Cave of El Soplao

This cave was opened to the public in 2005, but it was really discovered in 1908. It's one of those places where nature goes on a whim and uses only water to create dazzling rock formations.

The Soplao cave has the highest concentration of “eccentric” stalactites and stalagmites in the entire world. The stalactites grow out randomly in every direction any seem like a rock forest or a stone coral reef.

This is an unusual phenomenon and is only found in a few caves. Of course, it's much nicer to see it in person. To see the cave, there's the standard route (€10.50) that's fully accessible for people with disabilities. Or, you have the Adventure route (32€) where, with a suit and helmet provided by the guides, you can explore the interior of the cave. This visit is more expensive than normal, but it lasts 2.5 hours and you’ll see many more chambers that have not been changed by human hands.

This is one of the most spectacular and amazing things I've done in my life.

To get to La Cueva El Soplao, there's a long detour from the highway along narrow curvy roads and then a seemingly endless hike, but boy was it worth it!

As soon as you enter the cave, you're just overwhelmed. My eyes were like saucers! The views are amazing and you can see as far as Naranjo de Bulnes, the Sierra de Cuera mountains, and they even say you can see the Bay of Biscay if the day is clear.

There's a new train which covers the first 400 meters of the cave. Inside, the temperature are around 12-13ºC and the humidity around 90%, so make sure to bring comfortable footwear and very warm jacket.

In my opinion, this is the most beautiful cave I have ever seen. They've really set everything up nicely so you can see everything in detail and not miss an inch of the unparalleled beauty and unique whiteness of the shapes. Both the trip on the mining train and the views of the cave itself are wonderful.

This was the best by far...I wouldn't miss it for the world. I, for one, will definitely be back.

If you take a trip to Santander, I'd suggest visiting the Cueva de Soplao. We had heard a lot of good things about this place, about its unique size and number of what are called "eccentric" rock formations. It's like entering a magical world.

The cave is large and the ceilings, walls, and floors are full of what appear, at first glance, to be ice formations. The whiteness and sheer variety of the formations is amazing.

Tickets can be purchased via phone (as we did), online, or directly at the ticket office, but the wait can be as long as half an hour before you can enter.

There are many ways of visiting: the general visit, which covers the central gallery, and an "Adventure" visit (much more expensive at 32 euros), which, apparently, takes you much farther into cave with equipment provided. It sounds really cool actually, but we were a bit short of time. Hopefully we'll be back one day.