(file attached to OP. check proper subfolder!)

folder includes detailed map of the National Park's Aggtelek & Slovak karst with infos of guided CAVE TOURS so far...

Editing in process...

The Aggtelek National Park
Size of protected area: 19.981 hectares, out of this area 3922 hectares are protected to a greater extent.
Location: The protected area of the national park consists of two large parts, which are divided by the densely populated valley of the Bódva. The larger part is surrounded by the national border and roughly by Trizs, Teresztenye, Szinpetri, Szögliget and Tornanádaska – on the Aggtelek-Rudabánya highlands. The smaller one is situated in the area bordered by Szölösardó, Szalonna and Tornaszentandrás – on the territory of the Szalonna inselberg/island hill.
Visiting: Only the Baradla is open for the public out of the caves, however, further caves can also be visited with a permit and with a guide (and with some experinece in caving and own caving equipment!).

When talking about environmental protection, it is almost always taken for granted that it is about rare species of plants or animals, and perhaps about endangered associations. Although the so called 'inanimate nature', the rocks, minerals, geological formations, the different forms of scenery represent exactly the same kind of value. For an interested eye, karst formations, the petrified sights of processes of hundred billion years, are just as delightful and impressive as the living forms of nature. For people interested in these silent, motionless wonders of nature, the Aggtelek karst region will offer an unforgettable experience. In spite of flora and fauna abounding in unique species, this is the only national park in Hungary that was created to protect the glorious and in many respects unparalleled geological formations. This was strongly confirmed by the fact that the caves in the area of the Aggtelek karst region, were declared by UNESCO to become part of the World Heritage .

& further pics

This region is unusual in many respects in terms of its flora and fauna. Though in terms of geography, the Aggtelek karst region (also called the Sajó-Bódva district) belongs to the Északi-Középhegység (northern mountains), while in terms of evolution and structure it rather fits into the inner arc of the North-west Carpathians.
Relating to the history of the earth, a more than a thousand meter wide limestone (especially predisposed to karst erosion) formed during the Triassic on the foundation of this area, on the sandstone and clay-bearing shale originating from the first part of the Triassic. The majority of the Aggtelek caves are locared in this mid-Triassic limestone. During the later periods of the geolocic history of the Earth, the area got broken several times and several further layers of sediments (sand, clay etc.) deposited onto the limestone. The different layers of sediments, through the eras of geologic history of the Earth, can easily be studied in the road cuttings between Jósvafö and Színpetri, and Jósvafö and Aggtelek, and in the protected geological excavations of the Baradla cave. These layers of sediments contain remains of diffrent living beings from diffrent geological periods. Besides, the layers come from diffrent depths of seas and are of the nicest colours from redish, through almost black to yelloish, and white.

White rocks, sharp-bladed rock stipes standing paralelly (called the 'devil's furrow'), water holes (e.g. the Kisravasz hole and Nagyravasz hole in Aggtelek), dolinas with gentle shapes, sink-holes, potholes, canyons make an enchanted world of the scenery. The characteristic signs of karst erosion of limestone ranges are more powerful than in the Bükk mountains. The soil is already desiccated as dry as a bone by the beginning of summer and organic matters are quickly washed out from this sedimental soil by the rain, and the result is the characteristic soil of the region called 'terra rossa'.
The so called covered karst is more common in the southern parts of the karst region (in the south of the Aggtelek – Perkupa line), where through geological eras further rocks deposited onto the limestone foundation and the tilth of the soil is much thicker. The landscape of this part of the region is rather downy, with gentle shaped hills, less deep and wider valleys and with oak forests, which is typical of ranges of medium height.
The Aggtelek karst region is one of the coldest parts in Hungary, since its climate is dominated to a large extent by the climate of the nearby Carpathians. The number of snow coverd and rainy days is outstandingly high. As a result the region is abounding in water - in comparison with the national average. In the valleys of the catchment area of the brooks Bódva and Sajó, mostly constant brooks (e.g. Telekes, Jósva, Ménes, Szuha) supply water for the almost one hundred, more or less constant karst springs. These springs are supplied with water by the complicated system of waters of the interior of the limestone mountains. The network of brooks and springs are complemented by larger and smaller constant or periodical lakelets, the so called tarns. A part of them formed in the hollow of water holes - after they got plugged - of the karst ranges, the rest is artificial. Examples of the former are the Vörös lake beside the Baradla cave, or the Aggtelek, Derenk, and Szögtelek lakes, while the Tengerszem in Jósvafö is artificial. Because of the changeable level of water, some of the natural lakelets may often dry out and a green meadow will take over in the next year. Vica versa, after an extended wet period, a new tarn can take shape in a plugged waterhole.

