Middle Italy - Toscana.There are the Alpi Apuane.Not only that the area is simply beautiful, but it is here also some the deepest and lägsten caves of Italy.
The Ardeche and the adjacent departement Gard in Southern France are surely an almost inexhaustible area for caving! Everyone has surely heard names such as Grottes de St.
Beside the Fränkische Schweiz, the Schwäbische Alb (Swabian lime plateau) is the second huge non-alpine karst area in Germany.Most of the caves are relatively small.
The Fränkische Schweiz is the largest karst area in Bavaria beside the alps.Most of the caves are developed in dolomite - and therfore small and often narrow.But: one cane find some nice caves with beautiful formations.
Exactly in the middle in the north of the Iberian Peninsula is the autonomous Spanish region of Cantabria (Cantabria).It is not really a tourist stronghold and also not at all south Mediterranean in terms of climate - but: Atlantic.
The Classical Karst, that is: the region giving its name to that geologically form! Of course, Slovenia and the Triest region is a must for every serious caver.Like so many did before, we made the trip over the alps in the Land of caves.
Les Grandes Causses - Lozere, Aveyron (Frankreich)
The "Grandes Causses": enormous lime plateaus in the central South of France - northwesterly of the Cevennes.The land is quiet - nearly dehumanized, thinly settled and beautiful.The plateaus are cut in parts by deep rivers like the "Tarn".
The south of France or Midi is considered as being the biggest wineyard on the world.As this fact counts not enough for a visit - this area is like a sponge.Numerous caves can be found under the huge lime plateaus and small hills.
The eastern part of the northern limestone alps consists of the parts between Salzburg and Vienna.Most of the largest high alpine karst-plateaus in europe are located in this area.The largest ones are the Tote Gebirge (dead mountains), the Dachstein and the Tennengebirge.
Most of the caves to be found in the eastern alps are located in the Nördliche Kalkalpen (northern lime-alps) in Bavaria, Salzburg and Upper Austria.The western part containes the areas westwards from Salzburg.
Sardinia! A dream of an island within the mediterranean sea.More a small continent rather than an island.The "standard"tourist considers more about spectacular beaches at the Costa Smeralda in the northern part of Sardinia.
Switzerland.An island with many mountains.In the middle of Europe and yet somehow the only foreign country that still exists in Europe (maybe beside UK).
The karst of Trieste is actually a part of the "classical Karst", which actually consits Italian part and the larger part in Slovenia.Like so often in history, the state-boerders are not reflecting the natural or geographical situation.
The Vercors region is located in the south-west of Grenoble and should be visited by each speleologue once in the livetime! History was written here with the first -1000 cave (Gouffre Berger) in the world.
Thailand: Most tourists probably think of tropical paradise islands, food or Bangkok.But not caves.And yet, large parts of Thailand are tropical karst.Cone karst.Similar to Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia or Southern China.
