Spectacular images capture the inside of a stunning ice cave in the picturesque Dachstein mountain range in Austria.
Explorers took a tour of the Eisriesenhoehle (ice cave) near Obertraun, located around 300 kilometres southwest of the Austrian capital Vienna.
Visitors can tour the unique cave, which was only re-discovered in 1910, to see a ‘wondrous underground world of natural ice sculptures and formations’ which began forming 500 years ago.
There is also a nearby Mammut (mammoth) cave of which more than 70 km of passageways have been explored.
They can explore the labyrinth of ice caves which stretch out for almost 30 miles between the months of May to October.
“The ice is formed by water which seeps from the Dachstein plateau down into the cave through small cracks and joins in the cliff,” the Dachstein Salzkammergut website explains.
“When outside temperatures lie above freezing but the caves still contain very cold air, the penetrating water freezes and forms magnificent ice shapes which define the magic of the giant ice cave.”
There is also evidence that suggests tribes may have lived in the caves during the Ice Age.
“The World Heritage region in Dachstein with its clear lake, fertile meadows and locations tucked into the cliff sides offers the perfect conditions for settlement,” the site added.
“Humans settled here during the Ice Age, as proven by the discovery of a cave bear bone in the ice cave which has been artistically bored through.”
The caves attract between 80,000 and 180,000 visitors every year.
Meanwhile, these incredible photos capture the eerie beauty of the world’s largest cave in Vietnam.
source: telegraph
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