The Steam Cave
Natural attraction
About
The Steam Cave in the Cerna Mountains is a narrow fossil cave with a single entrance and a length of 14 meters. The cave exhales hot steam from a thermal spring located at the end of the cave.
These steam emissions, ranging from 52 to 56 degrees Celsius, surface through a crack in the rock, and inside the cave, a humidity of 100% is formed.
Due to sulfur emanations, the philonotis schliephackei moss, found only here, grows on the cave walls. The warm air in the cave contributes to the formation of gelatinous stalactites, a few centimeters thick.
From the resort of Băile Herculane to the Steam Cave, you have to walk for about an hour on mountain trails.
On the route, there are several vantage points, providing a good opportunity for short breaks, to breathe in strongly ionized air, and to admire the beautiful mountain landscapes.
Legend has it that the cave is over two millennia old, and among its visitors is even the great Dacian king Burebista.
The Steam Cave poses a real danger to visitors and speleologists alike. Over time, several people have lost their lives due to gas emissions.