La gruta de las maravillas grotto, an underground treasure
One of the marvels of the Sierra de Aracena mountains, comprising 1200 metres of underground galleries divided into 3 superimposed levels of paths surrounded by stunning limestone which leaves all visitors stunned!
With a little over 2100 metres of trail, of which just 1200 are passable to the public, la Gruta de las Maravillas grotto is one of the great treasures that Andalusia has kept underground, and in 2014, will have been opened to the public for 100 years, following its opening in 1914.
There are two different theories about its discovery. One is attributed to the people who discovered the old quarry hill which was in operation at that time in Aracena, and the other is attributed to the famous shepherd, Tío Blas, who accidentally discovered the cave when going in search of a heard of cattle. Who could have imagined that the cave discovered by Mr Blas would become one of the main tourist attractions and be on the list of essential things to see in the Sierra de Aracena mountains.
The cave is right in the middle of the village of Aracena. Amongst the whitewashed houses and cobbled streets, a door with a wrought-iron gate holds one of nature’s most valuable treasures.
Nobody would suspect that behind that door is a magical world which you can enter after going down a small staircase which will take you to a series of corridors that lead to a world full of shapes and corners that inspire fantasy.
98%-100% humidity and temperatures of between 16-19ºC will accompany you throughout the route.
1200 metres of stone labyrinths which, due to the water, have formed stalactites, stalagmites, columns, gours, flowstones, mountain passes, helictites, eccentric formations and curtain formations…
Surprise after surprise as you head further into the cave
One of the things that visitors like the most are the changes from one area to another inside the cave. From the shell room, which we mentioned earlier, the bright room, the large lake room, the glassware of God and the famous and pleasant room of the nudes where more than one dirty-minded person has made an unavoidable comparison!
A world of magical appearance, which invites you to dream, and which the stone and time has shaped, possibly wanting to leave us opened mouthed, room by room, corner by corner. Give yourself 10 minutes of silence. For just a moment, allow your footsteps to be the only thing you can hear in the cave, together with the dripping noise of the water that filters through from the surface.. Wait for this water to filter through the rock until it falls with a constant “click… click…” on the surface of the huge lakes that you will find in a lot of the rooms. Do this and remember the experience of seeing a place like this with the sound I have described. Marvellous!!!.
Open every day other than the 24th, 25th, and 31st of December and the 6th of January with a maximum of 1000 people per day, with group visits lasting approximately 45 minutes.
