Stopića Cave

Stopića Cave is a limestone cave on the northeastern side of Zlatibor Mountain in Serbia, near the village of Sirogojno. The cave is 1,691 meters (5,548 feet) long and its entrance is located 711 meters (2332 feet) above sea level, near the Prištavica River. The cave consists of five units: the Bright Hall, the Dark Hall, the Great Hall with Tubs, the Tub Canal and the River Canal. 

Though Stopića Cave is not rich with speleothems—structures like stalactites and stalagmites made from mineral deposits in water—it does have some unique geological features. The cave is home to a number of “siga,” or limestone tubs, of different sizes and depths. They are some of the largest of their kind, with some as deep as seven meters (23 feet). A number of these tubs form a slanted wall from which water constantly overflows.

A pathway from the tubs leads deeper inside the cave, eventually reaching a 10-meter (33-foot) underground waterfall known as the Source of Life. The deafening roar of falling water makes it impossible to hear the person talking to you. The cave climate depends of the weather conditions—it is warm in summer and cold in winter. The water from the Trnavski stream, which flows through the cave, contributes to the micro-climate.