Moravian Karst

Moravian Karst (Moravský Kras) is a Protected Landscape Area in the South Moravia region of the Czech Republic. It features numerous deep caves and gorges. Even though it is not listed as national park, it is often regarded as one of the most interesting natural sights in the Czech Republic.

Understand
Moravian Karst is relatively small, with most of it lying in a triangle between the town Blansko and villages Sloup and Vilémovice. The majority of interesting sights is located in or near a valley called "Punkevní údolí," long.

Landscape
Moravian Karst is by far the most interesting karst area in Czech Republic. As such, there are numerous sinkholes (with the deepest being deep) and caves. Most of the caves here are connected together, creating a vast cave system called Ametérská jeskyně. This cave system is around long and is, as such, the largest in the region. Because of the karst landscape, there are also numerous deep valleys with interesting rock formations. The elevation of the whole area is between and  above sea level. The main river is Punkva, which goes underground in many places, and you can even sail it on a boat in its underground section.

Flora and fauna
The area is covered by the usual spruce forest of the region, with the most interesting animals being probably roes, foxes or deer. There is a kind of flower which grows only at the bottom of Macocha Gorge.

Climate
The climate is mild, pretty much the same as in the rest of the Czech Republic.

By train
The town Blansko lies on the main railway between Prague and Brno. As such, there are regional trains departing Brno every hour serving it. From Prague, there is a direct express train (Rychlík category) serving Blansko every two hours. The ticket from Prague to Blansko costs around 300 Kč, from Brno it is 41 Kč. If going from Prague, you can try buying a ticket to Brno instead of Blansko, which might save you up to 200 Kč - just check that the train stops at Blansko. You can check the timetable or buy the tickets at the Czech Railways website.

By car
If going by car, you will probably go via Brno, which is served by numerous motorways. From Brno, there are a few curvy roads that connect various towns and villages around Moravian Karst. You can park in the town and villages for free, or you can use paid parking lots near Macocha Gorge or in Skalní Mlýn village, which is only few hundred meters from the main sights.

By bus
The bus is useless when going to Blansko, as this town is served only by trains. However, if you do not want to walk the last leg from Blansko, a bus will take you almost to the main sights. All of these buses run from the main bus station in Blansko. Use IDOS to find the timetable.

Fees and permits
There are no fees to enter the area. It is forbidden to go outside the marked trails and roads, not to mention dangerous, as there are many steep cliffs here.

By bus
Buses can take you between villages and sights of Moravian Karst. Most of these buses originate in Blansko. The bus stops are listed here under the same name as they are listed in the IDOS timetable. The fare is payable to the bus driver.



By foot
Moravian Karst is relatively small. It is around from Blansko to the main sights. There are numerous well-marked tourist trails. You will definitely have to walk from Skalní Mlýn to the Punkva Caves, as the road is forbidden to enter by car. Use mapy.cz in outdoor mode to see the tourist trails.

By cable car
There is a cable car from the entrance to Punkva Caves to the top of Macocha gorge, which saves you a very steep ascent. It costs 90 Kč.

See
There are a lot of caves here. The most interesting of them are listed here and accessible only with a guide, but if you just wander around the area, you are likely to find many other smaller caves with free access. The guided tour is always included in the ticket price, so there is no need to get a guide anywhere other than the cave entrance.



Do

 * Hike – there are numerous marked hiking trails.
 * Bike – the main valley is accessible its whole length. You can rent a bike at Blansko railway station.
 * Caving – the main caves are difficult to visit outside of guided tours that use paved trails. If you are an experienced spelunker and want to do something more adventurous, go find some caves that don't have controlled access, as these are plentiful in Moravian Karst. You can also try writing the information center Skalní Mlýn to ask if it is possible to visit some other parts of the caves (there have been rumors about such activities).

Buy
There are numerous supermarkets in Blansko and smaller supermarkets COOP in Sloup, Ostrov u Macochy and Vilémovice villages.

Eat
The listed lodgings also provide food; there should be lunch menus at least during the main season. Eating options are limited near Punkva Caves and Macocha Gorge, as there is only Chata Macocha. There are, however, restaurants located in the nearby villages.



Drink
You can get a beer at any restaurant, but there are no breweries or pubs worth mentioning.

Lodging

 * Blansek - zříceniny hradního paláce2.jpg

Backcountry
Wild camping is not allowed and might be difficult, because of the steep cliffs and the area's small size.

Stay safe
Beware of steep cliffs. Over 80 people already died to falling from Macocha Gorge. The caves are quite cold even in the warmest summer, so have a jacket ready, or you will get cold.

Go next

 * Brno. The second-largest city of the Czech Republic is away.