Get exploring the Cross Cave – aka Krizna Jama – and be ready for an unforgettable experience. Touring the cave will take you through some of Slovenia’s most beautiful and intricate underground trails with lakes, stunning stalactites, and event…bears! If you’re looking for some good ol’ fun while backpacking in Slovenia, check out our guide and find out how to plan your visit to the cave.
What is Krizna Jama?
Also known as Cross Cave or Cold Cave under Cross Mountain, Krizna Jama is home to 22 emerald lakes connected by an underground crystal-clear stream. All lakes can be visited by boat for an unforgettable experience in Slovenia.
The Cross Cave is a huge underground complex located in Slovenia’s Lož Valley, about 60km south of Ljubljana, and it’s named after the nearby Holy Cross Church (Cerkev sv.Križa) in Podlož. It is also not far from Slovenia’s most visited caves: Postojnska Jama (Postojna Cave).
The first part of the cave features huge halls, which let some natural light inside. After a few hundred meters the cave becomes darker and darker, and you can only explore it further with hand lamps (which are given at the entrance and included in the price of your ticket).
Krizna Jama has been kept in its original state. Inside, unlike in other touristy caves around Slovenia and Europe, you won’t find any illumination system or concrete stairs. Everything is just as it was ages ago, with only 2 white stripes on the floor delineating the pathway for visitors. For this reason, the caves can only be visited with a guided tour. There are several options available, you can read more about them below.
The water level in the cave depends on the season and on the amount of precipitation. During long periods of heavy rain, the caves (which are quite large) can be filled entirely, before coming back to the “normal level” in a couple of days. However, this is a very rare situation that only occurs every few years. Most of the time, in fact, the water is at an average level kept by the presence of a natural drain. During periods of drought, the lakes can get even lower this level, which is the reason some areas of Krizna Jama can only be visited during wintertime.
The air temperature inside the cave is constant all year long, and it’s around 8°C. Wear some warm clothes, a rain jacket and turn your headlight on… the Cross Cave is waiting for you!
Visiting Slovenia? Don’t miss Pericnik Waterfall, one of Slovenia’s greatest falls
Where is Krizna Jama?
Krizna Jama is located in the Lož Valley, in Southern Slovenia. It’s not far from the Croatian border, and it’s about a 1 hour drive from Slovenia’s capital city Ljubljana. The Cross Cave is also just 30km away from the popular Postojna Cave, one of the largest and most visited complexes in Europe.
The entrance of the cave, as well as the ticket office, are located at the end of a dirt road, hidden in the forest. Keep reading to find out how to get there.
How to get to the Cross Cave?
The nearest town to Krizna Jama is Bloška Polica, a tiny settlement that counts less than a hundred residents. We highly recommend heading to Bloška Polica first and going to the Cross Cave from there. In fact, there is a high chance you’ll drive through some secondary dirt roads if you put the Cross Cave directly on Google Maps. Below you can find directions from Ljubljana, via Bloška Polica.
From Bloška Polica, take road 213 for a few hundred meters until you see huge a sign indicating Krizna Jama and an unpaved road on the right.
The dirt road leading to Krizna Jama is in a good state, meaning you won’t need a heavy-duty vehicle to reach it. The road is also quite wide, so there is enough room for two cars if you cross others on your way, and there is only a 1.2km distance from the sign on the dirt road to the cave.
Types of Tour at Krizna Jama
There are 4 types of tours available at Krizna Jama: tour 1 is available year-round without reservation, tours 2 and 3 are only available from October to March (reservations are mandatory), while tour 4 is possible all year by prior arrangement. More details are below:
1) SHORT VISIT TO THE FIRST LAKE
The most typical tour is the visit with a boat ride on the first lake, which takes about 1h – 1.15h. It is a short visit, but it’s also the only type of visit that is available year-round. The visit begins with a visit to the first cave, where many cave bear bones have been found. After a short stop, the visit continues on foot until you reach the first lake. Here you will board a boat for a 10-minute ride on the lake, which is a magical moment. The cave is very dark since there is no illumination, but the boat is equipped with lights on the bottom which light up the bed of the lake, revealing its true colours.
