We decided to spend the first of the long weekends in the Tatra Mts. We wanted to visit something new, although not necessarily very demanding. So we chose the upper entrance to Cold Cave (or White Cave) and the Region of the 3rd Chimney in Black Cave.

All through the weekend we had great weather: not too hot, no clouds, no wind. Only it got dark too soon... However, rocks on the western slopes were well heated by the setting sun, so that after exiting a cave it was warmer at the top than in the valley...

The ascent to the upper entrance of Cold Cave went without problems: a clear path, some simple climbing. Here, the Tatras are without tourists, we had some nice sun, on the way we passed one of the entrances to Naciekowa... just super. We got to Cold's entrance just when the sun was settings behind Kominiarski Wierch.

All in all, we explored White Cave, that is the passage from the entrance to the muddy end. The first part of the cave - a tilted, high rift - is covered with moonmilk, that together with mud, creates very nice white-brown patterns on the walls. Next, a less interesting and more tiring boulder ruckle, where it joins Cold Cave. The third part of the cave gets more interesting again: a vertical rift, wall covered with scallop marks all over, and two quite nice traverses.

On the next day we went on a trip to Black Cave to explore the Region of the 3rd Chimney. Supposedly these parts are visited infrequently, so we were worried a bit that there's nothing to see there.

The entrance to the Region of the 3rd Chimney is not far from the bottom of the first descent - you just need to climb over 10 meters (or use the rope that's hanging there). At the top you come right away to a throat just like the one in Ostreznicka Cave. When you go left, first you come to the Chimney itself, and a bit farther, to a system of sponge-like parts. Quite interesting for all the cave coral on all walls. Some of those corals were quite grown, in all kinds of shapes (for instance, of poppy-heads), growing in all directions and pretty long (more like helictites)...

Next, after going down several small pitches, you get to the Hungarian Chamber. At its bottom there's a dig, at the top - windows into the 3rd Chimney. And all of this very nice, especially formations and the shape of the passages. Also, there were many bats there.