Welcome to the Planetcaver blog, featuring stories from caves and
underground explorations around the world, from the point of view of a
beginner caver. The Planetcaver has explored underground places in
44 countries and 594 locations (447 natural in 39 countries and 148 man-made in 24 countries) and has written about 86 other places. You can also click on the map
on the left to see where in the world they took place.
Unikonlinnan pirunpesä (devil's nest at the poppy castle) There are many caves called "Devil's Nest" in Finland. I guess a remnant of pagan beliefs of odd places or just a joke. This particular Devil's Nest is in Janakkala, and called the Poppy Castle. It is a bit unclear if there's human construction in some of the rock arrangements on this steep hill surrounded by cliffs, but the cave itself is definitely natural. Full story Alternate link
April 2026, Unikonlinnan pirunpesä, Janakkala, Finland Caving (Basic, Rock, Rock-Gneiss, Morphology-Boulders, Morphology-Crack)
Hole in a mountain Dongchong community and the Dapeng Peninsula are in the outskirts of Shenzhen, China. A beach resort, said to be Shenzhen's version of the Maldives. Clear, beautiful colored waters, tranquil beach, a village... and a hole through a mountain. The Chuanbi Rock, Piercing Nose Rock, or Elephant Trunk Gate cuts across the very end of the peninsula mountain. A see-through hole 18 meters high, 9 meters wide and 46 meters long. Full story Alternate link
March 2026, Piercing Nose Rock, Dongchong, Shenzhen, China Caving (Basic, Rock, Morphology-Erosion)
Hong Kong caves at the Cape d'Aguilar Are there caves in Hong Kong? With the mountainous region this small place has, one would assume there are some. I found a handful on my search through the interwebs, but most of them were not easily accessible, beach caves on islands that would require a boat trip, caves that can only be accessed from the sea, etc. However, the Cape d'Aguilar Marine Reserve hosts two wonderful caves that can be reached relatively easily. Both of these are beach caves. Full story Alternate link
March 2026, Cape d'Aguilar Sea Crack Cave, Cape d'Aguilar Marine Reserve, Shek O, Hong Kong; Cape d'Aguilar Sea Arch Cave, Cape d'Aguilar Marine Reserve, Shek O, Hong Kong; West Kowloon Station, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Caving (Basic, Rock, Morphology-Erosion, Rock-Unknown); Hiking; Travel
Catalonia caves II It was a hard days night, a long day of skiing but I was NOT satisfied. I also wanted to visit a cave. Grottocenter gave me multiple hits within a half an hour's dive from the hotel and fairly close to the road, but ... it was a challenge. I couldn't be sure I had found the first one, or maybe I did but then it didn't match the description. And the second one I did find but it was an easy but unnerving and unsecured climb away, 4-5 meters up on a cliff face. Full story Alternate link
March 2026, Balma de la Paret, El Compte, Spain; Cova del Mirador de l'Infern, Solduga-Esplugues, Spain; Forat del Serpent, Solduga-Esplugues, Spain Caving (None, Rock); Caving (Basic, Rock)
Catalonia caves I After working several weeks straight with not even weekends free, I thought I would be completely free today and can just leisurely drive around the Pyrenees and look for interesting stuff. Well, it turned out that I still had to listen to some conference calls while driving. But it was an interesting drive in the canyons leading towards the northern border. And I was hunting some caves. Turned out I didn't really properly find the caves that I was looking for but did find some other interesting ones :-) Full story Alternate link
March 2026, Cova de l'Arena, La Maçana, Spain; Cova de l'Arena mini cave, La Maçana, Spain; Cova de l'Arena tunnel, La Maçana, Spain; Central hidroelèctrica d'Alòs de Balaguer, Riu Segre, Spain; Cova de la Figuera, La Maçana, Spain; Forat de l'Or, Camarasa, Spain Caving (Basic, Rock, None); Caving (Basic, Rock, Surveying); Caving (Basic, Rock); Urban-Exploration (Tunnels); Urban-Exploration (Industrial)
Dragon Claw Cave, Hong Kong The Dragon Claw Cave, or 龍爪洞 as it is known in Chinese is a sea cave at the end of a small bay in the peninsula that extends between the South Bay Beach and Ching Hom Kok Beach, in Hong Kong. There's a nice but challenging path from the South Bay Beach to near cave, but as you near the cave the path turns into more difficult, at some point other hikers warned of a wild boar, then the path required an assisting rope, and then further down ... I didn't dare climb all the way down for the last 20 meters, for a fear of falling to the sea. But it is a beautiful cave even from this distance! Full story Alternate link
March 2026, Dragon Claw Cave, Repulse Bay, Hong Kong; South Bay Beach, Repulse Bay, Hong Kong; HKIA, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Caving (None, Rock, Morphology-Erosion); Swimming (Water, Waterbody-Sea, Beach, Outdoor); Flying
Day trip to Latvia, part two caves and more caves Skiing is done, done, done. Now some caves? Full story Alternate link
February 2026, Kalēja Ala, Raiskums, Latvia; Kalēja Sānu Ala, Raiskums, Latvia; Gūtmaņa Ala, Sigulda, Latvia; Gūtmaņa Sānu Ala, Sigulda, Latvia Caving (Basic, Rock, Rock-Sandstone); Caving (Basic, Surveying, Rock, Rock-Sandstone)
Naage Koopad, a beautiful Estonian cave with a surprise at the end Naage Koopad - Naage caves near Tallinn. Very nice cave, with ice forms for added beauty. And what a surprise at the end! Full story Alternate link
