Shulgan-Tash, also known as the Kapova Cave, is the great cave of the southern Urals, and in 1959 it became famous for a find. The Russian archaeologist Alexander Ryumin found paintings on its walls, done in red ochre, of mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses and horses, together with geometric signs. They were the first Paleolithic cave paintings found in Russia, and the nearest comparable art lies thousands of kilometers west in France and Spain. Radiocarbon dating suggests that some of the images are about fourteen to thirty-seven thousand years old, though specialists continue to debate the dates.
The cave itself is a large karst system in the limestone of the Belaya valley, with three levels of galleries, a lake and a river that flows underground, and huge chambers decorated with stalactites and stalagmites. The paintings are in a deep gallery, protected by a strict regime. Public access is limited to guided tours, with restrictions on numbers and on the time spent inside, and the paintings are best seen with a permitted guide. The cave belongs to the Shulgan-Tash Nature Reserve, and the surrounding forest is home to bears, elk, lynx and many birds.
The ride into the area is a pleasure and a challenge. The road from Starosubkhangulovo, the nearest village, runs about twenty-seven kilometers through forest and hills, with narrow lanes and patches of rough surface, and the last stretch can be muddy after rain. The Belaya River is nearby, wide and clean, with limestone cliffs along its banks and rapids that attract rafters. A small museum near the site presents the tradition of wild-hive beekeeping, with demonstrations of how honey is gathered from hollow trees high above the ground.
Services are limited. Fuel and shops are best found in Yumaguzino or in the towns farther west, so fill up before you come, and carry food and water. Guesthouses in the villages offer simple rooms, and visitors can sometimes buy honey directly. Mobile coverage is patchy.
The cave is cool and damp even in summer, so bring a warm layer. Visits are most reliable from late spring to early autumn, and it is wise to check the arrangements with the reserve in advance.