# Cioclovina Cave

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Hunedoara County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/hunedoara) › [Cioclovina](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/cioclovina)

> A karst reserve in the Șureanu Mountains: a 6.7 km underground traverse along the Ponorici stream and the fossil cave where the roughly 33,000-year-old “Cioclovina 1” skull was found; access for authorised cavers only.

**At a glance:** Caves in Cioclovina, Hunedoara County. The visit takes ½ – 1 hours. Information verified on 31 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** The caves are not equipped for tourism and have no visiting hours; from 1 December to 31 March access is forbidden because of hibernating bats.
- **Visit duration:** ½ – 1 hours — at the entrances and waterfall
- **With kids:** No — caves closed to visitors
- **Parking:** Yes, free — at the end of the forest road
- **Best season:** July – October — in dry weather
- **Address:** At the end of the DC57C local road, about 1.3 km south of the village of Cioclovina, Cioclovina, Hunedoara County
- **Coordinates:** 45.57527, 23.13602
- **Phone:** +40 254 211 569
- **Website:** https://www.gradiste.ro
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complexul_carstic_Ponor%C3%A2ci-Cioclovina
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18539154
- **Categories:** [Caves](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/caves), [National parks and reserves](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/national-parks-and-reserves), [Monuments and historic sites](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monuments-and-historic-sites)

## About Cioclovina Cave

The Ponorici–Cioclovina karst complex lies in the Șureanu Mountains, south of the village of Cioclovina in Boșorod commune, and is a nature reserve within the Grădiștea Muncelului–Cioclovina Natural Park. The Ponorici stream sinks underground in the Ponorici meadows and comes back to daylight at Cioclovina, after a few kilometres through the mountain. The complex has two very different caves: Wet Cioclovina (Cioclovina cu Apă), crossed by the stream, and Dry Cioclovina (Cioclovina Uscată), a fossil cave.

Dry Cioclovina held a deposit of bat-guano phosphates estimated at over 50,000 m³, mined as fertiliser from 1912; about 30,000 m³ were removed in the first half of the 20th century. It was also here that ardealite, a mineral new to science, was described in 1931. In 1941 the miners found a human skull cap, along with stone tools and cave bear bones: the “Cioclovina 1” skull, described in 1942 by Francisc Rainer and Ion Th. Simionescu, is about 33,000 years old and among the oldest modern human remains in Romania.

### What can be seen

Ponorici and Wet Cioclovina form an underground traverse of 6,713 m with a vertical range of 167 m: shafts of 23, 14 and 12 m, steps, overhangs and sumps, with a fixed metal ladder at the exit towards the Great Hall. Besides its natural entrance, Dry Cioclovina has an artificial one, opened for phosphate mining. Without a permit, a visit stays outside: the wooded valley, the entrances in the limestone and the waterfall next to them.

### Good to know

The caves are not equipped and cannot be visited as a tourist; in the whole park, only Bolii Cave can be walked through without caving gear. Dry Cioclovina is a scientific reserve, in the park's strict protection zone, except for the section between the artificial and the natural entrance. Exploring it requires the approval of the park administration and a permit from the Speleological Heritage Commission, and from 1 December to 31 March, during bat hibernation, access is forbidden. In Wet Cioclovina the risk of flash floods is very high, especially in the rainy months of May and June.

## Don't miss

- The Ponorici stream emerging at Wet Cioclovina after its underground journey through the mountain.
- The artificial entrance of Dry Cioclovina, opened for 20th-century phosphate mining.
- The find spot of the “Cioclovina 1” skull, about 33,000 years old, among the oldest modern human remains in Romania.
- The Cioclovina Waterfall, in the valley about 200 m from the entrance.
- The red-triangle trail to the Piatra Roșie Dacian Fortress and Grădiștea de Munte, the village below Sarmizegetusa Regia.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from Călan, on the DJ668A via Boșorod to Luncani (~19 km), then on the DC57C local road for ~4.5 km and another ~1 km to the end of the forest road, where the Salvamont–Salvaspeo container stands; the last ~3 km are unpaved. From Călan it is ~25 km (~45 minutes), from Deva ~49 km (~1 h 15 min), on the DN7 and DN66 to Călan, from Hațeg ~40 km (~1 h) and from Orăștie ~42 km (~1 h), on the DJ705A and DJ705J. Towards the caves, follow the reserve boundary waymark, a red square with a white border. The Piatra Roșie Dacian Fortress is ~6 km away (~20 minutes), on the local roads near Luncani.

**On foot:** the red-triangle trail Grădiștea de Munte – Piatra Roșie Fortress – Cioclovina (~15 km) and the red-stripe trail Ohaba-Ponor – Ponorici – Valea Morii – Luncani – Boșorod (~25 km) both pass by the complex.

**Public transport:** the nearest railway station is Călan, on the Simeria–Petroșani line; from there, continue by car or taxi.

### Where to park

At the end of the forest road, by the Salvamont–Salvaspeo container, there is room for at least 15 cars.

