The spectacular cave that is under the urban center of an Andalusian town

Beyond its castle, which is partially preserved, the church of Nuestra Señora del Mayor Dolor or the Convent of Aracena, is its historic center, declared Asset of Cultural Interest, what attracts the most attention and not only for its monuments, but also for the treasure that is hidden under its soil: the Grotto of Wondersa whim of nature considered one of the most beautiful karst cavities in the country.

Open to the public since 1914, This underground enclave is located – unlike the vast majority of caves – under the hill that crowns the medieval castle and the Priory Church of Nuestra Señora del Mayor Dolor. The first historical references to this cavity date back to 1850 and popular tradition suggests that it was discovered by a shepherd, who in his eagerness to locate a lamb that had become separated from the flock, entered a silo-shaped hole and He ended up coming across the bowels of this cave.

The marbles that house the Grotto of Wonders originated on the margin of a great ocean that separated two continents: Laurasia and Gondwana, now united by tectonic processes. These marbles, with a carbonate composition, have the peculiarity of being dissolved very slowly when they come into contact with water loaded with carbon dioxide from the air and soil. This simple process, known as karstification, is responsible for the formation of the underground landscape that characterizes the Grotto of Wonders.

The cavity has a known length of 2,130 meters and although it presents a predominantly horizontal development, in it you can see at least three levels of superimposed galleries of which only two are enabled for tourism. The route open to the public is circular with an extension of 1,000 meters that They take about 45 minutes together with a specialized guide. The temperature is between 16 and 19 degrees and the humidity in the air is 98%. It is only allowed access of 1,000 people a day to guarantee the permanence of this valuable treasure.

A walk through the bowels of the earth

The visit begins at the lowest level, which includes the flooded areas such as the Great Lake, the Room of the Nudes or the Room of the Chickpeas, and the adjacent galleries, where the collapses or block chaos stand out. According to research carried out by geologists, the most spectacular landslide, that of the Great Laketook place approximately 10,000 years ago. Here it also stands out the Great Hallthe largest cavity in the entire cave with a maximum height of 50 meters.

A hundred steps lead to the second level – located between 10 and 20 meters higher – and allow you to see the best views of the lower rooms. At this point it is worth noting the Cathedral Hall, the Glassworks of Godwhich presents a vault with eccentric formations more than 50,000 years old, The Volcano, The Lake of Emeraldswhere you can see cones of floating calcite originated almost 100,000 years ago by the precipitation of very thin sheets of calcite that floated in the lake water and sank due to the incessant dripping from the ceiling of the room, and the sector called Kettle of the Giants (not currently visitable), galleries that are characterized by the abundance of speleothems of very diverse origin, some in bluish or reddish tones.

The third level, only accessible through climbing techniques and open exclusively to geological prospecting, has a space in which speleothems and gours of various sizes abound, the Room of the Rhombohedrawhose walls are covered by large rhombohedral calcite crystals and the pearls of the caves, spherical formations of great beauty.

Data of interest

– Visiting hours are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. (until 7 p.m. on weekends).

– Access is via C/Pozo de la Nieve s/n

– The price of entry It is 20 euros. They can be purchased online through the Aracena tourism page and include access to the Ham Museum and the Aracena Castle.

– Entry with pets is not allowed and it is not accessible to people with reduced mobility.