Have you ever heard the story of Orpheus and Euridice? That same Orpheus that crossed the river Styx and walked down to the darkest depths of Tartarus only to retrieve his beloved Euridice from the death. Well, it is said that the place from which he entered the underworld is a cave, located in the small country of Bulgaria. The cave goes by the name of Devil’s Throat and let me tell you- beyond the myths and legends, it is surrounded by a real-life dark mystery, making it deserving of its name.
A Place Where Everything Disappears
Although the cave is not going to “wow” you with breath-taking rock formations, it might make your jaw drop for different reasons. There is a massive 42-meter-high waterfall flowing through the cave. In fact, it is the highest in-cave waterfall on the Balkans. Soon after entering the cavern, the river disappears underground only to emerge again on the other exit of the cave, merely 250 meters away. And here comes the mystery- everything that falls down that waterfall and disappears underground, goes for good, never to emerge again on the other exit.
Throughout the years since its discovery, the cave has been explored by not just one expedition of spelunkers or divers, without much success. Many attempts were made to track pieces of wood, easily recognizable objects and in more modern times- GPS devices and cameras, which all disappear without a trace.
Getting there
The cave is situated 1,5km north of the village of Trigrad. In order to get there, you must go through the scenic Trigrad gorge, which on its own is trip- worthy enough. The easiest way to do so is by car. The road is very narrow even for cars, so you won’t see many buses running up and down this route. There is an open-air parking lot conveniently situated right in front of the entrance. Entrance fees can be paid in cash only. You wouldn’t need special equipment or shoes, as there are stairs and security ramps installed for the visitors. However, if you come there in the summertime, change the sandals and flip-flops for sports shoes, as it can get very slippery in the cave. Don’t forget to bring a jacket- the permanent temperature in the cave is 8°C.
History
The cave is approximately 175 000 years old. This might seem like a lot, but it is actually a fairly young cave. In human years this would equal a 7-year-old kid. It was first discovered in 1961 by a group of alpinists, who entered its main hall. Due to lack of equipment, however, they could not dive down the stream to explore the gallery, in which the river disappears.
6 years later, in 1967 the level of the Trigrad river- the same one that flows through the cave, rapidly increases due to heavy rains. As a result, the river dragged down towards the Devil’s Throat everything that stood on its way- fallen trees, rocks, plants. Nothing came out on the other exit of the cave but water. This peculiarity of the cave does not stay unnoticed and further explorations are soon organized.
An Attempt Ending in tragedy
In 1970 two young scuba divers volunteer in debunking the mystery by going up the stream in the underground gallery. Unfortunately, their equipment was not completely intact. Presumably they tried to signal that to the team waiting for them outside the cave by pulling the safety rope. However, this cry for help was either misunderstood or completely unnoticed and no reaction followed. About an hour later, their lifeless bodies were dragged out of the water with the help of the rope.
Is There Only One River?
In the years to follow, the experiments and studies do not cease. A new theory, proposed by a team of Greek scientists, is put to the test. It was suggested by them that there are actually two rivers. Supposedly the Trigrad river, which spectacularly enters the Devil’s Throat with a 42m-high roaring cascade emerges again kilometers away in another cave located in Greece. It makes sense, right?! If nothing comes out on the other side of the cave, then we are probably not looking at the same river that enters it- a viable hypothesis, which requires careful consideration.
As a response a group of Bulgarian speleologists perform the following experiment: they dye the water of the Trigrad river. Considering that the river only goes into the cave for approximately 250m and taking into account the speed of the stream, it is calculated that the colored waters must emerge on the other side in 5-8min. And if they disappear again without any trace, then this would be considered a proof that there is more than one river that flows through the Devil’s Throat. To everyone’s surprise the colored waters reappear again, but not quite on time. From the moment when the scientists poured the dye into the stream until they are spotted again on the other side of the cave, more than 2 hours have passed. It was later calculated that for that time the water could travel 25km. Up to this date it is still impossible to determine the route of the Trigrad river once it disappears beneath our feet for a mere 250m, as we see it from above the ground. And still, the only thing that ever comes out again- is water.
Just thinking of the underground tunnels and galleries gives me shivers. And it reminds me once again how much we still don’t know about our planet and all those things hidden from our sight deep within the ground. So, if you ever pay the cave a visit, make sure not to drop something valuable in the thunderous streams of the river. You will never see it again- it is guaranteed!
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