Jáspis Cave is one of Hungary's most strictly protected caves, hidden on the Great Plateau of the Bükk Mountains. Ranked the sixth deepest cave in Hungary, it is famous for its rare aragonite formations and the jasper pebbles that gave it its name.

The entrance opens in a small sinkhole on the northern slope of Szárdóka Hill, where a short streambed leads to the artificially walled entrance. Inside, a staircase-like sequence of shafts and wide passages unfolds, richly decorated with dripstone formations, including standing stalagmites several meters tall and half a meter thick. The atmosphere is raw, remote and demanding — rope techniques are required due to the risk of rockfall in several sections, making this a destination strictly for experienced cavers rather than casual hikers.

How to get there

• Great Plateau (Nagy-fennsík), near Nyavalyás-tető — approach on foot through Bükk National Park terrain, demanding route, experienced visitors only
• Landmark: about 140 meters from the entrance of Balekina Cave

Practical information

• The cave is sealed off and can only be visited with permission from the Bükk National Park Directorate, for scientific research purposes
• Rope techniques are mandatory due to unstable, rockfall-prone passages
• Status: strictly protected cave due to its mineral rarities

Its greatest scientific treasure lies in the Heliktites Hall, where calcite-aragonite helictites 50–150 mm long have formed — cold-water aragonite deposits found nowhere else in Hungary except the Martonháza Aragonite Cave.