The size of the group for this type of tour is up to 60 people, but it rarely reaches those numbers. Boats can accommodate up to 20 visitors at a time, so big groups are split before they reach the lake. A visit costs € 10 EUR during the low season and € 12 EUR between July and September.
Visits are available at different times throughout the year. The times in grey refer to Saturdays and Sundays, while the times in yellow are referred to every day.
According to our guide, the central hours are usually the ones that get more visitors while the earliest and the latest visits only get a few people, even during the high season.
Check the table for more details.
2) TRIP TO CALVARY
The trip to Calvary is a 4-hour excursion that extends much deeper into the Cross Cave. From the first lake, the visit continues by boat following a water stream in the cave. Please note that this visit – as well as the visit to Kristalna Gora – is only possible when there is enough water in the cave, which usually coincides with the winter season (Oct-March).
The tour ends at Calvary, where you will find a hall full of stalactites and stalagmites. In order to preserve the cave, only 4 people a day and 1000 visitors every year are allowed to visit Calvary, and reservation is mandatory. The tour costs anywhere from €40-80 EUR, depending on the number of people and on the time of the year.
3) VISIT KRISTALNA GORA (CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN)
Kristalna Gora is an even more exclusive and extensive tour at Krizna Jama. This particular trek is a continuation of the 3.5-4h tour to Calvary. It’s quite particular because at one point when you reach the 14th lake, the ceiling of the cave is low that passengers on the boat need to lie down in order to pass through this area. After you cross this lake, you arrive at the Cross mountain (Križna gora) passage, where you continue on foot before getting back on the boat to continue the tour to the 15th lake.
What makes this tour quite beautiful is the exceptional Matjaž tunnel that is full of stalactites that you get to see on your way. Once you pass the 20th lake you reach the most spectacular part of the tour which is Crystal Mountain – filled with rich stalactites. From the water to the ceiling of the cave is about 75 metres, and at this point during the tour, you get to stop for a few minutes to take in the view, drink water or eat some snacks you brought.
The tour takes up to 7 hours, and only 100 people per year make it to Crystal Mountain. Just like Calvary, tours are possible only between October and March, and by prior arrangement. The price for this visit is €280 EUR per group (maximum of 4 people).
4) SHORT VISIT + BEAR TUNNEL
This is an alternative tour that can also be organized only by prior arrangement, every time of the year. It combines the visit to the first lake with a short trek to the bear tunnel located nearby. In total, the tour takes about 2 hours. The tour costs €15 EUR per person during the low season and €18 EUR from July to September.
IN-DEPTH GUIDE
Our experience at Krizna Jama
As soon as you get to the Cross Cave, you’ll be welcomed by a guide who stands at a hut just outside of Krizna Jama. Here you can buy your ticket to visit the cave, get the equipment that comes with the entrance fee, and also get some refreshments. Prices are totally affordable, with water priced at €1 EUR, soft drinks at €1.50, and beer at €1.50-2.
We visited Slovenia during summertime, so the only option without reservations was the visit to the first lake. A ticket for adults costs €12 EUR from July to September, and €10 EUR in the other months. You can check the full price list here.
At the mountain hut, you can also find toilets, a picnic area, and a souvenir shop.
After wearing the rainboots provided by the guides, we made our way to Krizna Jama. We visited the caves during high season,
The entrance of the Cross Cave is located next to the mountain hut, and it’s secured by a gate that is locked outside of visiting hours. The entrance is wide and it’s easy to get in. The staircase located just after the gate is the only concrete structure present inside the cave.