### Fees & discounts

The caves have no entry ticket. Visiting the Grădiștea Muncelului–Cioclovina Natural Park costs 5 lei per person per day; it is paid to park staff on site, by SMS to 7473 (PNGMC1 = one person for one day, €1) or online. Local residents, among others, are exempt.

### Rules

Entering the caves is forbidden outside the legal provisions and the park regulations. Caving requires the approval of the Grădiștea Muncelului–Cioclovina Natural Park Administration, requested in writing at least 10 days in advance, and a permit from the Speleological Heritage Commission; all caving is at the participants' own risk. From 1 December to 31 March and, where applicable, from 1 June to 31 July, caves with bat colonies are closed. Collecting fossils, minerals or speleothems is forbidden. In the park, visitors may move only on roads open to the public and on marked trails. In an emergency, call 112.

### Facilities

No facilities in the caves · Salvamont–Salvaspeo container at the end of the forest road · mobile phone signal

## Details

- **Protected area type:** nature reserve
- **Part of:** Grădiștea Muncelului–Cioclovina Natural Park
- **Total length:** 6,713 m
- **Developed and lit:** No
- **Historical period:** Upper Palaeolithic
- **Year discovered:** 1941

## Frequently asked questions about Cioclovina Cave

**How long does a visit to Cioclovina Cave take?**

A visit to Cioclovina Cave takes about ½ – 1 hours (at the entrances and waterfall).

**Can you visit Cioclovina Cave with kids?**

No, Cioclovina Cave is not recommended for visits with children (caves closed to visitors).

**Where can I park at Cioclovina Cave?**

There is free parking at Cioclovina Cave (at the end of the forest road). More under “Where to park”.

**How do I get to Cioclovina Cave?**

Cioclovina Cave is located at At the end of the DC57C local road, about 1.3 km south of the village of Cioclovina, Cioclovina, Hunedoara County. More under “Getting there”.

**When is the best time to visit Cioclovina Cave?**

The best season for Cioclovina Cave: July – October (in dry weather).

## Nearby attractions

- [Piatra Roșie Dacian Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/piatra-rosie-dacian-fortress) — Fortresses and fortifications · Luncani, HD · 1½ – 2 hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 4 km
  A Dacian fortress on top of a rocky hill above Luncani, with an ancient paved road of stone steps and tower ruins hidden in the forest; a UNESCO site, far from the crowds.
- [Costești-Blidaru Dacian Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/costesti-blidaru-dacian-fortress) — Fortresses and fortifications · Costești, HD · 5 lei · 2 – 2½ hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 14 km
  One of the strongest Dacian fortresses in the Orăștie Mountains: murus dacicus walls, six towers and a dog-leg entrance, on a wooded hill above Costești, a UNESCO site.
- [Costești-Cetățuie Dacian Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/costesti-cetatuie-dacian-fortress) — Fortresses and fortifications · Costești, HD · 10 lei · 1 – 1½ hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 15 km
  A Dacian fortress on Cetățuia hill, at the gateway to the Orăștie Mountains: earth ramparts, a stone wall built in the Hellenistic manner, tower houses and temples, a UNESCO site.
- [Sarmizegetusa Regia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/sarmizegetusa-regia) — Fortresses and fortifications · Grădiștea de Munte, HD · 30 lei · 2 – 2½ hours · UNESCO World Heritage · Top 20 · 19 km
  The capital of the Dacian kingdom, hidden in the beech forests of the Orăștie Mountains: the walls of Decebalus's fortress, the paved road and the sacred area with andesite and limestone sanctuaries, a UNESCO site.
- [Hațeg Bison Reserve](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/hateg-bison-reserve) — Zoos and aquariums · Hațeg, HD · 45 min · 19 km
  Romania's oldest European bison reserve, in the Slivuț forest near Hațeg: the first bison brought from Poland arrived here in 1958, and the herd can be watched from the fence of the enclosure.
- [Hațeg Country UNESCO Global Geopark](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/hateg-country-unesco-global-geopark) — National parks and reserves · Hațeg, HD · 7½ – 8 hours · 20 km
  The land of dwarf dinosaurs around Hațeg, Romania's first geopark: small museums with reconstructions and fossils, themed trails through villages, palaeontological sites and traces of 70-million-year-old volcanoes.

## Featured in the guides

- [Famous caves in Romania you cannot visit: Movile, Topolnița, Vântului, Coliboaia, Peștera cu Oase (and what to see instead)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/caves-you-cannot-visit-in-romania) — Movile, Coliboaia, Cu Oase, Cloșani and Piatra Altarului are closed; Topolnița and Tăușoare need a permit; Wind Cave is open with a caving guide.

---

Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cioclovina-cave
Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/pestera-cioclovina.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/hoehle-cioclovina.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/grotta-cioclovina.md · Français: https://peplaiuri.ro/fr/grotte-de-cioclovina.md · Español: https://peplaiuri.ro/es/cueva-de-cioclovina.md · Magyar: https://peplaiuri.ro/hu/csoklovinai-barlang.md
Last updated: 31 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania