The caves hiding in this idyllic setting were discovered during an expedition, in the spring of 1984. T he cavers had one of their lucky days when they came across a small, brush covered opening at the base of a limestone cliff in the Ponorului Valley. Beyond the entrance, small enough to serve as shelter to a racoon, there is a second, not very promising, gallery. The cavers were forced to climb, crawl, squeeze through a few tight spots using hammer and chisel to make their way through. They stopped at a seemingly impenetrable well, and just as they were about to give up and return, a sudden draft of air made its way through the well's narrow window.
Subterranean wells breathe sometimes, during changes in surface air pressure.
With ears pressed against the stone, the experienced cavers deciphered, in the rushing gust of air, the call of a great cave. T he pictures will take you through places that make up the Altar Cave - the Palace , the Geode , the Paradise , and the Bear Altar .