Description

Beneath the high cliffs between Valovine and the Muzil peninsula lies Golubova špilja, the Pigeons Cave – a half-flooded sea cave named after the wild pigeons that nest in its walls. For decades it was one of Pula’s favourite summer secrets, a place where swimmers and kayakers drifted from the bright blue sea into the cool half-light of the cave.

That popularity came at a price. Crowds, kayak traffic, artificial lighting and polluted water put serious pressure on a fragile habitat. The cave is part of the Natura 2000 network and shelters protected bat species, while its waters are a habitat of the Mediterranean monk seal, one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world.

To protect them, the public institution Natura Histrica closed the cave to visitors in 2025. Entering it in any way – swimming, by kayak or by boat – is now forbidden, and the area is regularly patrolled.

The cliffs above it remain one of the most dramatic stretches of Pula’s coast. Seen from the sea, with the dark mouth of the cave at their foot, they are a reminder of how wild this shoreline still is – and why it is worth keeping that way.