As we make our way to the Mislinja Valley on the road from Velenje to Slovenj Gradec, we pass through a window of the unique Huda luknja gorge. The gorge is squeezed between the steep sides of the Tisnik (786 m) and Pečovnik (794 m) mountains. In the pass there is only room for the Paka River and the road, a tunnel had to be built for the former railway track. The most interesting thing about Huda luknja is the Karst cave of the same name, which is not the only one in the area; above it are the Špehovka and Pilanca caves as well as more than ten other accessible karstic caves. Also interesting in the gorge is the variety of botanical species, characteristic of this alpine landscape: pretty primula, double blossom viola, primula auricular, alpine rock cress,…. The fauna is also varied: trout and crabs, water ouzel, chamois, and adders. Evidence of the age of antiquities has also been uncovered in finds of bronze Roman coinage of The Caesar Antonin Pia, remnants of receptacles, and pieces of beautifully decorated ceramics in the Pilanca cave. The Huda luknja gorge was carved by the Paka River, while the caves were formed by the work of the Ponikva stream which is the only typical underground stream in this part of Slovenia.
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