Presentation “Cave Pokemons or the young hopes of Pod Raba”
Do you remember the last time you visited a cave? You probably walked along marked paths, followed a guide, and looked at illuminated halls. But did you see the narrow branches, marked with tape? Did you look questioningly beyond the "no entry" sign? Well, we are the ones who cannot stop at the sign, we are the cavers who reach the very bottom, explore the most inaccessible places, with mud up to our ears, helmets on our heads, and the thought, "if I move another meter, I'll have to be reborn to get out."
In 2007, in a picturesque little village called Tserovo, a group of young friends decided to start a club. They called it "Pod Raba." In 2009, after diligent work, they broke through a dead-end cave called "Kolkina Dupka," which reached a depth of -100 m, with a standard 10-story building being 30 m high. Fifteen years later, with a depth of -561 m and a length of 24 km, Kolkina is now the longest and deepest cave in Bulgaria. With four underground camps, the furthest of which is a two-day journey away, Pod Raba continues to train new cavers and actively explore new parts of the cave.
Here we can also mention our next source of pride – our young enthusiasts, under the age of 25. With enthusiasm and dedication, they actively participate in research, mapping, and expeditions both here and abroad, which can last a week of camping underground without coming to the surface. This year, a new record was set for the youngest girl to reach -1000m underground – three girls, aged 17, 18, and 19, reached -1240m in the Slovačka jama cave in Croatia. You will hear this and more stories about their experiences and difficulties from them personally.
Cave Club "Pod Raba" will be presented from:
Raya Lakova was born in Sofia and is currently 20 years old. She studies Ethnology at the Faculty of History of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and works in the field of film editing.
She completed the Pod Raba caving course at the age of 15. After the course, her curiosity about the underground world remained, and she has now been involved in speleology for five years. In the following years, she actively participated in the exploration of Kolkina Dupka in Ponor Mountain, Western Stara Planina, Bulgaria.
Among the significant expeditions she has taken part in are Njemica Cave (depth of –934 m) and Slovačka Jama (depth of –1324 m). In the latter, she and two other girls under the age of 20 from the “Pod Raba” club in the village of Tserovo reached a depth of 1250 meters, marking a notable achievement in Bulgarian speleology.
Kalin Hristov graduated from M. V. Lomonosov High School with a major in Laser and Optical Technology. He works in the field of computer technology, focusing on video processing, photography, and primarily 3D visualization.
From an early age, he has been drawn to nature — his parents often took him to the mountains, the sea, rivers, and caves. During the summer, he enjoys hiking and spending time outdoors, away from the computer screen.
In 2022, Kalin completed a caving course with the “Pod Raba” club, where his interest in speleology began. That same year, he became a member of the club and joined his first expedition to the Kolkina Dupka Cave in the Ponor Mountains.
After his initial experience — almost deciding not to take part in future cave expeditions — he joined an expedition in Austria in 2023, exploring the Hirlachhöhle Cave. The goal of that expedition was for an experienced caver and a diver to explore one of the cave’s siphons.
In 2024, he participated in an expedition to Croatia, aiming to reach a depth of –1250 meters in Slovačka Jama Cave. As one of the four new participants on the team — affectionately nicknamed the “Pokémon group” — he contributed significantly by carrying heavy equipment and supplies.
Nowdays, Kalin has taken part in three expeditions to Kolkina Dupka Cave, and as he says himself, “I still have some catching up to do.”
