Caves open to visit in Cantabria

Cantabria in northern Spain is home to an incredible 6,500 caves. So it's not surprising that it is one of the world's greatest areas of study for both geologists, interested in the stunning rock formations, and anthropologists, who are fascinated with their prehistoric art.

These caves are home to some of the first art ever created by man and are crucial in understanding how humans evolved. 10 of the caves in Cantabria are UNESCO-protected heritage sites with some of them open to the public.

They make a great destination for a day of exploring whilst on holiday in Spain. Cantabria has so much to offer, you can relax in the famous thermal spas, explore the Palaeolithic world of Cantabria caves, and so much more…

Below are some of the most well-known caves for visitors. Most are open all year round, and offer fascinating guided tours.

Whether you are looking for a hotel or a beautiful private villa, we have plenty of options in Cantabria for your perfect northern Spanish holiday exploring the caves and relaxing! 

Getting to the Cantabria region with all of its rich history couldn’t be easier! We have regular ferry routes to Spain running from Portsmouth and Plymouth to Santander. So what are you waiting for, get ready for a Spanish adventure and sail away with Brittany Ferries 澳洲幸运10十168体彩开奖网…

The best Cantabrian caves to visit

Altamira cave

Cantabria's most famous cave art is undoubtedly the paintings of bison inside the Altamira cave in Santillana del Mar. 

Although the original cave is now closed to visitors, to prevent deterioration of the paintings, you can explore a perfect replica of the cave, called the Neocave, at the Altamira museum instead. 

The famous polychromatic paintings of large bison dominate the ceiling of the cave. There are also various other animal and humanoid figures as well. Be sure to keep an eye out for faces looking out at you from the walls. The prehistoric artists ingeniously used the natural features of the rock to make fascinating representations of human faces in their paintings. 

A nearly 300m-long cave with Palaeolithic art covering the walls throughout, Altamira is an unmissable attraction in Cantabria. The museum also contains a permanent exhibition of 'The Times of Altamira' where you can learn about how the cave's rock art was discovered and about what life was like for the hunter-gatherers that lived there many thousands of years ago.

Covalanas cave

Inhabited by man as long as 45,000 years ago, Covalanas is a small cave with two galleries linked by an exterior shelter. Inside are paintings of animal figures including symbols of dots, lines and rectangles that are around 20,000 years old. 

The images are created with a technique of using dotted lines, made with the fingers, to create an outline that is very characteristic of the caves between the Nervión river basin and the river Sella - a strong indicator of the social networks and contact between Homo Sapien groups in this area.

El Soplao cave

One of Cantabria's premier attractions, El Soplao is a natural subterranean paradise of suspended ceilings, stalactites and stalagmites. The eccentric and complex rock formations, filled with colours, smells and a remarkable interplay of light and shadow are a sight to behold. 

Visits can take the form of a fully-accessible tour that lasts just under an hour, or a more adventurous trip that lasts for 2.5 hours where you'll explore further and discover some truly spectacular rock formations. Outside the cave, you can view some of Cantabria's most stunning landscapes from the top of the sierra.

The cave of El Soploa is a geological marvel that has become one of the region's most popular attractions since it was opened to the public in 2005. So why not see what see what all the fuss about and discover the spectacular underground landscape that has earned El Soplao the nickname the 'Sistine Chapel of Geology'.

El Pendo cave

Thought to have been used during the Bronze Age for ritualistic purposes, particularly the making of offerings, El Pendo contains the 25m long Frieze of Paintings. 

Visible from every part of the main chamber, the frieze shows around 20 figures, painted in red, that form an altarpiece with other paintings of animals such as hinds and horses. It is uncertain when the frieze dates from but it is likely to be around 20,000 years ago.

Hornos de la Peña cave

The mouth of this cave is a large arch that made it a great shelter for man in prehistoric times. It was inhabited by Neanderthals as well as, later, by Homo Sapiens. 

A horse is carved into the mouth of the cave but further inside are some highly detailed engravings of horses, bison, goats, deer and a serpent-like creature. Most notable is an image of an animal-human hybrid with its arm raised and a long tail. Most of the figures in the cave are thought to date from the Magdalenian era around 13,000 BC. 

A fascinating cave the whole family will love to see!

El Castillo cave

Out of the four UNESCO-protected caves in the Monte de El Castillo, only two are open to visit - El Castillo and Las Monedas.

The El Castillo cave is full of cave art and has a history of being occupied by man that stretches back to 150,000 years ago. From the most primitive hand prints to hundreds of figures and symbols, El Castillo's Palaeolithic art makes for an intriguing subterranean tour into the origins of symbolism, abstract art and artistic expression.

Las Monedas cave

The longest of the caves in the Monte de El Castillo, Las Monedas is one of Cantabria's most geologically-beautiful caves with a mixture of colours created by the varied mineral compositions of the rock. 

Las Monedas gets its name due to a cache of 16th century coins that were discovered just inside the cave. But deeper inside are some 17 animal figures in a side chamber that date from the glacial period around 10,000 BC.

Chufín cave

Located in the beautiful valley of the Nansa river, the Chufín cave has a great view of the valley that would have made it an excellent hunting base for the prehistoric peoples who lived here around 15,500 BC. 

Engraved animal figures can be found inside the mouth but deeper inside the cave is a large chamber that contains an artificial lake created by the Palombera dam. 

It is inside this chamber where red paintings made up of dots can be found, in which images of a horse, a stag and a feminine figure have been interpreted. The paintings and engravings in the caves have been dated to two different eras - around 16,000 BC and 11,500 BC - so you can see how prehistoric cave art changed as humans evolved.

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Samantha Wills