The caves
Although the surface of the Aggtelek karst provides a great number of sights (see above), the most renowned and valuable treasures of the national park are the caves. There are more than two hundred and sixty of them, out of which twenty are protected to a greater extent. Though it is strongly suspected, that they make up one huge system of caves, explorations have not confirmed this, since quite a few caves are still unexplored by experts. Only a part of the cave systems can be found in the territory of Hungary. The rest is situated in the Slovak part of the karst region extending as far as Rozsnyó in the Slovak Karst.
The biggest and most remarkable cave is Baradla, which belongs to the roughly twenty five km long Baradla-Domica cave system (eighteen km long stretch is located in Hungary). The Baradla stalactite cave is one of the longest, most beautiful and richest in dripstones in Europe (it is accessible from Aggtelek and from Jósvafö as well). The cave has three stories and during visiting the second story can be toured, while the lower story is under water level. Perhaps the most renowned dripstone of the two upper stories is the almost twenty five meter tall and nearly one thousand ton 'Astrodome'. Dozens of similar wonders can be seen, even if one takes part only in the short tour easily achievable for anybody ('Tiger', Dragon head', 'Tongue of mother-in-law', 'Train engine'). A part of these dripstones stand on the ground (stalagmites), others build up slowly from the ceiling (stalactites). In several cases the columns were formed by the joint of the dripstones starting to grow from both directions. In the huge dripstone walled halls (the biggest is called the 'hall of giants') of the cave, visitors find themselves in an earlier unimaginable fairyland, inhabited by fairy creatures and structures (e.g. 'Chinese pagoda', 'Rick shaped earthenware oven')

Baradla cave

The flora and fauna of the cave is also very interesting, since the lower animals, living in constant darkness, are blind. The most renowned members of these are the blind crayfish of Aggtelek, the blind ground beetle (Carabus) and several colourless, almost transparent creatures: snails, spiders, beetles entirely accomodated to living under the ground. Others spend only part of their lives in the cave, otherwise living on the surface. The best known are the bats, with several strictly protected species living here.
The more than ten km long Béke cave in Jósvafö and the three km long Szabadság cave in Égerszög are similar to the Baradla. They were formed in a similar way and the formations in them are similarly beautiful, though smaller. However, one needs a permit to visit them (it might change in the case of the Szabadság cave). Because of its rather effective microclimate, a part of the Béke cave is used as a healing cave. Besides horizontal caves, there are vertical, so called pit caves, too in the ranges. The deepest of them is the 235 m deep pothole in Vecsembükk. The caves of the Szalonnai-karst and Esztramos should also be mentioned, which were discovered during mining (part of which was damaged by barbarous exploitation). These caves were shaped as a result of the dissolving effect of thermal water. They are smaller, but their walls are covered by colourful calcite crystals, masses of even internationally rare curved dripstones and pisolites (peastones).

Besides its caves and karst formations on the surface, visitors are also offered a great number of sights concerning the flora and fauna of the national park. According to zonation, the Aggtelek karst region was covered by hornbeam-oak forests for thousands of years. Unwooded lawn associations were only typical of rocky areas – on broken off rocky areas and on eroded southern steep slopes. The large bare clearings were created by man living here for thousands of years by using the area for pasturing and as hayfields. It is worth mentioning that human activities have entirely become part of the ecological balance of these unwooded areas, and termination of these would bring the end of this rare and valuable flora and fauna. In these areas snowdrops and corydalis (Corydalis) bloom. Feather-grass (Stipa) steppe meadows are the typical plant association in the thin tilth of clearings on the plateaus. The golden-drop (Onosma tornense) is one of the highly protected species of them listed in the International Red Book (book listing and describing extinct and highly endangered species).
The sink holes in the northern parts of the karst with a colder microclimate are dominated by beeches while canyon-groves are predominant in the dark cool canyons. The mezereon (Daphne mezereum), the purple toothwort (Dentaria glandulosa) are their valuable species, as well as the ravishing dog's tooth violet (Erythronium dens-canis), which also lives in lime-ash rocky groves in thin rubbly soil.

Thermophilous oaks can be found in the southern warmer areas, and it is the white oak-karst grove that grows on the warm or sometimes hot some rocky slopes,. There are real rarities hiding in the underwood of these, Mediterranean kind of areas: red helleborine Cephalanthera ruba), the saxifrage (Saxifraga paniculata), the helleborine (Epipactis), the strictly protected pasque flower (Pulsatilla grandis) or the Transylvanian hare's tail grass (Sesleria heufleriana) (native in Transylvania) bloom in the shade of the common whitebeams (Sorbus aria) and mahaleb cherrys (Prunus mahaleb). The rarities of the semi-dry rocky meadows along the wooded areas is the red viper's-bugloss (Echium) and the strictly protected Austrian dragonhead (Dracocephalum austriacum).
The alder groves with ferny underwood and marshy tall weeds are also valuable associations of the area and they grow along the valleys of streams (in the Kecsö- and Ménes-valleys) of the karst.

