cave river and mapped nearby Cotuna Cave, which is hydrologically connected.
1977	explored by the members of the Clubul de Speologie "Z" (Speleology Club "Z") from Oradea.
1980	D. Borodan, from CS "Z" Oradea, discovered four vessels of the amphora-carafe type.

Description

Peștera Moanei (Moana Cave) is a river cave located in the valley of Misid or Valea Roșia (Red Valley). This cave is a wild cave and as part of the passage is flooded, it is not easy to visit. Actually, this cave is located in Pădurea Craiului, the northern part of the Apuseni Mountains, which is a sort of ecotourism park. To visit any cave in Pădurea Craiului, tourists must contact a local operator, who will make them a price offer and will facilitate the visit. At least that's what they tell on the Pădurea Craiului website. We are not sure that there is actually a legal basis to that claim, but we generally support guided tours for visitors who are not cavers. The fact that the cave is closed during winter on the other hand, is actually a real law. There is an EU bat protection law which prohibits the visit of bat caves during hibernation time. The cave is located in the Natura2000 Site Crișului Gorge-Craiului Forest.

The cave has two entrances, which join in the first chamber of the cave. The cave also has two waterfalls, one is 3 m high, the other 4 m. Quite spectacular are the numerous rimstone pools and the other extraordinary speleothems. The tourist part ends after about 350 m at a sump.

The cave was explored since the 1960 by members of the Speological Institute in Cluj-Napoca and the Clubul de Speologie "Z" (Speleology Club "Z") from Oradea. Originally the part which is today the tourist section to the first sum was discovered. Iosif Viehmann and others cracked this sump and explored the second part. And finally Speleology Club "Z" discovered and explored the part behind the second sump. That's the current state of exploration. Other works determined the hydrological situation and the main flows of underground streams. And in the 1980s an archaeological discovery was made. This is quite special as four vessels of the amphora-carafe type from the culture of Coțofeni (2,000 BC) were discovered in a porch in the left wall, 70 m from the entrance and at a height of 9 m.