Vjetrenica (which means "wind cave" or "blowhole") is the largest and most important cave in Bosnia, and one of the most important caves in the Dinaric Alps mountain range, which is famous worldwide for its karstic and speleological riches. Vjetrenica cave is situated in the southwestern part of Herzegovina in the stunning valley of Popovo Polje.
Near the small town of Ravno and the medieval orthodox monastery of Zavala is the largest cave system discovered in Bosnia and Herzegovina – Vjetrenica Caves. This extensive cave system has in total over 6,7 kilometres of passages. The stunning main passage stretches on 2,50 kilometers., geologists have predicted that Vjetrenica cave could stretch right to the Adriatic Sea in the outskirts of Dubrovnik some 20 km away from its entrance.
Amongst the many archaeological discoveries are the ancient cave bears and leopards, cave drawings that are estimated to be over 10,000 years old. The Cave is also home to many small lakes and endemic types of shellfish only found in deep underground aquifer systems.
Vjetrenica is the richest cave in the world in terms of subterranean biodiversity: among more than two hundred different species are registered in it, almost hundred are troglophiles, a great number of them are narrow endemic, 15 are stenoendemic, and about 37 were discovered and described in Vjetrenica for the first time. This cave is also home to the endemic Olm - the so called "human fish" , which is the largest dweller of the cave system.
Vjetrenica is now on the list for UNESCO protected areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The cave has recently been re-opened after extensive research and improvements to the infrastructure. Well marked road signs are visible throughout the main Popovo Polje road from Stolac to Trebinje and from the main coastal road in Croatia towards Ravno.