January 2026, Naage Koopad, Naage, Estonia Caving (Basic, Rock, Surveying)
Lubja caves in Tallinn Viimsi Koobas, or the caves of Viimsi, are a man-made set of tunnels on a cliff face rising near the Vimka - Viimsi Mäepark ski hill. There may be more than one tunnel and the tunnels are supposed to be longer, but I think they have been filled with sand or collapsed, as I was able to find only one about 13 meter long tunnel. Nice visit still, though. Full story Alternate link
January 2026, Viimsi Koobas, Lubja, Viimsi, Estonia Caving (Basic, Rock, Man-Made); Urban-Exploration (Tunnels)
Day trip to Tallinn snow, caves, and water I'm collecting things. Or rather experiences. Or visits to places. Ski resorts, swimming halls, caves... preferably as many as possible. Could I do a one day trip to Tallinn for some of the closest ski hills, caves, and spas that I had not yet visited? How many could I do in one day? Full story Alternate link
January 2026, Vimka - Viimsi Mäepark, Lubja, Viimsi, Estonia; Nõmme Lumepark, Mustamäe, Tallinn, Estonia; Viimsi Koobas, Lubja, Viimsi, Estonia; Naage Koopad, Naage, Estonia; Elamus Spa, Tallinn, Estonia Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Caving (Basic, Man-Made, Rock, Surveying); Urban-Exploration (Tunnels); Caving (Basic, Rock, Surveying); Swimming (Water, Waterbody-Pool, Indoor); Sauna (Normal, Steam)
Caver's Xmas party and Högberget visit The official year-end meeting of the Finnish Caving Association was in December, combined with the pre-Xmas party of the club. Very nice; lots to discuss, videos and photos to share. And new people to meet! Full story Alternate link
December 2025, Pukinmäki, Helsinki, Finland; Högberget, Kirkkonummi, Finland Caving (None, Social, Media); Caving (Rock, Rock-Granite, Morphology-Erosion, Basic)
Parc Naturel de Portneuf caves in Quebec The Portneuf municipality is half way between Trois-Rivières and Quebec cities, on the north side of the St. Lawrence river. A bit north of them lies the Saint-Alban village and there is the natural park, Parc Naturel de Portneuf. And two wonderful caves, the Grotte le Trou du Diable and Grotte aux Cascatelles. The first one is a Quebec speleological society's organized touring cave, a wet wading cave. I was not able to do this tour, since it was out of the season. In any case, summer would probably be a nicer time to be deep in the water. The second one is cave by the gorge-like river Sainte-Anne, where a small stream has carved a cave to short-cut the gorge walls. Full story Alternate link
November 2025, Grotte le Trou de Diable, Saint-Marc-des-Carrières, Quebec, Canada; Grotte aux Cascatelles, Saint-Alban, Quebec, Canada Caving (Basic, Rock, Rock-Limestone, Morphology-Karst, Morphology-Erosion)
Spilia Beach Bar - obviously with a cave One would expect there to be plenty of caves in mountainous Greek islands, but it didn't seem to be the case for Idea. There are some beach caves, however, the easiest to access being right in the main village, Hydra, at the "Spilia Beach Bar". That, is the cave beach bar. Full story Alternate link
October 2025, Spilia Beach Bar cave, Hydra, Greece Caving (Basic, Swimming, Rock, Morphology-Erosion); Swimming (Outdoor, Water, Waterbody-Sea, Beach)
Sopot, Montenegro This was the backup cave after the failed trip (alt. link) to find the first one. But what a cave! Sometimes it is a raging tube shooting water at 50 m3 per second out to a waterfall and then free falling tens of meters to the lake. And sometimes it is a dry cave that you can explore. Very interesting! Just make sure you choose the latter time when you go caving :-) Full story Alternate link
September 2025, Sopot Pećina, Risan, Montenegro Caving (Basic, Rock, Rock-Limestone, Morphology-Karst, Surveying)
Ivanovići Pećina in Bečići, Montenegro The Ivanovići Pećina is a small, 18-meter cave located east of the town of Budva on the Adriatic Coast of Montenegro. The drive to access the cave is a long one up the hills on narrow roads, then there's a well-marked half a kilometer hike down a small valley and then up to the cave. But it is well worth the trip! The cave is nicely shaped, and the hike offers wonderful views. Indeed, even from the cave entrance you can see the green hills sloping down to the sea, and the coast. Recommended. Full story Alternate link
September 2025, Ivanovići Pećina, Bečići, Montenegro Caving (Basic, Rock, Rock-Limestone, Morphology-Karst, Surveying)
Soidenkallion onkalot - swamp cliff holes On the way back from the Lahti swimming pool visit, I stopped in Lapinjärvi to look at a cave that I had not previously been to, the Soidenkallion onkalot (or "swamp cliff holes" in rough English translation). This is a shelter cave formed through a horizontal crack and erosion at the bottom of a cliff. Full story Alternate link
September 2025, Soidenkallion onkalot, Lapinjärvi, Finland; Soidenkallion onkalot sivuluola 1, Lapinjärvi, Finland; Soidenkallion onkalot sivuluola 2, Lapinjärvi, Finland Caving (Basic, Rock-Gneiss, Rock, Morphology-Crack, Morphology-Erosion, Surveying); Caving (Basic, Rock-Gneiss, Rock, Morphology-Crack, Morphology-Erosion)
underground explorations around the world, from the point of view of a
beginner caver. The Planetcaver has explored underground places in
44 countries and 594 locations (447 natural in 39 countries and 148 man-made in 24 countries) and has written about 86 other places. You can also click on the map
on the left to see where in the world they took place.
