Kolkina cave is the deepest cave in Bulgaria and is still being explored. It is located in “Ponor” mountain, central part of West “Stara planina” mountain. Nearest village is called “Zimevitsa”.
GPS coordinates of entrance: 43.058162, 23.277110
Altitude of entrance: 1285м
GPS coordinates of overground base camp “The house”: 43.058162, 23.277110
Directions: Asphalt road finishes in “Zimevitsa” village. After the center of the villige direction up (village “Zanoge”) there is steep right turn. Take the left turn on a asphlat road in bad condition. The asphalt soon finishes and the road is stony. Stone road finishes near one of the last house of the village – check the map down. With car in the summer you can easily reach this house, but in the winter the stone road could be covered with snow.
At this point you can leave your car if it is low. Following road is grass/mud. After one kilometre or approximately 30min walking with normal caving luggage you will reach the base camp “The house”. Pay attention at the end of the stone road, there might be shepherd dogs. You can take an extra bread for safety.
During autumn-winter explorations pay attention to the weather forecast. The entrance is at 1285m and in winter temperatures may fall under -20C. Foggy and bad weather could easily mislead and confuse people strayed off the road.
Most of the cave is rigged. For the entrance you need 20m rope and 2 carabiners.