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RussiaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
The cave of permafrost or summer permafrost in Zheleznovodsk is located on the slopes of Razvalka Mountain behind Iron Mountain, and therefore is usually visited only by the most inquisitive tourists and vacationers who I would not mind walking here on foot along a long forest path. An old, almost abandoned terrencourt (health trail) with a length of almost 5 kilometers leads to the cave from the Resort Park and the tourist area of Zheleznovodsk, although if desired, you can take a detour almost to the entrance. Read more about how to get to the permafrost cave at the end of the article.
Do not confuse this permafrost Cave with an artificial one The permafrost grotto. The latter is only a 10-minute walk from the cave and is not as interesting as this cave.
Due to the special structure of the Razvalka mountain, which is composed of petrified magma with wide cracks, water accumulates in its crevices in summer, which freezes in winter and does not have time to melt in summer. This phenomenon can be felt in many places on the slopes of the mountain, for example, even just in small depressions of stones and under mosses. But the cold is especially felt in this cave. In the very depths of the stones, the air temperature is just above zero degrees, even in the height of summer.
The cave is of natural origin, but artificially deepened in the form of a tunnel. It stretches deep, there are several branches in it-corridors. It is relatively safe to go inside for about 150 meters, it is dangerous to walk further because of the possibility of landslides. In general, the tunnel is a dangerous place, and there are landslides and falling stones, so ideally you should wear a helmet. Also, a full–fledged flashlight is needed for a walk, and the one on the phone will not work. You also need to dress warmly, in a T-shirt and shorts you will freeze instantly here.
🕐 Working hours
around the clock, it is better to visit during the day.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price
free of charge.
🚶 How to get there
the cave is located about 5 kilometers from the center of the tourist area (cave on the map). From the Resort Park and the tourist area, the health trail terrencourt No. 2 and No. 3 leads to it, there are signs along the way, but it's not easy to figure them out. Therefore, it is best to arm yourself with a navigator or download offline map applications to your smartphone, such as Organic Maps, Guru Maps, OSM, etc., and follow the navigator. To shorten the walking part of the route, you can drive by car from the non-tourist part of the city along the old asphalt road to the Forester's Hut cafe, park the car there and then follow the trail on foot at the sign for only 5-10 minutes.
- 📷 Search for excursions in Zheleznovodsk on Tripster.ru
- 📷 Search for excursions in Zheleznovodsk on Sputnik8.com
- 📷 Excursions in Zheleznovodsk from the tour operator TEZ Tour