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Vrelo Cave Traditional Geocache

Hidden : 7/27/2014
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:


Vrelo Cave


Matka (Матка, meaning "womb") is a canyon located west of Skopje. Covering roughly 5,000 hectares, Matka is one of the most popular outdoor destinations in Macedonia and is home to several medieval monasteries. Matka Canyon is home to a wide variety of plants and animals, some of which is unique to the area. Roughly 20% of plant life is found only at Matka. The canyon is also home to 77 endemic species of butterfly.

The Pine cone in Vrelo cave



There are 10 caves at Matka Canyon, with the shortest in length being 20 metres and the longest being 176 metres. The canyon's caves are home to large populations of bats.



Vrelo Cave is located on the right bank of the Treska River, about 2 km from the Matka Dam. There are two entrances to the cave - an aboveground and an underground (under water). The aboveground entrance to Vrelo lies some 20 meters above the water level. Vrelo Cave has many stalactites including a large one in the middle of the cave is known as the Pine Cone due to its shape. There are two lakes at the end of the cave. The smaller lake is 8 metres at its longest length and 15 metres in depth at its deepest point. The larger lake is 35 metres at its longest length, and 18 metres at its deepest point.


The underwater entrance to Vrelo



Though the exact depth of the cave is unknown, some speculate that it could be the deepest underwater cave in the world. In 2007, the cave ranked 77th, after being explored by diver Mark Vandermeulen, on a list of the deepest underwater caves. Vandermeulen was also part of this year's diving team. Vrelo ranks 14th on the list of the deepest caves explored by humans, and some speculate it might be underestimated.



Diving approximately 212 metres, an international team of divers and speleologists explored the subterrain recently. The team of 13, made up of Italian, Belgian and Macedonian divers, believe that the cave is actually deeper than reported, but had to call off their ten-day mission due to muddied water caused by heavy rain.


Longitudinal cross-section of Vrelo



How to get there: only by boat. Boats (approximately for 10 people) start in the front of the Hotel-restaurant Canyon Matka. The price for 1 person is 400 denars (about 7 euros), which covers transportation to the cave and the entrance, with short info by the boatman. It takes about 1.5 hour for this trip.

The cache is a small white plastic container. Please, be aware of snakes, especially in summer! The cache is hidden near the cave entrance. To find this cache in discretion, when the visitors go back to the boat, pretend you forgot something there and quickly find and log !!! Bond, James Bond, would accomplish this task within few seconds!



The GPS signal along the canyon is usually very poor! Please, consider the published coordinates only as approximative! Use the photo spoiler to locate the cache, please.


You can reach Lake Matka by bus, by car or a bike. The city bus (number 60) runs from central Skopje via Saray to the Matka dam (check the schedule on the JSP website, http://www.jsp.com.mk/VozenRed.aspx). By car or bike: go west from Skopje and turn left across a new bridge toward the municipality of Saray. Continue toward the village GLUMOVO. Behind the village Glumovo the road splits in two. Turn downhill left and continue through the village Dolna Matka about 2 km. During weekends and festivals the place is crowded by people and cars, so there can problem to park the car. However, if you come early in the morning it will be no problem to park.

Sources: Internet; Photos: Internet, Original (by Galejnik)

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Obggbz bs gur frpbaq "fgnve" (tnovba), oruvaq n fznyy fgbar. Gur jver vf znexrq jvgu n 5 pz fnsrgl cva (Cubgbfcbvyre!!!)

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)