Named after the eminent 19th century Romanian biologist Emil Racovita, the village of Criva in Moldova has one of the biggest cave complexes in the world. A network of underground galleries stretches over 89,000m.
Discovered in 1959, the cave is the third largest gypsum cave in the world and parts of the complex are only accessible via large wells. The huge caves have been given names such as Cinderella’s Hall and Dacia’s Hall that give an idea of their size and grandeur and there are several underground lakes including the Blue Lake and the Dinosaur Lake. There are no trail markers but visitors can explore the caves in small groups with an experienced guide.