About Comarnic Cave
Comarnic Cave lies in the Caraș valley, in the Anina Mountains, roughly halfway between Reșița and Anina, inside the Semenic – Caraș Gorge National Park. It was carved by the Ponicova stream, which enters the mountain through an opening at 473 m, passes beneath Navesul Mare hill and comes out on the other side at 443 m, a few hundred metres from the Comarnic forestry lodge. With 6,201 m of surveyed passages, it is the second longest cave in the Banat, after Buhui Cave.
The passages are arranged on three levels: one where water flows all the time, one flooded only when the stream is in spate, and a dry, fossil level, the only one open to the public. The cave has been a speleological reserve since 1947 and has never been fitted with electric lighting: visits are in groups only, with a park ranger, by the light of head torches, which keeps its wild feel.
What you can see
The tourist route follows the fossil level for 1,750 m, with only basic fittings. It passes through the Small Boulder Hall and the Great Boulder Hall, strewn with large rocks fallen from the roof, then the Museum, the Great Organ, the Chinese Walls and the Treasury, as far as the Dome Hall. Along the way you see wide passages with sand banks, columns, draperies and massive stalagmites, calcite floors and large rimstone pools, some of them full of water. The cave is home to more than 120 species of invertebrates and to bat colonies, which you can sometimes see hanging from the roof.
Good to know
It can only be visited from April to October; in winter it is closed so as not to disturb the hibernating bats. At weekends entry is in groups of at least 5 people, and on weekdays only by phone booking made at least 24 hours ahead. The tour lasts about two hours, it is around 10 °C and very damp inside, and in places the floor is slippery and the roof low.
- The Great Boulder Hall, a wide chamber strewn with rocks fallen from the roof.
- The Museum, the Great Organ and the Chinese Walls, the named groups of formations along the tourist route.
- The sand and gravel banks in the wide passages of the fossil level, left by the stream's old course.
- The rimstone pools, large calcite basins, some of them filled with clear water.
- The tour in complete darkness, lit only by your head torch, with a park ranger.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: from Reșița take the DN58 towards Anina; at kilometre 9 turn left towards Iabalcea, cross the village and carry on along the road that drops towards the Caraș valley, as far as the Padina Seacă forestry lodge. From there it is about 45 minutes on foot to the cave; the road can also be driven. In all it is ~23 km from Reșița (~40 minutes), ~32 km from Anina and ~117 km from Timișoara (~2h20).
Public transport: the nearest railway station is in Reșița. We found no confirmed scheduled services to Iabalcea or to the cave, so the last stretch is by car, taxi or on foot, along the park's waymarked trails.
- Where to park
The park administration does not list an official car park. You leave the car at the Padina Seacă forestry lodge, about 45 minutes' walk away, or closer to the cave if the road allows. Ask the ranger when you book where best to leave the car.
- Fees & discounts
Official prices: 35 lei for adults and 20 lei for pupils and students. The minimum group is 5 people; if there are fewer of you, you pay for five tickets. A safety helmet and head torch are provided by the park administration. The park also has a visitor fee, which can be paid by text message to 7473 with the word SEMENIC; it is not clear whether it is charged on top of the cave ticket, so ask when you book.
- Rules
The cave can only be visited with the park's rangers, the administration's licensed guides. The route has only basic fittings: take care not to slip or hit your head on the roof or walls. You need mountain boots with good grip and warm clothes, for about 10 °C and high humidity. Do not touch or break the formations and do not disturb the bats; the cave is a speleological reserve.
- Facilities
Safety helmet and head torch provided by the park administration · we found no information on toilets, a shop or a café at the cave · accommodation in Reșița, Carașova and around Semenic · the route has boulders and slippery stretches and is not pushchair- or wheelchair-accessible
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