Oldest cave in the Alps

It was a sensation when mountain guide Willy Costamoling found the bones of a cave bear high in the mountains of Alta Badia in 1987. It was even more remarkable when it became known that this was a distinct species: a one-and-a-half-tonne bear that lived in the meadows around Cima Cunturines and fed on berries and plants.

The history and complete skeleton of this Ursus ladinicus, which lived more than 50,000 years ago, are displayed and described down in the valley in San Cassiano, at the Museum Ladin Ursus ladinicus. This has made it clear for decades that the Conturines Cave is old. It is the highest cave in the world where bones and remains of bears and cave lions have been found. Now it has also been revealed that it is the oldest known cave in the Alps.

The sinter deposits - stalactites and stalagmites - that have grown over millions of years serve as a unique climate archive and show that the region once had a significantly warmer climate. Millions of years ago, cedar and walnut trees grew at an altitude of 2,800 metres, at a time when the Mediterranean Sea dried up and opened a land route from Africa to Europe.

Thanks to precise radiometric dating and 15 years of research, an international team of scientists discovered that the oldest stalactites are nearly six million years old. The study was presented in Bolzano in March 2026. The mountain itself, the Cima Cunturines, is the highest peak in the Fanes Group in the Dolomites at 3,064 metres.

Today, a mountain tour leads to the Conturines Cave. It starts at the Capanna Alpina in San Cassiano (1,725 m above sea level) and covers an altitude difference of over 1,000 metres during the five-hour hike. The cave is fenced off and can only be visited on a guided tour. Guided hikes are offered regularly, and stalactites can still be seen inside.