The Cave of Dead Bats is the only accessible high-altitude cave in Slovakia, sitting at 1,520 m above sea level on the southern slopes of Ďumbier in the Low Tatras. With 14 floors, nearly 20 kilometres of passages, and the largest bat burial ground in the country, it is a truly one-of-a-kind underground experience.

Stepping inside feels like entering another world entirely. The cave's grandest space — Bystrický dóm on the 7th floor — has a volume of over 52,000 m³ and leaves visitors speechless. Throughout the cave, bat skeletons are scattered almost everywhere, some estimated to be 6,000 years old. The approach above ground is equally rewarding: the high ridgeline of the Low Tatras offers sweeping mountain views, lush meadows in summer and a dramatic snowy landscape in winter.

How to get there

• Trangoška (1,100 m, accessible by bus or car from Brezno or Podbrezová) — marked hiking trail to M. R. Štefánik Mountain Hut (1,740 m), then approx. 800 m west to the cave entrance — moderate difficulty

Practical information

• Entry must be booked in advance by phone with the cave administrator.
• The cave is open to the public but guided visits are required — walk-ins are not possible.
• Declared a National Natural Monument in 2001, subject to the highest level of nature protection in Slovakia.

Keep an eye on the cave walls for volcanic Cretaceous-age rocks embedded with white-pink agates — a geological rarity that makes this underground world even more remarkable.