Obstans ice cave

A mountain experience of the special kind is the ice cave of Obstans, located between the Lienz Dolomites and the Carnic Alps.

The ice cave of Obstans in East Tyrol can be reached from the mountaineering village of Kartitsch. First the trail takes you via the “Prinz Heinrich” trail and along the waterfall of Obstans, up to the “Prinz Heinrich” chapel. Then you proceed to the Obstanser See mountain hut (2,304 m asl) along the Carnic high altitude path, and then you finally come across the ice cave. The last part of the trail is marked and secured by ropes.

At this point an 800 m long cave opens up, which has only partially been researched and opened up. Parts of the cave can only be passed by crowling, but a part of the Obstans ice cave, that is to say a length of 100 m, has been made open to the public. The cave can be visited in guided tours, offered by the Hochpustertal alpine school. A special experience for all the family! Don’t forget to bring a torchlight and warm clothes, as not for nothing this cave is called ice cave.

In torchlight this cave reflects various ice formations, dripstones and other interesting formations. Exactly for this reason it is also very popular with kids. In the last part of the trail to the cave, which is secured by ropes, we highly recommend you to secure your kids.

Where: between the Lienz Dolomites and the Carnic Alps
Starting point: Kartitsch
Peculiarities: a cave system with ice and dripstone formations