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The most famous cave in the Crișului Repede gorge, the Vadu Crișului cave is a reference point for what the historical and natural values of this tourist destination mean.
The access to this cave was opened, in 1903, by dynamiting the huge rock block in front of the entrance. Czaran Gyula, considered “the father of tourism in the Apuseni Mountains”, does the first research underground and, later, deals with the arrangement of the cave.
In the first years of the 20th century, the cave from Vadu Crișului was one of the favorite destinations of the protipendada in Oradea, but wealthy people from other cities of Transylvania also came here. In the underground lake, in the cave, floated, in the light of the torches, pleasure boats for the gentlemen and ladies who were staying at the cottage in the immediate vicinity.
Emil Racoviță, the founder of the first biospeleology institute in the world, did research in the Vadu Crișului cave. At the same time, the cave from Vadu Crișului is a shelter for many species of bats, some protected at European level. Skeletal remains of the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus), which lived 27,000 years ago, have been discovered in the cave.
The cave, arranged and electrified, reveals to its visitors various beauties specific to the underworld. Speleothems, whose shapes provoke imagination, large halls, underground lakes, clear water pools or the labyrinth of galleries, seem to be part of an enchanting setting. The globe, the Tomb of Muhammad, the White Eagle, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, are just some of the names of the natural beauties in the depths of the Vadu Crișului cave.
No less than six hiking trails from the Pădurea Craiului mountains arrive or start from the Vadu Crișului chalet:
Vadu Crișului Cave Chalet – Bătrânului Cave (blue stripe), Crisului Repede Gorge Yellow Circuit (yellow dot), Crisului Repede Gorge Right Slope Circuit (blue dot), Crisului Repede Gorge Left Slope Circuit (red dot), V Crișului chalet – Mișidului Valley – Moanei Cave (blue triangle), Vadu Crișului Cave Chalet – Șuncuiuș (red triangle).
Access
By car:
On the route Oradea – Cluj (E60)
Topa de Criș – Vadu CrișuluiOn the route Oradea – Deva (E 79)
Beiuș – Delani – Petreasa – Remetea – Căbești – Roșia – Damiș – Bratca – Bălnaca – Șuncuiuș – Vadu Crișului
Careful! Car access to the Vadu Crisului cave is not possible.
By train:
On the route Cluj – Oradea, through Halta Peștera station
On foot:
Access to the cave is on foot from Vadu Crișului (1.9 km, double red dot route) or Șuncuiuș (2.6 km, double red dot route).
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