I visited this WHS in 2022, first visiting the Baradla cave in the Hungarian Aggtelek National Park en route from Tokaj, then proceeding to the Domica cave and the Dobšinská ice cave in Slovakia. This was truly just a sample of the hundreds of caves in the region, inscribed and not inscribed, but I always wanted to visit especially the ice cave in Slovakia, so I simply made an extra effort to add a stopover to the other two sites which pale in comparison to at least visit one location from Hungary too.

I was surprised by the amount of people visiting most of the caves, even the less known ones. There are several facilities and free parking near many of them but do research the opening and closing days and times before visiting. Also most caves are closed during winter. Make sure to bring at least a jacket even in summer as the temperatures in the caves are always lower than 10 degrees in most caves. The Baradla cave in Hungary and the Domica cave in Slovakia are actually one cave system, nowadays with two separate entrances in both countries. Short guided tours (around 1 hour) and long guided tours (2 hours) to the Baradla cave are offered almost every two hours. The cave has a natural entrance at Aggtelek at the foot of a high white cliff. Just before the entrance there's a UNESCO WHS inscription stone marker.

The Baradla cave has been discovered as early as 1549 so it has a long history of research. It includes a 7 km long rock tunnel with a few giant caverns. A significant part of the cave has varied colors and shapes providing an unparalleled spectacle of speleothems and decorative stalactites. Subterranean river waters run through the main rock tunnel at times of flood. Traces of Neolithic occupation have been found in the Baradla-Domica cave system. The Baradla cave extends for more than 25.5 km and includes 5.3 km which are part of the Domica cave in Slovakia. The short tour only explores an easy trail of about 1 km in around 1 hour. The main focus of the tour are the multitude of dripstone formations such as stalactites, stalagmites and stalagmite columns which are certainly not a unique feature. The largest and most famous formations or caverns are given names such as the Mother-in-Law’s Tongue, Santa Claus, the Tiger and the Columned Chamber and the most impressive are those near the Chinese Pagoda which reach the ceiling of the cave.

Although smalller in size overall, the short tour to the Domica cave in Slovakia covers 1.6 km with a short boat trip underground if there is enough water. Since I was almost out of camera battery when reaching Aggtelek, and I had already in mind to pay the extra cost for taking photos in the Dobsinska cave later on, I left my camera batteries recharge in a restaurant with my parents, and opted not to pay also for the high extra camera fee in the Domica cave to simply take crappy photos with my mobile. There were many sleeping bats on the cave walls, mostly Mediterranean Horseshoe bats, which I also spotted later on in the Dobsinska ice cave. The speleothem formations in the Domica cave were far more impressive than the ones in the Baradla cave, even though overall nothing truly unique on a global scale.

Last but certainly not least, I headed for a guided tour to the Dobsinska ice cave and as already mentioned also paid the expensive camera fee. You have to pay to park your car unless you decide to eat at one of the restaurants which seem to offer parking for free then. Also make sure to bring cash to pay for your tour. Unlike the other two caves I had already visited, this cave involves quite an uphill hike (15-30 minutes depending on your fitness level) on loose rocks in the Slovak Paradise National Park which I wasn't expecting, and which was quite uncomfortable in the heat with a jacket in hand. The Dobsinska ice cave is one of the longest and deepest ice caves in Europe and it is also the first electrically lit cave in Europe (way back in 1887). The total ice volume was estimated at 125,000 cubic metres, which makes it one of the most important ice caves in the world. The thickness of the ice reaches up to 26.5 metres. One of the interesting facts about the cave is that up to 1946 ice skating inside the cave was permitted all year round!

The guided tour begins on the northern slope of the Duca Hill at an elevation of 969,5 metres and lasts around 30 minutes. Tour groups seemed to be a bit too large for the space inside the cave but I understand that they try to accomodate as many people as possible in the limited timeframe from May to September. You will descend several tens of meters underground on metal steps. The tourist route covers around 515 metres. In the cave you will have a chance to admire magnificent places both filled with ice and without ice. Among them are the Great and Small Halls, Ruffiny’s Corridor or Collapsed Dome, and of course the wonderful ice formations. Although the guides have torches, I would recommend bringing your own especially for better photos. Be aware though that the average temperature in the cave oscillates from -3,9 to -0,2 degrees Celsius with a chilling icy breeze so make sure to take warm clothes and sturdy boots. There's the coolest UNESCO WHS plaque of all etched in ice inside the cave too. If I ever drive close to this area of Hungary/Slovakia again, I'll surely put in more effort to visit more caves, especially the Ochtinská Aragonite Cave mentioned in Hubert's review.