ENGLISH, Macedonia, travel

Peshna – the cave where the fantasy and reality collide

by Vesna
Cave Peshna

The cave Peshna has the biggest entrance in the Balkans! Located 6 km from Makedonski Brod on the regional road to Samokov it is one of the most attractive natural beauties of Macedonia.

Unfortunately, not many people know about it, even the Macedonians are still discovering it, so it is a hidden gem and an unexplored tourist destination, although it was proclaimed a natural heritage of Macedonia. It was our, me and my husband’s first visit to the cave, although it’s only 1,5 hours drive from our city. We were making plans for this visit for few months but there was always something we had to postpone. And now the moment to see this wonder of nature has come.

As we were approaching by driving and we saw the huge hole in the hill we were like OH MY GOD! We knew it was big but didn’t expect to be that huge. Before we went there, of course, we were exploring on the internet and we saw the photographies of the cave, but believe me, nothing can prepare you for what you will experience on the spot.31189751_10156453888273447_5054433748632731648_nWe parked the car in front of the restaurant nearby and continue walking. It was enjoyable and exciting 10-15 minutes walk to the entrance. The road that leads to the cave is enclosed with trees and bushes and leads right to its incredibly huge entrance.31179915_10156453892763447_5761653792420397056_nAs we were getting closer the sound of the river was getting stronger. This was probably the best period of the year to be there because there was a lot of water coming out of the cave making beautiful waterfalls. I knew there was suppose to be a small lake at the end of the cave, and listening to the water I was excited to see it. Unfortunately, it was gone. Probably the water has changed its path during the past years. 31179283_10156453891693447_5228023613633855488_nThe cave had been researched and what was discovered was not a bear in hibernation 🙂 , but it was a lake, two hundred meters underground. This lake has an endemic species of fish with skin that resembles the human skin, something that has been found in the inhabitants of Postojna Caves in Slovenia.

I expected the cave to be deeper and flat, at least it looked like that on the photographies, which was disappointing for a second. Then I saw how high it was and that I can explore the inside, climbing the steep ground, over the small and large rocks. 31292783_10156453892128447_6063438041681231872_nThere aren’t any stalactites on the ceiling of the cave, but I’m sure you will enjoy the wonderfully shaped rock. This natural masterpiece leaves you breathless with its magnitude, grandeur, and beauty. It is 40 meters high and about 124 meters deep.   31206219_10156453894433447_7472419865773473792_nThere are an endemic species of bats that are very important for the ecosystem, there is one of them in the next photograph! Oops, it’s my husband. We didn’t manage to see the bats, but there were many other birds, like pigeons in different colors. 31326842_10156453895198447_3774269439835373568_nThese huge rocks, that are over 2 meters high, are standing there for centuries. It was perfectly safe to move around, only if you go with small children maybe it’s not the best idea to let them around unattended. 31189965_10156453893108447_4277882809449709568_nIt was a real serenity for me. When we climbed high and we could see the whole shape of the entrance of the cave, like a giant eye looking at you. We simply seat and relaxed, letting our thoughts flow along the sounds of the running water.  31252786_10156453893118447_529229821583032320_nThe ceiling and walls of the cave shine with amazing colors, from light green to deep purple. From a different angle, it looks completely different. I just couldn’t stop shooting, and it was difficult to choose which photographies to use for the post since all of them are special in some way.31171425_10156453892403447_5013503032424398848_nSunlight reaches the far end of the cave so you will have no problem walking around it. To make the next photograph my husband had to climb on the remains of the huge walls.31174800_10156453892503447_1803344887987306496_nPeshna Cave in The New York Times was described as identical to the imaginary caves in “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. The remains of the fortress built inside the cave, look like Helm’s Deep fortress in “Lord of the Rings’. 31170913_10156453892903447_2796754610050564096_nThe remains of walls inside the cave are connected to another site nearby, more with a story then by road 🙂 As you are driving toward the cave on the hills before the turn to the cave, you will notice the remains of a medieval fortress. According to the legend, King Marko had four sisters and he built homes to two of them in this area. One of the sisters was Deva and her house was here on the hill. You can still see some remains of the building at the top of the hill and if you like and have time enough you can hike to the top.
DSC08433For the other sister Peshna, King Marko build a home at the entrance of the cave. She was using the echo of the cave to communicate with her sister. Two villages in this area, Devic and Peshna, were named after the two sisters.31189751_10156453894553447_3323230416999022592_nThe whole region boasts a pure, untouched nature where you can have a picnic by the Treska river which runs several hundred meters from the cave. There are the Peshna motel and its fish farm. Near the cave, there is a traditional restaurant “Dedo Ilija” where you can try traditional Macedonian dishes.31131417_10156453887728447_7769377366362554368_nIt was an amazing experience and I do recommend it to everyone. Make Peshna Cave your next adventure!

My country is indeed bestowed by nature. Thank you for your time spent reading.

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55 thoughts on “Peshna – the cave where the fantasy and reality collide”

  3. Wow
    This is amazing cave and it’s surrounding looks so beautiful. It really reminds me of the cave of The Lord of the rings 😁
    If I come in Macedonia I have to visit this place.
    Great post, thank you for sharing.

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  13. Pingback: Пешна – пештерата каде реалноста и фантазијата се соединуваат – Whisper

  15. What an incredible cave, and a find too! I’ve not been to Macedonia, and know little about the country. If I ever visit, I’ll be sure to visit Pesna, and see these amazing sights for myself!

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  20. This cave looks pretty cool! You also have a great picture collection. Myself and partner are heading to Macedonia this summer so this is really useful for us. We are totally going to plan a trip to this cave now! Thanks for the inspiration.

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  23. This is a beautiful cave, and a place I’ve never heard of. Macedonia looks so pretty and with wonderful nature too by the looks of it. Thanks for sharing this with us!

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      1. You truly deserve appreciation dear ,as your blog is truly wonderful, much appreciated, keep blogging and keep sharing wonderful photoshoot n photography…n wonderful description,cheers💐💐💐Have a smile always🌹

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  26. What an awesome exploration of this huge cave! That photo of the cave opening with the blue sky and that little person at the entrance, that alone would convince me to go!

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