Hidden Bussento International Expedition

An international expedition beneath Cilento

The Hidden Bussento International Expedition is not a local festival or fair: it is an international exploratory campaign that transforms the small town of Morigerati, in the province of Salerno, into the speleology capital of Southern Italy every summer. For fifteen days, the Cilento village welcomes speleologists, cave divers, and researchers from various countries, working together on one of the most fascinating and least-known underground complexes in Campania.

The 2026 edition takes place from July 25 to August 9 and is promoted by Tetide APS, an association active in the area for years with the "Obiettivo Bussento" project, in collaboration with the Cave Diving Commission of the Sardinian Speleological Federation, the Labor Limae cooperative, the Natura Esplora Speleological Group, and the Municipality of Morigerati.

The disappearing river: the Bussento karst system

The Bussento is one of the most spectacular hydrogeological phenomena in Southern Italy. The river plunges into the Bussento Sinkhole in the territory of Caselle in Pittari and reappears several kilometers downstream at the Bussento Resurgence, inside the WWF Bussento Caves Oasis in Morigerati. Between these two points lies an underground path estimated at about four kilometers, much of which remains unexplored.

Other cavities of great interest revolve around this axis, such as the Caravo Sinkhole, studied since the 1950s and characterized by a predominantly vertical development with deep shafts, canyon-like sections, erosive potholes, and a terminal sump lake that marks the current exploration limit, as well as the Orsivacca Sinkhole. The hydrological connections between these cavities have been hypothesized for decades but have not yet been proven: clarifying them is one of the scientific objectives of the expedition.

What happens during the expedition

The work is organized as a professional exploration site, not as a public event. The days are divided between:

• Rigging routes and equipping vertical sections in the Caravo, Orsivacca, and Bussento Sinkhole cavities;
• Transporting cave diving equipment to the dive points, a logistically complex operation in an underground environment;
• Diving in terminal sumps, managed by the expedition's cave diving team;
• External research for new entrances and potential feeding points for the underground collector;
• Surveying and documentation, with an approach that combines exploration, technique, and scientific observation.

Morigerati, the expedition base

Morigerati is a village of a few hundred inhabitants overlooking the Bussento gorges, located within the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park. The municipality provides the accommodation facility where the expedition establishes its base camp: a choice that directly links speleological research to village life and the enhancement of a natural heritage that is already one of the most beloved hiking destinations in Southern Campania.

The descent to the WWF Oasis, with the sound of water re-emerging from the rock in a shadowy gorge, remains one of the most evocative landscapes in the region and explains why this stretch of Cilento continues to attract scholars and enthusiasts.

A project looking beyond the summer

Hidden Bussento is part of a broader path pursued by Tetide APS, which includes cave diving explorations, river trekking and rafting activities on the Bussento, summer camps introducing speleology to young people, and outreach initiatives. The stated goal is not just to add meters of cave to the survey, but to build shared knowledge about a karst system that represents a strategic water and environmental resource for the entire district.

Participation and public

The expedition is limited to a fixed number of participants, reserved for a maximum of thirty people with adequate experience and insurance coverage for speleological activities: it is therefore not an event open to casual visitors. However, those in the area during those days can experience the unique atmosphere of a village hosting an international community of explorers and visit the WWF Bussento Caves Oasis and the gorges that have made this corner of Campania famous on their own.