Devetashka Cave

The Devetashka Cave is right up there with the best caverns in Bulgaria. It's a breathtaking karst cave in north-central Bulgaria, just a short drive from major tourist attractions like Veliko Tarnovo. The cave, which is also known as Oknata and Maarata, is famous for the seven holes in its ceiling.

This allows natural light to flood in, brightening the room. The Devetashka Cave has been inhabited by humans since prehistory because of its mix of shelter and abundant light. Human presence has been documented as far back as 70,000 years ago. It now serves as a haven for 30,000 bats, 30 different animal species, and over 80 bird species.

This cave was used in the filming of The Expendables 2 in 2011. Several environmental laws were broken, local vegetation was damaged, and thousands of bats were displaced as a result. However, around a year later, the majority of the bats returned to the cave.

Region: Devetaki, Bulgaria