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Our country has some of the most incredible underground destinations in the world. This is confirmed by a survey carried out by the Jetcost.es search engine, where up to four Spanish caves stand out among a selection of more than 20 spread across the five continents. According to data reflected by this study, a high number of tourists (38%) choose their holiday destinations based on the caves and other elements of nature they can visit.
The Valporquero cave in León, El Soplao in Cantabria, the Drach caves in Mallorca and the Nerja caves in Malaga stand out for their uniqueness and beauty. Respondents had to choose their favorite regions based on their nature offer and, specifically, the caves in their territory, taking into account their beauty, rarity, facilities, lighting, accessibility and some aspects that would have surprised them. With more than 10,000 caves, Spain has an invaluable natural heritage underground.
Cantabria has been one of the most outstanding Communities, since it stores in its interior the highest density of caves with rock art in the world , more than 60 with paintings on its walls. Altamira and the other nine cavities declared World Heritage Sites are the universal symbol of this valuable paleolithic heritage that coexists with another underground legacy no less surprising: the more than 9,000 caves of impressive geological forms and spectacular landscapes such as El Soplao .
Discovered in the early twentieth century on the occasion of the exploitation of the mines of Florida, it is considered a great geological wonder internationally. Its most impressive formations, which are what make it a unique cavity , are called 'eccentric' and upholster floors, ceilings, walls and other formations along the way. The eccentrics, along with the capricious forms that adopt stalactites, stalagmites, columns, castings, etc. They make your journey an exciting immersion in the underground world.
Not far away, in León , you will find the caves of Valporquero . They are one of the most beautiful in our country. These are seven visitable galleries, very large with a variety of structures that are hardly repeatable that impresses only by looking out, in addition to access to the water course that can be traveled by experts. It must be said that in any cave or cave, lighting is essential and in the Caves of Valporquero it is exquisite. It manages to recreate a magical and unreal environment and you have the feeling of feeling how in the cavities one of those stalactites is made that takes thousands of years to create, drop by drop.
Voters have also selected, as one of the best caves in the world, the Caves of Drach , located in Porto Cristo , are the largest in Mallorca, with a horizontal development of almost 2,400 m in length and a maximum depth of 25 meters beneath the surface. Actually there are four caves that communicate with each other: the cave of the French, that of Luis Salvador, the White cave and the Black cave.
They are formed by the entrance of the sea and are considered to be from the Miocene period. Inside we find one of the largest underground lakes in the world, on Lake Martel, 117 meters long and 30 meters wide . In this scenario full of charm and mystery, concerts of classical music are offered every day. After the concert, you can take a voluntary boat ride on the lake.
Finally, the Nerja cave , in Malaga, has also been included in the Jetcost selection. The importance of this cave is that it has almost all types of natural formations that are known. In addition, access for the visitor is easy due to the spaciousness of its rooms and the great height of these.
Of all the cameras it is worth mentioning that of the Cataclysm, where you can check the footprint of a seismic movement that took place in the area 800,000 years ago. It is also possible to contemplate anthropomorphic cave paintings in the Sala de la Torca, and symbolic and animal representations in the Sala de los Fantasmas. To contemplate fabulous views of the stalactites and stalagmites of this cave, it is best to visit the viewpoint located in the Elephant Fang Room.
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