Austria - Caves, Ravines and Water

2 May 2006 – The Eishohle. We visited a Ice cave 1570 metres up a mountain. This was in Werfen. Again it was a good climb half way up a mountain side to the opening. It was very dark and cold inside and we were led in teams by guides with several of us carrying acetylene lamps. It is really a "glacier" that has formed inside the cave, water and ice finding a way from the exterior into a huge cavern inside the mountain. The view of the valley below was indeed panoramic. The ice cave was a very unique experience.

3 May 2006 Seisenbergklamm. Ripples, swirls, whirls resonates the air. All we hear in this gorge is the sound of “many” waters. The entrance to this gorge is very misleading being nondescript. We did not realize that we will be climbing up steps and wooden planks at the sides of a ravine. With every turn we were greeted with waterfall upon waterfall. Cascades of water kept pouring down with eddies and pools by the side – a truly natural water park. The Saalach Valley is at the foot of the mountain ranges and 5 km from where we stayed. Within a 2 km radius are hidden three remarkable natural monuments – the Seisenbergklamm, Lamprechtshöhle and the Vorderkaserklamm. These are raging waterfalls, gorges and ravines and bizarre rock formation. We visited 2 of the three. The Lamprehöhle is actually a 51 km hole dug out by a raging underground river. It is series of cavernous tunnels.The Saalach is a river in Austria and Germany.It follows the broad valley to Saaifelden, and meanders

further on through the narrow valley towards Lofer. The melted snow from the Austrian Alps ensures that this valley is refreshed with much water