🐻 CAVE BEARS AT KRIZNA JAMA: One of the most interesting reasons to visit Krizna Jama is to learn more about the Cave Bear. Cave Bear is a type of bear that is now extinct, much larger than the current brown bear that roams Slovenian forests. Sadly – and unlike other types of bear – Cave Bear was exclusively vegetarian and got extinct during an ice age, due to lack of food. Many bones and traces of cave bears were found at Krizna Jama, since the main hall was a perfect spot for them to hibernate. Inside the cave are exposed a skull of a cave bear and a skull of a brown bear for comparison, which give you a great idea of how big it actually was (it was even larger than a polar bear!).
Inside Krizna Jama, the path is marked with white tapes and visitors must stay within the lines. While it may feel quite limiting at first, this choice was actually very clever and respectful towards the preservation of the cave. No concrete was used in order to create the path, there are no fences on the sides and there is no electricity inside. The cave still preserves its original appearance, and the limited number of visitors also helps towards maintaining its charm.
Walking in the cave seems more slippery than it actually is. In fact, the boots you’ll be provided with at the entrance offer good grip and are skid resistant. Along the way, you will be able to see a few stalactites and stalagmites, as well as some rocks of peculiar shape.
The walk continues among more rock formations and along what used to be a river bed until reaching a rocky staircase leading to the first lake. There is a wooden handrail to help you descend the stairs, and 2 inflatable boats on the lake which you can use to navigate it.
In the pictures below you can clearly see the white line on the sides of the lake. That’s the average level of the lake, which is usually kept constant year-round due to the presence of a natural drain. We visited the caves in August 2022 and the dry summer made the level of the lake decrease quite significantly.
The water of the lake inside the cave is crystal clear and you can fully appreciate it thanks to the lights on the bottom of the boat. The boat ride is not particularly long in this type of tour, and it lasts about 10-15 minutes, but how cool is it to be on a boat in an underground lake? It was such a unique experience!
After the boat ride, we made our way back to the surface, backtracking the same path. The hike in general was quite fast-paced but not difficult nor demanding.
Plan your visit to the Cross Cave
What to bring
Bring some cash with you to Krizna Jama. Tickets can only be purchased by cash and if you come unprepared you’ll have to go back to the nearest town to withdraw some money. The closest ATMs are located in Nova Vas (6km), Lož (7km), and Cerknica (12km).
You also want to bring some warm clothes with you. Make sure to pack warm socks, a good sweater, and a rain jacket. Long trousers are not mandatory but are recommended if you don’t like the cold.
If you plan on doing the longer versions of Krizma Jana, make sure to bring water and something to eat with you since these trips last up to 5-7 hours.
Best time to visit Krizna Jama
The best time to visit Krizna Jama is during winter, from October to March. This is when all types of tours are available and you will be able to choose the type of experience that suits you the most.
However, the winter months are also the ones that correspond to the low season in Slovenia (with the exception of Christmas time), and therefore are the ones with fewer times scheduled for the short tour to the first lake.
In any case, Krizna Jama is an amazing place to visit year-round.
Photography tips
Taking photos in the cave is tough! The cave is pitch black the entire way, and the only light available is one of the handlamps for visitors. When the group is big, you get a decent amount of headlights so parts of caves are decently lit. If you are a small group, taking photos hand-handled will be even tougher.
Book your visit
Visitors who are interested in doing the short visit to the first lake do not need to book a visit in advance. All you need to do is show up and buy tickets at the entrance.
Visits to Calvary (1000 visitors/year) must be booked in advance and can be booked at this link. Visits to Kristalna Gora (100 people/year) must also be booked in advance and you can do so at this link.
❗ Please note: Kristalna Gora (Crystal Mountain) is already fully booked for the entire period of October 2022 – March 2023! You can either sign up on the waiting list for 2022-2023 or make a reservation for the period between October 2023 – March 2024.
Can you swim in the lakes?
No, swimming in the lakes of Krizna Jama is not allowed. So just enjoy the view!
This was the most incredible cave we have visited. Tell us if you’ve visited this cave and what your experience was like or if you visited another cave that really wowed you!
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