The fauna of the karst is at least as colourful as its flora and plant associations. The hazel-grouse the only grouse species in Hungary is still very common in the undisturbed peaceful depths of hornbeam-oak groves. One can regularly hear the quail (Coturnix coturnix) singing in the meadows among the forests, especially in the downy parts of the southern areas. While in wet parts, in the watery meadows along the streams, the harsh, rattling cry of the corncrake (Crex crex) can be heard. The 'ancient bird' called the black stork (Ciconia nigra) with a concealed life-style also lives in the wet, wooded groves. The huge predator, the imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca) and the lesser spoted eagle (Aquila pomarina) nest in forests, in beeches difficult of access. The Ural wood-owl (Strix uralensis) almost as big as the eagle/stock owl - recently moved in from Asia - finds home in the most dense oaks, beeches. As a result of active protection, the raven and the tawny owl (Strix aluco) are common sights again (or rather just 'hearing' in the case of the tawny owl). The tree-creeper (Certhia), the green and the gray-headed woodpecker (Picus), the black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) live in the forests of the karst. The stock dove (Columba oenas) nests in cavities of old trees, the hoopoe (Upupa epops) lives in the fringes of forests, the kingfisher's (Alcedo atthis) and the dipper's (Cinclus cinclus) habitat is located along streams and lakelets. The patient bird-watcher can see rock thrushes (Monticola saxatilis) in the stony, rocky parts and in quarries. The bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula), the goldcrest (Regulus regulus), and the coal tit (Parus ater) nest in the planted pine-woods.
The reptile and amphibian fauna of the karst are also of great value. The smooth snake , the dice- and the Aesculapian snake are quite common, the green-, sand- and the wall lizard (Lacerta muralis) and the slow-worm can often be seen in warm, rocky areas. The spectacular spotted salamander is not considered to be rare in the wet areas.
Rare fish and dozens of lower animals could be listed from lakes, streams and springs: the gudgeon, loach (Nemachilus barbatulus), and the minnow live on the shores near the springs. The rare Hungarian barbel (Barbus meridionalis petényii) and the long-whiskered gudgeon (Gobio uranoscopus) live a little lower on the shore, while the spined loach (Cobitis taenia) and the 'sand' gudgeon and the parasitic river-lamprey (Lampetra sp.) live on the lowest parts of the streams.

All said so far is next to nothing in comparison to the insect population , which is the real treasure of the karst. Although the great majority of visitors do not stop to observe insects in the forests or on the hot plateaus of the karst, it is still worth mentioning the most typical representatives of the world of insects, especially the diurnal butterflies - the most prominent of them.
The grayish blue backed alpine longhorn beetle (Rosalia alpina) can realatively often be seen in the old oak forests, but the otherwise rare zemplén- and ground beetle are quite common, too. Several species of coppers live in the meadows of the plateau, while the attentive visitor can see white admirals, swallowtails (Papilio machaon), scarce swallowtails (Iphiclides podalirius) in the hornbeam forests.

Rosalia alpina

Describing the fauna of national parks, big mammals are hardly ever mentioned. Now we have to make an exception, because besides the red deer , wild boar and roe-deer, which are common in the forests in Hungary, some very rare big predators live here. Lynxes and wolves have been coming down from the Carpathian forests for a time, but fortunately they have also settled down here by now. The traces of only one or two families of them have been obsreved by the national park rangers. Similarly, a bear family is also said to have moved to the forests of the Aggtelek karst from the safety of the vast Carpathian forests.

The region abounds in cultural historical and ethnographic relics , too. The traces of prehistoric man was found in the Baradla cave. Besides polished flint implements, relics from the Bronze and Iron ages were also found by researchers. An ancient foundry from the 11th century was excavated in the vicinity of Imola, and remains of several earthwork fortresses came to light near Imola and the vicinity. From later ages, perhaps the most beautiful monument is 12th century church in Tornaszentandrás, which has a twin apse (two sanctuaries). The history of several settlements around here goes back as far as the Arpadian age. E.g. The churches in Szalonna and Boldva were founded in the 12th century. (The birth of the earliest (written) record extant the 'Halotti beszéd' of the Hungarian language is connected to the latter.) There are churches in Bódvalenke, Jósvafö, Tornanádska with beautiful sunk panelled ceiling and in Szögliget the ruins of Szádvár fortress built in the 13th century is a delightful sight.
Some relics of folk architecture can be found practically in every village. There are a lot of old peasant houses in Szögliget, Tornakápolna, Égerszög. It is also worth making a detour to Gömörszölös to see a project of Miskolci Ökológiai Kuatóintézet (research institute of ecology in Miskolc). Their houses and the achievements of their farming and their project of lifestyle can be seen there.
all quoted from foek.hu pages

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