Thursday, May 21, 2026
Route: Ljubljana, Slovenia → Križna Jama / Cross Cave → attempted via ferrata near Karawanks Tunnel → Salzburg, Austria

The final day of the road-trip chapter began with something rare and beautiful.

We slept in.

Not dramatically. Not until noon. Not in the way teenagers define sleeping in. But we got up around 8:30 a.m., which on this trip felt like a luxury spa treatment.

Into Cross Cave

We moved slowly, got organized, had a quick breakfast around 9:30, and drove south of Ljubljana for our caving appointment at Križna Jama, also known as Cross Cave.

Slovenia is full of caves, but Cross Cave is special because it does not rely on permanent electric lighting in the main tour areas. No dramatic colored spotlights. No theme-park underworld effect. Just boots, flashlights, cold air, limestone, water, and whatever courage you brought with you.

Our guide gave us boots, socks, and flashlights. The cave is around 8°C inside, which is the temperature where your body says, “I’m fine,” then immediately begins negotiating for warmer clothing.

Daniel looked at the gear.

“So we are going underground in the dark, in boots that are not ours?”

“Yes,” I said. “Private tour. Very exclusive.”

“Exclusive or suspicious?”

“Both can be true.”

Our guide opened the cave entrance, let us in, and locked the door behind us.

There is something very final about hearing a cave door lock behind you.

The tour was supposed to be around an hour and a half, but we spent closer to two hours inside. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and had a lot to say. Maybe slightly more than the cave had scheduled for the day, but it was fascinating.

She told us about the small creatures and insects that live in the cave system, the underground water, the formations, and the natural darkness that makes this cave feel very different from brightly lit tourist caves.

We saw stalactites and stalagmites, which by this point in the trip we were becoming dangerously confident about identifying.

“Stalactites hold tight to the ceiling,” Daniel reminded me.

“Yes,” I said. “And stalagmites might reach the ceiling.”

“Now you sound like a cave guide.”

“Only if I talk too much.”

The Water Section and the Bear Bones

The highlight was the water section. We climbed into an inflatable boat and paddled across one of the cave lakes. The water was dark, still, and clear. Our flashlights caught the shapes of the rock around us, and the cave felt ancient and quiet, like it had no interest in what century it was.

We could see where longer expedition tours continue deeper into the cave system. Our tour stayed in the accessible section, but being in a dark cave lake by flashlight was enough to make it feel real.

Near the end, we saw the bear bones.

Lots of them.

Cross Cave is known for cave bear remains, and seeing ancient bones underground was incredible. It is one thing to hear that prehistoric animals used caves. It is another to stand in a cold, dark chamber and see evidence right there in the floor and rock.

Before leaving, I recorded a podcast interview with our guide. She shared more about Slovenia’s caves and why Cross Cave stands out for its natural, flashlight-based experience.

A Failed Ferrata and the Road Back to Salzburg

After the cave, we started driving back toward Salzburg.

But of course, we could not simply drive directly home.

That would be too normal.

We took a detour before the Karawanks Tunnel, near the Slovenia-Austria border, to attempt one last via ferrata. In theory, this was a brilliant finale: one more climb before ending the road trip.

In practice, the cave tour had run long, we were behind schedule, parking was confusing, and when we finally hiked up to the first ascent, the route looked serious enough to make us evaluate our gear, gloves, energy, daylight, and remaining good judgment.

Daniel said something that sounded very much like caution.

I prefer to describe it as wisdom arriving late.

He might say I was being brave.

I might say Daniel chickened out.

The mountain has not issued an official statement.

We decided not to do it.

This was difficult because I do not love turning around at the start of an adventure. But the timing was off, the gear did not feel ideal, and we still had a long drive to Salzburg. Sometimes the most heroic move is not climbing the mountain. Sometimes it is admitting the mountain will still be there next time, hopefully with better gloves and a braver Daniel.

He may disagree with that last part.

From there, we got back on the road. A road closure added one final half-hour detour, because the road trip wanted a closing joke.

Eventually, we arrived back in Salzburg around 7:30 p.m., with the castle in view and the familiar feeling of returning to home base.

We were tired, but in the best way.

The road trip was done: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, and back again. We had driven thousands of kilometers, crossed borders, climbed cliffs, crawled under fences, paddled canyons, wandered old towns, slept in questionable apartments, upgraded hotels, floated in a balloon, explored caves, eaten too much ice cream, and learned that parking can be as stressful as any mountain pass.

For both Daniel and me, it was record-setting in its own way — countries, stories, kilometers, and probably the number of times we said, “Well, that was not what we expected.”

And that is exactly why it was unforgettable.