Rugova Canyon, Kosovo

The Gryka e Madhe (Great Canyon-cave) is located in the 8th kilometer of Rugova Canyon, in the left side, about 60 m above the Lumbardhi river, in the altitude 637 m.

Research in this cave started in 1993 when it was discovered in by Slovak speleologists who were traveling to Macedonia through the Rugova canyon. However, the cave was long known to local inhabitants before this. It has been identified that the cave’s corridors are an oval profile, and it has the character of a continuously underground canyon with high walls. The highest levels of the cave do not have sediments, whilst the lower levels contain large, circular shaped rocks. Five levels of the cave have so far been explored. The first is at river level, which is 66 meters deep starting from its entrance. Different coloured sediments have been identified at this level. Due to its rough terrain and the high risk to people inside, the cave is rarely entered and is in a good state. Different teams of experts from Slovakia, Bulgaria, the NGO “Aragoniti” and KEPA have researched the cave.