Kungur Ice Cave, Show cave in Kungur, Russia
Kungur Ice Cave is an underground cave system near the town of Kungur in Perm Krai, Russia, stretching more than 8 kilometers beneath the Sylva River bank. The network of passages connects nearly 50 chambers with over 70 underground lakes where year-round ice formations develop.
A geographer from Tobolsk documented the cave for the first time in 1703 during an expedition ordered by Peter the Great. Over the following centuries, local residents guided travelers through the passages before the cave was organized for regular visits in the 1910s.
The name comes from the Tatar language and describes a loose, vulnerable place, referring to the hollow spaces in the rock. Visitors today see how the interior microclimate has shaped ice layers over centuries and can walk through chambers where the temperature remains below freezing year-round.
Three different guided routes are available, covering between 1.5 and 2 kilometers (0.9 and 1.2 miles) through illuminated passages and lasting around 80 to 90 minutes. Warm clothing is recommended as the interior temperature in many sections stays below freezing.
Limestone formations on the walls and ceilings form patterns that resemble snowflakes and change throughout the year. By late winter, some of these structures can reach sizes comparable to maple leaves.
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