Barać Caves

Karst areas are often said to be inhospitable due to lack of water. This may be true if we only look at the surface, but when we go underground we will see that the water has created real works of art there. Upper Barać Cave, one of the four Barać Caves and the only one open for tourist visits, is located in the south of Karlovac County, within the Significant Landscape of Barać Cave. Rich archaeological and paleontological findings such as a bracelet from the 7th century BC. and the remains of the cave bear and lion, along with interesting facts about the origin of the caves, will be presented by expert guides passing first through the forest that leads to the cave, and then in the cave full of decorations; stalactite, stalagmite and stalagnate. In addition, the probability of meeting a bat hanging from the ceiling is very high!

The tour of the Upper Barać Cave is organized with the help of a professional guide, included in the price of the ticket, lasting from 45 minutes to one hour. The constant temperature in the cave is 9 °C, visitors are recommended to wear suitable clothes and shoes. No advance notice is required for individual visitors, families and groups of less than 15 people. The picnic area offers free parking, a children's playground, a badminton court, a soccer field, hiking trails and a souvenir shop. The caves are open for visits every day, including public holidays, according to the opening hours that you can find on their website. The last tour of the day is organized half an hour before the end of working hours.

For nature lovers, there are also 3 hiking trails named after the large animals that live within the significant landscape of Barać Cave - Vučja (1.2 km), Risja (3.1 km) and Medvjeđa (7.5 km). Walking along well-maintained paths through the forest, depending on the chosen path, visitors have the opportunity to see sinkholes, scarp, oysters, springs, sinkholes, streams and pits and thus complete the story of karst, that is, the power that water has in limestone rocks.

There are two theories about the origin of the name Barać caves; according to one, they were named after the local Barac who defeated a Turkish mountaineer in front of the caves, and according to the other, Hungarian soldiers during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy called them friendly caves (barát - friend).