Karst cavities are distributed extremely unevenly across the country’s territory. The majority of them are concentrated in the northern and northeastern regions of Moldova. Camenca District is the absolute leader in terms of recorded sites (11 sites), followed by Rîșcani and Edineț Districts (7 sites each). These three districts account for more than half of all the caves and grottoes on the list.
The overwhelming majority of caves and grottoes are located on riverbanks. River systems played a key role in exposing the karstifying rocks:
- The Dniester (Nistru) and its tributaries (Beloci, Camenca, Pogaina creek) “cut open” the limestone strata in the east.
- The Răut River concentrates caves around it in the Orhei District.
- Small northern rivers (Ciuhur, Draghiște, Racovăț, Lopatnic) formed the famous canyons (toltry), which abound in grottoes (Vatic, Duruitoarea, Brînzeni, Trinca).
Small karst forms predominate in the morphological structure. From the general list, nearly half of the sites (22) are directly classified as grottoes. These are shallow cavities in limestone cliffs (often ancient Sarmatian reefs) that historically served as sites for prehistoric humans (for example, Duruitoarea Veche or Brînzeni).
| Cave / Grotto Name | District | Location Description | Host Rock | Genesis Type (Formation) | Length (m) | Area (m²) | Volume (m³) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zolushka (Cinderella) \ Emil Racoviță | Briceni | Criva village | Gypsum | Corrosive | 92000 | 206500 | 550000 |
| Surprizelor (Surprise Cave) (PM-90) | Criuleni | Criuleni town | Sarmatian white and light gray shelly limestone | Dilatational / Corrosive cavity | 1120 | 1421 | 5116 |
| Mygly (PM-85) | Orhei | Piatra village, left bank of the Răut River | Lower Sarmatian reef light-gray limestone | Erosional / Corrosive cavity | 30 | 37 | 50 |
| Jeloboc (PM-87) | Orhei | Jeloboc village, left bank of the Răut River, 1 km downstream | Gray limestone | Erosional / Corrosive cavity | 30 | 37 | 50 |
| PM-148 | Orhei | Butuceni village, right bank of the Răut River | Light-gray Sarmatian limestone | Erosional / Corrosive cavity | 9 | 5 | 5 |
| PM-149 | Orhei | Mașcăuți village, right bank of the Răut River | Fine-detrital Sarmatian limestone | Erosional / Corrosive cavity | 44 | 95 | 285 |
| PM-150 | Orhei | Mașcăuți village, right bank of the Răut River | Fine-detrital Sarmatian limestone | Erosional / Corrosive cavity | 127 | 252 | 907 |
| PM-151 | Orhei | Butuceni village, right bank of the Răut River | Light-gray Sarmatian limestone | Erosional / Corrosive cavity | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Marcăuți | Dubăsari | Marcăuți village, right bank of the Dniester River | |||||
| Harmatska-1 (PP-75) | Dubăsari | Harmațca village, 1.5 km north of the village | Sarmatian oolitic-shelly limestone | Dilatational / Corrosive cavity | 30 | 85 | 50 |
| Harmatska-2 (PP-76) | Dubăsari | Harmațca village, 1.5 km north of the village, quarry wall, 35 m from Garmatskaya-1 | Sarmatian oolitic-shelly limestone | Dilatational / Corrosive cavity | 20 | 20 | 15 |
| Harmatska-3 (PP-77) | Dubăsari | Harmațca village, 1.5 km north of the village, 10 m from Garmatskaya-2 | Sarmatian oolitic-shelly limestone | Dilatational / Corrosive cavity | 15 | 40 | 60 |
| Harmatska-4 (PP-78) | Dubăsari | Harmațca village, 1.5 km north of the village, 25 m from Garmatskaya-3 | Sarmatian oolitic-shelly limestone | Dilatational / Corrosive cavity | 7 | 10 | 5 |
| Rudi (PM-122) | Dondușeni | Rudi village, right bank of the Dniester River | Limestone | Erosional / Corrosive cavity | 74 | 283 | 1004 |
| Calarașovca Grotto (PM-123) | Dondușeni | Otaci town, right bank of the Dniester River | Limestone | Denudational cavity | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Rașcovskaya-1 (PP-108) | Camenca | Rașcov village, left bank of the Dniester (Red Rock) | Red-yellow Sarmatian limestone | Dilatational / Denudational cavity | 28 | 29 | 71 |
| Rașcovskaya-2 (PP-120) | Camenca | Rașcov village, left bank of the Dniester River, entrance on a forested slope at the foot of Red Rock at a height of 50m | Light-yellow stratified shelly limestone | Dilatational cavity | 164 | 198 | 950 |
| Rașcovskaya-3 (PP-107) | Camenca | Rașcov village | Yellowish-brown Sarmatian limestone | Dilatational cavity | 11 | 14 | 52 |
| Rașcovskaya-4 (PP-101) | Camenca | Rașcov village | Light-yellow stratified Sarmatian limestone | Dilatational cavity | 27 | 14 | 37 |
| Rașcovskaya-5 (PP-99) | Camenca | Rașcov village | Dark-yellow Sarmatian limestone | Dilatational cavity | 28 | 29 | 71 |
| Rașcovsky-9 (PP-112) | Camenca | Rașcov village | Yellowish Sarmatian shelly limestone | Dilatational cavity | 0 | 48 | 580 |
