Spectacular cave visits in the Region of Murcia
Adventure for all the family in unique chambers where geology and history combine to provide unique experiences
The summer tourist season is drawing to a close in The Region of Murcia and throughout Europe but fortunately in the Costa Cálida there are always plenty of experiences and adventures to be enjoyed all year round, in this case underground!
There are dozens of relatively easily visitable caves in the Region of Murcia, each with its own magic and galleries which feature unique rock formations and even, in some cases, prehistoric rock art which bears silent witness to the origins of human habitation of continental Europe alongside the natural wonders of the Earth itself.
Every cave is a hidden treasure, and every bit as spectacular as the natural wonders to be found above ground!
We start with the Cueva del Puerto, a series of corridors winding their way over 700 metres under the ground in Calasparra and leading to the Roman sanctuary of Cueva Negra, a mystical gallery in which history and nature seem to unite as one. This cave has a reputation for being the Jewel in the Crown of caving in Murcia and is the only one to welcome a steady flow of tourists.
The acoustics inside the chambers are a wonder in themselves and the stalactites and stalagmites shine with a wide array of colours: don’t miss the “Gaudí Room”, you’ll probably never see anything like it again in your life!
Next up on our tour is the complex of Cueva Negra in the Sierra del Baño, around 3 km from the town of Fortuna. This cavern was also used as a sanctuary in Roman times and a number of texts in Latin are painted onto the rock walls – these paintings are known as "tituli picti". One of these ancient graffiti contains fragments of the original version of Virgil’s Aeneid, which was written between 29 and 19 BC and is a treasure for anyone interested in history and literature!
Moving on to Cieza we reach the majestic Cueva Sima de la Serreta, where a combination of geological eras and the forces of Nature have sculpted a true underground work of art. Here again there is rock art and historical artifacts have been discovered to show that in past millennia humans lived in the sheltered caves, making them a window onto the prehistoric past.
If these explorations whet your appetite and you want to find out more, pay a visit to the caves section of the regional tourist board website here!
Source: ITREM
Additional images: cuevadelpuerto.es
