Hiking at the World's Largest Ice Cave - Austria's EISRIESENWELT

Hiking at the World’s Largest Ice Cave – Austria’s EISRIESENWELT

Think you have seen it all? Think you have done all kinds of adventures? Think you have seen most of the wonders Mother Nature has in store for you? If you are a true adrenaline junkie by heart, you know you can never ever be done with looking for adventures. And if you are in Europe, you cannot, and we mean YOU CANNOT miss out on hiking at EISRIESENWELT. And if you are a thrill seeker already doing your research on hiking places and other best places to visit in Europe, look no more.

Image Source – https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/1913_-_Salzburg_-_View_from_M%C3%B6nchsberg.JPG

High above the village in Werfen Austria, perched amidst the magnificent mountains lays the entrance to the world’s biggest least explored labyrinth of ice cave with a length of so long you may complete a full marathon of 40+ km.

Also known as The World of Ice Giants, discovered in 1879, is a dynamic cave, meaning that the corridors and the crevices connect lower lying entrances to higher openings, hence making it possible for draughts of air to circulate. Researchers have found that during spring, meltwater seeps through the cracks in the rock and when it finally reaches the still cold and frozen lower areas of the caves, it simply freezes and turns slowly into the wonderful ice formations visible inside the caves.

So today we would give you a low down on how to hike your way into the world of ice giants.

Eisriesenwelt is located in Werfen, a village located one hour from Salzburg via car. The roads ends at a parking lot and then you have to walk for 20 minutes to the valley cable car station. A six-person cable car whisks the visitors up in four minutes to Dr Oedl House, located at approximately 5,250 feet above sea level.

Image Source – https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Eisriesenwelt_Werfen_Austria_-_panoramio_%286%29.jpg

If you want to enjoy a nice lunch at a mountaintop restaurant, this place would be it before continuing your journey.

Before you head into the caves for your 1 ¼ hour tour, lamps are handed out to the visitors by the guides.

Beyond the entrance, you will find a majestic, imposing ice wall of about 445 ft. high and 100 ft. deep. From there on, you will walk on a narrow ice-covered passage to a majestic domed hall filled with gigantic ice towers. Many of these ice formations have names such as the Ice Chapel, a 50-foot high structure, the Ice Organ with pipes made from enormous icicles and the 60-foot high Ice Men.

Following a 67-foot tunnel through solid ice, you will arrive at the largest room in the cave, the Alexander von Mork Cathedral, which measures, and we kid you not, around 230 feet by 153 feet.

History suggests that Anton von Posselt-Czorich was the first one to discover the ice cave in 1879. It may sound a little hilarious, but before the discovery, people had seen the hole in the mountain but were afraid to explore it because they thought evil spirits inhabited it.

The final tour of this breath-taking, literally and figuratively, ends in the Ice Palace, also known as the hall with reflections of ice in water. A tunnel from the palace continues for another 42 kilometres back into the mountain.

So now that we have mentioned how the insides of the cave feel like, and what all can you expect, let’s discuss exactly how strenuous this magical, extraordinary hike to the world’s largest ice giant/cave tour is it.

During the climb into the cave, you will go up to 440 feet. Please note: The Eisriesenwelt is not accessible to visitors in wheelchairs. However, they can enter the Visitor Center and ride the cable car to the Dr Oedl House restaurant.

If you are an enthusiastic hiker, you can hike to the Eisriesenwelt from Werfen within 90 to 120 minutes.

So, when are you packing up and heading for the greatest hike of your life, into the frozen world of giant ice caves? Plan your Europe trip with SOTC’s exclusive Europe tour packages and make the most of your wonderful time in Europe.