| Severinovca-3 (PP-110) | Camenca | Severinovca village, right bank of the Pogaina creek | Grayish-white Sarmatian limestone | Dilatational cavity | 22 | 34 | 50 |
| Severinovca-4 (PP-109) | Camenca | Severinovca village, opposite Severinovca-3 | Grayish-white Sarmatian limestone | Dilatational / Denudational cavity | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Valea Adîncă-1 (PP-121) | Camenca | Valea Adîncă village | Light-gray Sarmatian limestone | Dilatational cavity | 38 | 38 | 71 |
| Valea Adîncă-2 (PP-119) | Camenca | Valea Adîncă village | Light-gray Sarmatian limestone | Dilatational / Denudational cavity | 7 | 11 | 13 |
| Valea Adîncă-3 (PP-124) | Camenca | Valea Adîncă village | Light-gray Sarmatian limestone | Denudational cavity | 14 | 32 | 71 |
| Grotto “Golovataya Gora” (PP-118) | Camenca | Valea Adîncă village | detrital Sarmatian limestone | Denudational cavity | 8 | 34 | 90 |
| Chaika (Seagull) (PM-86) | Rezina | Saharna Nouă village | Sarmatian limestone | Erosional / Corrosive cavity | 8 | 8 | 5 |
| Beloci-1 (PP-102) | Rîbnița | Beloci village, left bank of the Beloci River | Sarmatian limestone | Dilatational cavity | 7 | 6 | 110 |
| Beloci-2 (PP-103) | Rîbnița | Beloci village, left bank of the Beloci River | Sarmatian limestone | Dilatational cavity | 10 | 11 | 85 |
| Krasny (Red) Grotto (PP-117) | Rîbnița | Beloci village, Chervona Skala (Red Rock) | Sarmatian gray coarse-stratified cavernous shelly limestone | Denudational cavity | 5 | 42 | 46 |
| Stroiești Grotto (Eagle Grotto PP-104) | Rîbnița | Stroiești village, on the Dniester River bank slope at about 50-80m | Light-gray Sarmatian shelly limestone | Denudational cavity | 5 | 18 | 21 |
| Stroiești Grotto (PP-105) | Rîbnița | Stroiești village, on the Dniester River bank slope at about 50-80m | Light-gray Sarmatian shelly limestone | Denudational cavity | 5 | 21 | 31 |
| Văratic Grotto-1 (PM-113) | Rîșcani | Văratic village, left bank of the Ciuhur River on the upper part of an open slope at a height of approx. 60m | Gray Sarmatian limestone | Denudational cavity | 7 | 21 | 42 |
| Văratic Grotto-2 (PM-114) | Rîșcani | Văratic village, left bank of the Ciuhur River on the upper part of an open slope at a height of approx. 60m | Gray Sarmatian limestone | Denudational-dilatational cavity | 16 | 22 | 24 |
| Duruitoarea-1 (PM-115) | Rîșcani | Duruitoarea village, upper part of an open slope at the base of the cliffs at a height of 50m | Light-yellow Sarmatian limestone | Denudational cavity | 7 | 14 | 17 |
| Duruitoarea Grotto-2 (PM-116) | Rîșcani | Duruitoarea village, left bank of the Ciuhur River, upper part of an open slope 30m below the soldiers’ monument | Light-yellow Sarmatian limestone | Denudational cavity | 7 | 18 | 35 |
| Duruitoarea Veche Grotto | Rîșcani | Duruitoarea Veche village | Light-yellow Sarmatian limestone | Denudational cavity | 49 | 298 | – |
| Butești Grotto (Cheile Butești) | Glodeni | Butești village, Butești Reef, left bank of the Camenca River | |||||
| Cobani Grotto (Stânca Mare) | Glodeni | Cobani village, Great Cobani Rock, south of Cobani village, left bank of the Camenca River | Light-yellow Sarmatian limestone | Denudational cavity | 9.5 | 13.4 | – |
| Brînzeni Grottoes | Edineț | Brînzeni village, “Grotele Brînzeni” geological and paleontological natural monument, left bank of the Racovăț River | |||||
| Brînzeni Grotto-1 | Edineț | Brînzeni village, 300 m from the Brînzeni quarry, right bank of the Racovăț River | |||||
| Horodiște Grotto | Rîșcani | Horodiște village, left bank of the Ciuhur River | |||||
| La Bulhac Grotto | Rîșcani | Horodiște village, left bank of the Ciuhur River | |||||
| Grotto PM-128 | Edineț | Trinca village, Draghiște River, 200-300 m south of the village | Sarmatian / Tortonian limestone | Denudational cavity | 24 | 80 | 180 |
| Grotto PM-125 | Edineț | Trinca village, Draghiște River, 400 m south of the village | Sarmatian / Tortonian limestone | Denudational cavity | 7 | 12 | 11 |
| Grotto PM-127 | Edineț | Trinca village, right bank of the Draghiște River | Sarmatian / Tortonian limestone | Denudational cavity | 6 | 12 | 12 |
| Grotto PM-126 | Edineț | Trinca village, Draghiște River, 400 m south of the village | Sarmatian / Tortonian limestone | Denudational cavity | 5 | 30 | 67 |
| Fetești Grotto | Edineț | Fetești village, Fetești Rock | |||||
| Corjeuți Grotto (Borta Ciuntului) | Briceni | Corjeuți village, 3 km north of the village, left bank of the Lopatnic River | |||||
| Defile Huși Grotto | Briceni | Caracușenii Vechi village, 5 km southwest of the village, left bank of the Lopatnic River, Huși Gorge |