Sablinskie Caves near St. Petersburg

The Leningrad Region is rich in natural monuments. These are not only individual geological objects, but also entire areas of the territory.

Monuments of natural geological history are found in the form of boulders, picturesque rocks, caves and waterfalls. Such monuments include Sablinskie Caves, which are located near the station Sablino of the Moscow railroad and the village Ulyanovka, about 40 kilometers from St. Petersburg.

Not far from the center of the village is a bridge over the river Sablinka. About 200 meters from the bridge, the river forms a beautiful waterfall, whose ledges reach a height of 4 meters. The ledge is formed by ancient rock deposits of soft sandstone and limestone. Falling from the height, the water keeps destroying the soft rocks, and the waterfall rises upstream by several centimeters every year.

The most beautiful places begin a little below the waterfall, where Sablinka forms a canyon, more than a dozen meters deep. Its slopes are so steep that even rock-climbing training is conducted here.

Closer to the mouth of the river, the Sablinka valley widens. Near the place where Sablinka flows into the river Tosna, a wide picturesque panorama opens up. Here on the bluffs are the entrances to the Sablinskie Caves.

Всего известны 6 пещер с открытыми входами и 2 с заваленными. Саблинские пещеры – это штреки искусственного происхождения. Их вырыли для того чтобы добывать песок, употребляемый в стеклоделии в 19 столетии.

In each cave with a narrow entrance, steep descents lead to large, ceilinged "halls," from which the side passages diverge.

The largest are Zhemchuzhnaya (5.5 km long), Beregovaya (3.5 km), Malaya Sablinskaya (1.5 km) and Trehglazka (0.3 km).

In many caves there are beautiful sinter formations - stalactites descending from the ceilings of the caves and stalagmites rising to meet them.

Some have small water streams, and even small underground lakes.

Sablinskie Caves, the river with a waterfall and rock outcrops are unique natural monuments. Unprepared tourists are strictly forbidden to enter Sablinskie Caves without a guide, because it is easy to get lost in numerous underground labyrinths.