Izvir Bilpa (Bilpa spring cave)
Bilpa Creek flows out of a cave below a high rock wall above the Kolpa river, close to Spodnja Bilpa; the karst spring dwindles in dry periods and gushes after rain. The spring cave contains sumps separated by dry sections. In October 2022 sixteen divers of the state technical-diving unit and four cave-rescue divers trained here in cave-diving techniques beyond the sumps, including moving equipment through the dry part.
Facts
- Region: Slovenia – Lakes, Rivers & Caves
- Area: Dolenjska & Bela krajina (Krka, Kolpa, Kočevje)
- Level: advanced
- Current: moderate
- Type: cave
- Coordinates: 45.5121681, 14.9623177 (approximate)
- Highlights: active karst spring cave on the Kolpa, sumps with dry sections between them, training site of the state technical-diving unit and cave-rescue divers (2022), spring strongly reduced in drought, gushing after rain
- Permit: Under the Cave Protection Act (ZVPJ) every cave, including water-filled ones, is state-owned and protected. Only persons certified for independent caving (certificate checked by the Speleological Association of Slovenia, JZS) may explore caves, and they must notify the cave's custodian, concessionaire or protected-area manager in advance (Art. 14); closed caves can be entered only for scientific/archaeological work with a permit from the ministry responsible for nature conservation (Art. 17). There is no visitor dive permit: in practice diving here happens only as a member of the caving/cave-diving team that runs the exploration.
- Issuer / contact: Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning – Nature Conservation Sector
- Phone: +38614787335
- Email: gp.mop@gov.si
- Website: https://www.gov.si/teme/podzemne-jame/
- Unverified: Coordinates are the OSM position of Bilpa Creek, not a published cave-entrance point; sump lengths and depths are not given in the sources that could be fetched (a news report with sump details was blocked).
- Tips: Research/training only, not available to visiting divers. Strongly flow-dependent spring; plan only with the local caving and cave-rescue community.