In the southwestern no-man’s land
of Herzegovina is the stunning
valley of Popovo
Polje. The ancient karst field is
a minute piece of what
is the one of the world’s largest
karst field that
stretches all the way into Croatia
and Slovenia.
Near
the small town of Ravno and the
medieval orthodox monastery
of Zavala is the largest cave
system discovered in Bosnia
and Herzegovina – Vjetrenica
Caves. This
extensive cave system has in total over 6
kilometres of passages. The stunning main passage stretches on 2,50
kilometers.
Amongst the many archaeological
discoveries are the ancient
cave bears and leopards, cave
drawings that are estimated to
be over 10,000 years old. The Cave is also home to
many small lakes and endemic types
of shellfish only found
in deep underground aquifer
systems.
Vjetrenica is now on the list for
UNESCO protected areas
in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The
cave has recently been
re-opened after extensive research
and improvements to the
infrastructure. Well marked road
signs are visible throughout the
main Popovo Polje road from Stolac
to Trebinje and from the
main coastal road in Croatia
towards Ravno.