Caving tips

Taking care

To visit caves as the ones of PETAR, the majority in their original state, you have to be careful with some things, mainly to maintain the cave conservation.

• Never enter alone in a cave, allways look for a guide or an experienced person help .
• Pay attention and do not step on the speleotems, brake or smoke them with the headlamp.
• Do not take or brake anything from the caves, taking special care with the formations.
• Do not use alcoolic drinks inside the cave.
• Do not smoke inside the cave, the smoke is harmful to this delicate environment.
• Respect the life inside the cave, only looking at it.
• Maintain the cave clean. Bring back all you trash (organic or inorganic), take also the trash you find along the cave stretch and throw them in the containers outside the caves
• The caves have natural obstacles. Do not expose yourself or other inexperienced and not phisically prepared people to risc situations.
• In case you get lost, do not be in panic. Stop in the place you are and wait for help. The rescue will only be possible if you have previously informed you route to the guides at the checkpoints by filling the cave visit form. For the caves outside the visit centers, allways inform somebody from the village about your trip.

Planning

• Be informed about local rules for the place to be visited.
• Allways plan in details the trip you want to make.
• If you have never been to the place, look for visit details with experienced people before set off.
• Calculate the time you want to spend inside the cave.
• Select and prepar the equipment you want to take with you in advance.

What to take with you

• Take appropriate and enough food for twice the period you want to spend inside the cave.
• Take appropriate equipment, see below.
• First aid material.
• Allways use one handlight and take a backlight.
• At list one person must take an acetylene generator and headlamp and other an electrical light.
• Allways have carbide and battery refils, more or less twice you want to use.
• Have Learnt basic navigation, first aid and climbing technics.

Gear

• Appropriate shoes, antiskating, hiking boots are recomended.
• Clothes that can keep you dry, warm and confortable.
• A helmet with a fixation under your chin.
• Backpack for the gear, food and trash.
• Acetylene generator and headlamp.
• Electric light and batteries.
• Plastic bags for the trash.
• Water proof containers for food and carbide.