Donini
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| | Raps:7, max ↨148ft
Red Tape: Shuttle:None Rock type:Limestone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | Anytime
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40.1669, 9.4898
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Introduction[edit]
Donini cave is an outstanding cave through-trip, with many swimming pools inside and a final dramatic rappel out of the side of the cliff.
Approach[edit]
Note that the drive to the parking area has 10km (6 miles) of high clearance driving. A carefully driven passenger car with a short wheelbase should be able to make it without damage. Allow 45-60 min of driving on high clearance dirt roads from the end of pavement.
In Google Maps you can navigate to 40.1516, 9.4844, which is the end of the road in Google Maps, but you will still have about 2km (1+ mile) of driving to the parking area from that point (the continuation of the road is not shown on Google Maps). From the parking area it is only about a 15 min walk to the cave entrance.
The entrance of the cave has a vertical shaft going down. It is on the right side of the drainage looking downstream, at the coordinates of 40.16685, 9.48977. It is marked with a plate on the rock having the numbers 424 on it, and two bolts with rings. There may be a fixed rope as well.
Descent[edit]
The cave is slightly mazey at the start. Follow the spray-painted arrow on the wall upstream, then immediately you have a crawl to the right (downstream). Do not go left and up (continuing upstream) or you will find yourself in a dead-end chamber. After the crawl to the right, you will drop down on a short rappel and continue more or less downstream. After a short while of low walking, you will reach a series of travertine dams, and the cave will continue to open up until it is large walking passage the rest of the way.
There are many long swims and short rappels inside the cave. Wetsuits are required.
Exit[edit]
After the dramatic rappel out of the cave on the side of the cliff, you have 1-2 more rappels to get down to the junction of Orbisi canyon finish. Take wetsuits off, cross the canyon here, and start hiking up the hillside (many cairns are on the path, multiple paths are up the hillside). Eventually as you climb you will intersect a well established trail that tourists take down to Gorropu gorge, and follow this trail 5-10 mins back to the parking area.
Red tape[edit]
Beta sites[edit]
Descente-Canyon.com : Donini
Canyon.Carto.net : Grotta Luigi Donini
CicaRudeClan.com : Grotta Donini- Catastoforre AIC-Canyoning.it : Grotta L. Donini
Icopro.org : Grotta La Donini- Gulliver.it : Donini (grotta-canyon) da Sedda ar Baccas
Trip reports and media[edit]
Barranquistas.es : BUSCANDO LA GROTTA DONINI
Wikiloc.com : Retorno Donini para Frank & Tania
