Bigonda Cave
The largest cave in Trentino, spectacular and still to be fully explored
It is the largest cave in Trentino and one of the biggest in Italy, with its over 27 km of tunnels, still to be fully explored, with a gradient ranging between + 35 and -100 m. It was discovered in 1952 by a group of young people from nearby Selva di Grigno and its numerous horizontal tunnels - set on three levels and connected by vertical shafts - are still being explored after over 40 years.
The cave, which collects the surface waters from the Asiago Plateau, is still active and features about 50 internal lakes and siphons, i.e. tunnels sections which get totally flooded when snow melts away in the spring. To avoid recurring to underwater equipment and to guarantee safe conditions for speleologists, the siphons are emptied in succession via special pumps. The erosion caused by the flowing water has shaped the rock into odd forms, creating a true natural marvel. The route inside the cave is easy, except for a 10 m gradient, which can be negotiated using a special potholing ladder or an easy "opposition holding" climb. The tour takes about 5 hours.
The cave can only be visited by expert speleogists accompanied by the Gruppo Grotte di Selva.
For the whole of 2021 this cave is part of a campaign to monitor bats. To ensure the success of this campaign, please, for this year, do not visit the cave.
