Sohodoalele Mici cave

The Sohodoalele Mici cave opens in the doline plateau of the Sohodoalele Mici massif, at an altitude of 540 m, on the right slope of the Motru Sec valley.

It is a medium-sized cave, with a length of 220 m and a total elevation of 35 m. From the doline, we enter with the help of a rope or better a ladder, anchored to one of the beech trees at the edge of the doline, into a sinkhole that leads us to a pit of 10 m depth. At the base of this is an accumulation of boulders and plant material in the form of an accumulation cone, on the slope of which we can descend in two directions. Going first on the eastern branch, we enter after a short crawl into a spacious gallery, which has in the ceiling several high chimneys. The gallery is 35 m and at the end it presents several side passages. We sit in a beautifully concreted room, with holes, wall seepage, stalactites and stalagmites. We note among the formations transparent and white snow-like stalactites of some crusts of moonmilch.

Returning to the base of the access pit we can enter the western branch. Here, a descending corridor, with many collapses, leads us after 10 m into a spacious room, 20 m long and 3-5 m wide, with several side passages. One of these side passages develops on a diaclase and houses a beautiful lake with clear and deep water of 1-2 m.

In the floor of another side passage, an opening that descends, becoming narrower, about 10 m, and there is a presumption that it communicates with the gallery network of the Lazului Cave, which develops below. The most interesting element from a landscape perspective is the massive calcite and moonmilch concretions, up to 2 m long, especially stalactites, stalagmites, and crusts.

A beautiful stalagmitic floor, curved in shape, encloses a small cave under it. The stalactites in this part are clearly different in morphology from those in the eastern branch, and they present polyhedral septal surfaces (faceted stalactites, "wrinkled" stalactites), whose genesis is related to the occurrence of negative temperatures in the underground in certain periods.

It is not excluded that the existence of the supposed connection through the 10 m pit may have favored the circulation of cold air during the winter.

A 15 m rope or a speleological ladder is required for descending the avenue.