Devetashka Cave

Devetashka is a single enormous chamber near Lovech, about two and a half kilometres long in total with an entrance some thirty-five metres wide and an interior hall of around twenty-four thousand square metres, and its roof has collapsed in seven places, letting shafts of daylight down into the cave and allowing trees and vegetation to grow on the floor beneath them. It has been occupied on and off since the Palaeolithic. Its bat colony is among the largest in Europe, with tens of thousands of animals of several species, and part of the cave is closed in the breeding season to protect them. The Bulgarian army used it as a fuel depot and the concrete structures from that period remain on the floor.

What you actually see

• Seven holes in the roof - daylight shafts down into the chamber.
• A twenty-four-thousand-square-metre hall - one of the largest cave chambers anywhere.
• Vegetation growing inside - trees under the collapsed openings.
• A very large bat colony - tens of thousands of animals in several species.

When to go

April to October; part of the cave closes from around June to August for the bat breeding season, so access varies. One to two hours. Mornings for light through the roof openings.

Honest expectations

Sections close seasonally for the bats and the closure dates change. The floor is uneven with army-era concrete. There is no lighting beyond the roof openings. Facilities are minimal and the road in is rough.

Nearby

Krushuna waterfalls are a short drive; Lovech lies south-west.