Visiting a place like no other is a treasured experience one must be grateful for. I have a growing collection of such experiences, but today I want to share a little bit about the most recent one- Eisriesenwelt.
Translated from German, Eisriesenwelt means "The World of the Frozen Giants"- the same ones as in the Nordic mythology (remember Loki and his race?!). It is the biggest ice cave in the world and it is a pleasant 1-hour drive south of Salzburg. If you are staying in the area, it is definitely worth a visit and you can conveniently include the castle Hohenwerfen and the gorge Lichtenstein in your itinerary, as they are quite close to one another. By the way, with the ticket to the Lichtenstein gorge (Lichtenstein Klam) you get 18% for your entrance to Hohenwerfen, so plan accordingly.
Before Your Visit
Great places are hard to reach and the cave stays true to the motto. You need to buy your tickets in advance online if you want to make sure that you can enter. Online tickets also come 3€ cheaper compared to those sold on the spot. Eisriesenwelt is open every year from 1st May till 26th October with varying opening hours depending on the season, so check the official website before you plan a visit.
Exploring the cave only happens in groups of up to 100 people with a guide, therefore you must choose a timeslot for your entry when booking online. The tours start every half hour. I strongly recommend going earlier in the morning as the groups are generally smaller, which makes the tour more enjoyable. We booked a slot for 11:30, as we were staying in Salzburg and were not sure if we could arrive at an earlier time. However, we arrived there at 10:15 and checked in at the front desk at 10:20h, so we actually joined the tour at 11h. Our group was of around 20 people- it worked out perfectly. If you come too early or too late for your booked timeslot, you won't be denied entry. However, you will be assigned to a group, which doesn't reach the maximum capacity of 100 people. Earlier in the day this is easy as many people don't make it there before noon, but if you arrive late, you might have to wait for a long time before they let you in.
After you park your car and check in at the front desk, you have about 15-20 min of hiking uphill. You go through a tunnel in the mountain or if you prefer, you can hit the panoramic route, but this would take longer and I would rather advise you to skip it unless you want to dedicate one whole day just for the cave. Halfway through you must catch a cable car, which runs once in every 10 min. The ride lasts for 3 min. Or if you prefer to walk the distance- roughly 90 min up a very steep hill. You don't pay an extra fee for it, it is included in your entry ticket for the cave, but keep the ticket ready as you will have to scan it.
The cable car stops right in front of a guest house, which is a great location for a quick break and a hearty lunch on your way back. There are also free restrooms available at the check-in point and the guest house, so don't restrict your water intake. From this point on, there are another 15-20 min of hiking uphill till you reach the entrance of the cave.
You will be rewarded with truly breathtaking experience (pun intended). The views from that last part of the track are absolutely scenic, I can't even put it in words, so just see it for yourself below. That was easily the most beautiful natural scene I have seen.
Get Properly Equipped
You probably already figured it out, but you will need proper stable shoes for both getting to the cave and navigating inside it. Trekking shoes would work best, but if you don't have any, at least bring something comfortable and preferably with a grapple sole.
You will spend around 1h inside the cave with a regular temperature of 0°C, so pack warm clothes accordingly. If you are not a fan of the cold, maybe even put on a hat and some mittens too. And as it is with every hike, don't forget to bring a bottle of water and some sunscreen.
Don't be discouraged, it is not like climbing mount Everest- you'll meet lots of families with little children on the way up- if they can do it, so can you. Just dress properly to make the most out of your experience.
Inside the Cave
The tour lasts for approximately 1h and be prepared to deal with 1400 stairs: 700 on your way up and another 700 on your way down. The cave is 42 km long, but the tour covers only 1km of it, which is also the most beautiful part as this is where all the ice formations are. The Eisriesenwelt is not electrified, so every 4th person in your group gets an old school lamp with a candle to lighten your way. The tour guide will also illuminate the ice sculptures with matches and magnesium strips, so you can clearly see them. Needless to say this contributed to the unique atmosphere. I felt like we were the first explorers to enter the cave and this made it all the more adventurous and exciting. Frankly, how many times have you been inside a cave like this- with huge natural ice formations, undisturbed by the human presence and candlelit just enough so you can comprehend their magnificent glory?!
And here's to the perks of the small group: generally taking photos in the cave is not permitted for safety reasons. However, because we were only 20 people and thus moving relatively fast, we were allowed to take pictures while the group was gathered and standing at one place (not while moving around though). Another cool thing was, we were given the chance to experience complete darkness. In the deepest hall of the cave open to the public, we all blew our candles and for a few moments we stood there blinded by the absolute darkness. It was also very quiet - to the point that the only thing you could hear was the breathing of those beside you. That was a truly incomparable experience deep down in the ground, approximately 400 m below the mountain peak.
The caretakers of Eisriesenwelt have done an admirable job of preserving the cave and keeping it almost completely untainted by human intervention, while at the same time opening it to the public in a safe and enjoyable way.
Eisriesenwelt Through the Years
The cave was discovered in 1879 by Anton Posselt- a natural scientist from Salzburg. When he first entered the Eisriesenwelt, he was hindered by a 20m high ice wall and only managed to explore the first big hall, as he lacked the equipment and preparations needed to go any further. With his later visits he managed to explore about 200h meters of the cave.
The exploration was later continued by a young speleologist from Salzburg by the name of Alexander von Mörk. He organized several expeditions of the cave and was so dedicated to exploring it that it was turned into his final resting place. Von Mörk died in World War I at the age of 27, but the urn with his ashes is placed inside the cave.
The first tours of the "World of Frozen Giants" happened in the '20s. Nothing has changed much since then in the way the tours take place (same old route and candlelight), but the first staircases that were built for visitors froze and later new ramps and stairs were built.
Ice Formations
The cave is famous for the gigantic ice formations inside, perfectly architectured by nature as a combination of the constant low temperature, the melted snow that flows through the cave every spring and the strong winds that flow through it every winter. You will experience the wind for a quick moment upon entry when your guide will open the entry gate and you will be rushed in by a severe gust, which will blow out the candle in your lamp. But this is nothing compared to the winter winds, which regularly reach a speed of 100 km/h. The wind itself is caused by the significant temperature difference inside and outside the cave. Naturally, to preserve the ice sculptures, the cave keepers close the gates in the warm months when visits are organized, while in the colder months it remains open.
The ice formations are really impressive purely based on their scale, but also very beautiful. The star of the show is undoubtedly the Castle of Hymir. Hymir is a jötunn- a frozen giant from the Nordic mythology. This is also where the name of the cave comes from.
Austria is famous for its ski resorts, stunning gothic architecture, indulgent coffee culture and outstanding contribution to the classical music scene. But besides this there is so much more to explore. If you step off the beaten path- there are such hidden gems like Eisriesenwelt, which are little known to foreigners, but absolutely worth your time. Within such a small country there is an enormous concentration of beautiful places and I would be happy to explore them together with you in the forthcoming blog posts.
Comments