Kungurskaya Cave, Kungur

ATTENTION and WARNING! This cave NEVER gets warmer than +5 *C (41 *F) even during hot summer so make sure to have warm clothing and footwear! I was wearing open sandals with socks and by the middle of the tour got very cold feet, so let my experience be a warning to you. :) They do have warm jacket rental just across the entrance to the cave and it is only 100 rub per person, which is a great value compared to experiencing the freezing cold temperatures inside without it, your continuously runny nose and a possible cold afterwards. I also suggested them to include warm wool socks and hats for rent if anyone may be interested in them. Also it is absolutely essential for every person and especially children to go and visit the toilets before entering the cave as cold air makes the kidneys put more pressure on the bladder and unfortunately there won't be a good opportunity to go and take a leak (pardon my language) inside the cave. After all the necessary preparations we purchased the tickets including the laser show (700 rub per person) and got a very cool guide Valentine, a middle aged local born man with an exceptional sense of humor and knowledge about the cave and its surroundings. He was dressed in a blue winter coat, wore a light hat and glasses in case you get the chance to see him. Inside we were greeted with a fresh draft of very cold air and immediately realized that we are indeed inside of the ICE cave where astounding snowflakes were hanging from the ceiling. We were instructed not to touch anything as it takes ages to get restored, so please follow the guidelines and respect the other visitors' rights to see this natural beauty in its authentic form. The caverns are well kept, have various light effects and thick electric cables running along. A special mountain engineer team inspects them on a daily basis to make sure that everything is safe to be walked under and in most dangerous places long metal roads have been placed inside the rock (only the small ends of them are seen such as on the attached reddish photo). Concrete pillars decorated with wild rocks and steel beam arches supporting the ceiling have also been constructed in questionable areas to make sure that nothing endangered the lives of visiting guests. And as the result there has not been a single death among more than 6 million visitors since the 1900s so these Russian engineers surely know their stuff! However you should always MIND YOUR HEAD while on the route because numerous rock edges stick out from the ceiling and no, they don't give you a safety hat to keep you away from getting bruises. The laser show was quite amusing and depicted various eras of the cave. Grab a translator along as it is shown in Russian without any subtitles but you'll get the idea of what is going on nevertheless even if you don't. It was very hard for me to stop taking pictures and let you experience some areas without the previews such as the hard water lakes with mirror surface deflecting the walls and ceiling and multilayered rock formations in some caverns. They are absolutely spectacular and magnificent to say the least. Also on the 19th of January each year Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Epiphany (the Baptism of Christ) and as a tradition people immerse themselves in water across Russia and these underground lakes are no exception: a priest and a choir come to these caverns, conduct the necessary rituals and allow up to 100 visitors to experience the immersion while being inside the cave. The guide invited us to do it next year so do plan in advance in case you are interested. Overall the visit was great and the best part was seeing the happy faces of our frozen group members emerging into the hot summer air outside and closing the cold doors behind them!

I was here in September, nearly no tourist or any visitor, so just me and two Russian mother and daughter, so the whole thing just serve 3 people only... just amazing landscape and ice