SABLINO - A LAND OF CAVES

SABLINO - A LAND OF CAVES

 Just forty kilometers from St. Petersburg, on the road to Moscow, lies of the most picturesque beauty spots in North-West Russia - the Sablino geoecological reserve. The Sablinka and Tosna rivers flow between limestone and sandstone cliffs through a 220-hectare wooded area, providing the setting for the main local attraction - the famous Sablino caves.

 Man is responsible for the existence of these caves: in the late 19th century, quartz sand for glass manufacture was mined here. Now they have become a place of pilgrimage for lovers of acute sensations: potholers and tourists.

 No one knows the caves, but there are thought to be no less than twenty - intricate labyrinths stretching for dozens of kilometers, with lakes and underground chambers. Some of them extend for quite considerable distances: for instance, the "Lesser Sablino" cave, which is not the deepest one, goes down nearly two kilometers into the bowels of the earth.

 In the caves that are accessible to visitops, steep slopes lead from narrow entrances into spacious chambers with high vaulted ceilings, which are lost in a mysterious half-light. You only have to switch on a light, however, for a fountain of rainbow - coloured splashes to flash out from the stalactites which hang from the ceiling and the stalagmites which rise up to meet them - mineral formations consisting of drops of water mixed with calcium carbonate. You can also see another variety of mineral formations of rare beauty, the "cave pearl", and find primeval inhabitants of the Earth turned to stone in the ancient limestone outcrops: trilobites and orthoceratites… Side galleries lead of the large chambers in all directions, interwoven in the impenetrable gloom. They are inhabited by the original cave-dwellers - bats; for many years the largest colony of these creatures in the region has wintered in the Sablino caves. Despite their exotic appearance, there is no need to be afraid - they feed exclusively on insects.

 The potholers who first explored the caves gate them names; they drew up maps and discovered that the underground chambers and galleries "breathed" - i. e. they altered with the passage of time. In some of the galleries, over a period of 100-150 years, the ceiling has become the floor. What nature needs almost a century and a half to achieve, however, can, happen in just one day, so it is recommended that you visit the caves in the company of instructors, who know all the entrances and exits.

 A journey inside the mountain is an exciting adventure, and when you return to the surface, you see the world in a new light; but however glad you might be to come out into the sunlight, the wonders of this subterranean kingdom will remain in your memory, stimulating the desire to visit it again. (Excursions to the "Land of Caves" can be booked with a voluntary organization "The Conservation of Nature and our Cultural Heritage", between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays, by telephoning: (812) 320-87-29.