Ponicova Cave
About Ponicova Cave
Ponicova Cave, also called the Water Mouth Cave or the Bat Cave, is the largest cave in the Danube Gorge: its passages add up to some 1,660 m and run through the Ciucaru Mare massif, from the valley of the Ponicova stream to the Danube. The land entrance is in the Ponicova Gorge, where the stream has cut a short canyon into the limestone and a natural bridge about 25 m long. The stream then flows through the cave, and because of the lake created by the Iron Gates I dam, part of the lower galleries is under water.
The first research dates from 1872. Its scientific fame came from its fauna, described by R. Jeannel and Emil Racoviță, and from 1962 the cave was studied systematically by specialists from the Institute of Speleology in Bucharest.
What you can see
The Ponicova Gallery, about 400 m long and up to 26 m high, links the entrance of the stream with the mouth at Danube level and is lit naturally through its two large openings. A side branch climbs to the Concretion Gallery, with stalagmites on the floor, and higher up lie the Bat Gallery and the Great Hall, more than 100 m long and 32 m high, with fallen blocks, columns, gours and mounds of guano left by bat colonies. The cave has two levels: the lower one is crossed by water from time to time, the upper one is fossil. Of the three entrances, the one at water level can be seen from a boat, beneath the Ciucaru Mare cliff.
Good to know
The main entrance, the easiest to reach, is in the Ponicova Gorge; a second entrance, higher up, is much harder to get to, and the third, at Danube level, can only be reached by boat. The cave can be visited all year, but May to October is the recommended period: in floods the Ponicova Gallery can be fully or partly flooded. The upper level is explored with a guide used to caving. Veterani Cave, on the same bank, is a separate attraction.
Information verified on 30 October 2026.
- The entrance from the Ponicova Gorge, where the stream has cut a natural bridge about 25 m long in the limestone.
- The Ponicova Gallery, about 400 m long and up to 26 m high, lit naturally through two large openings.
- The Great Hall, more than 100 m long and 32 m high, with fallen blocks, gours and columns.
- The Bat Gallery, with the guano mounds of the bat colonies.
- The mouth at Danube level, seen from the water, beneath the Ciucaru Mare cliff.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: on the DN 57 (the Danube Gorge road), from Orșova through the Small Cauldrons and past Mraconia Monastery, ~26 km (~45 minutes); from Drobeta-Turnu Severin ~56 km (~1 h 15 min). The main entrance is in the Ponicova Gorge, close to the DN 57, where you go down beside the bridge over the stream and follow the valley to the cave. The marked eco-trail with a blue triangle, Ciucaru Mare–Ponicova (~1.6 km, ~2 hours), starts from the DN 57 at the exit from Dubova towards Moldova Nouă, about 2 km from the town hall.
By boat: the Danube trips from Dubova and Eșelnița pass beneath the Ciucaru Mare cliff, by the mouth at water level.
- Rules
The cave lies within Iron Gates Natural Park. The recommended equipment suits a cave with water: rubber boots, overalls, a hard hat and a torch. The upper level is explored with a guide used to caving. Do not disturb the bats, leave no litter and light no fires.
- Facilities
No facilities in the cave · weak mobile signal in the gorge
Frequently asked questions about Ponicova Cave
How long does a visit to Ponicova Cave take?
A visit to Ponicova Cave takes about 2 – 2½ hours (the whole cave, 2–3 hours).
How do I get to Ponicova Cave?
Ponicova Cave is located at Ponicova Gorge, by the DN 57, at the exit from Dubova towards Moldova Nouă; the second entrance, at the Danube, by boat only, Dubova, Mehedinți County. More under “Getting there”
When is the best time to visit Ponicova Cave?
The best season for Ponicova Cave: May – October (the gallery floods in high water).
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