Photo: Louis-François Carrière (cueva Bellamar)
The four caves (cuevas) to discover
Caves to visit in or near Varadero - There are four caves very close to the city of Varadero. Each has its own particularities. The first two are near the town of Matanzas and the other two are in the Verahicacos nature reserve near the tip of the peninsula (see also the article on this nature reserve -
Cave Saturno
Photo: Daniel Dorval
It is probably the best known because you can swim in its clear waters. For more details, see this article:
Cave Bellamar
Photo: Richard Vivrekéto Desormeaux
“It is a set of caverns with more than 23 kilometers of galleries located in the province of Matanzas , Cuba . Due to the beauty of its gallery and caves, the important paleontological discoveries, in addition to a wide range of crystal processes, have been declared a national monument. […] In the main hall is the rock formation known as Manto de Colón. It is the largest and oldest waterfall, and it is 12 meters high. Divided into four sectors, its galleries and lounges are lined with stalactites, stalagmites and helictites, the latter in fanciful horizontal shapes. Designed by nature and baptized by man, there is the Tunnel of Love, the Chapel of the 12 Apostles, the Devil's Throat, the Rain Passage, the Snow Hall and the Temples of Saint Peter and Gothic. These caves have a rare beauty in the world of caves as many of the formations are resplendent due to the crystalline layer that covers them.
The Bellamar Caves are entered through the cavity called the Gothic Room, a square-shaped chamber that measures approximately 80 meters long by approximately 25 meters wide. In the Gothic room, certain formations have been named; among others, the carrot garden, the chapel of the twelve apostles, Doña Mamerta and the famous Manto de Colón. But the Bellamar Caves are not just this room, the cavity extends to the east and west, reaching a length that exceeds three kilometers; and it is known to be much larger, with cameras always completely flooded. The other cavities are the gallery of the two lakes, the room of the sponges, the gallery of the dwarves and the gallery of the megalocne to the east of the Gothic room. In the other direction are Hatuey Passage, Ladies' Hall, Dalias Lake and the American Bath. About the latter, there is a legend that an American vacationer many years ago got lost in this place, when she decided to cool her body in the crystal clear and cold waters. According to scientists, it is a single cave with several rooms, but custom treats it in the plural. The air is breathable, at least where the visitor was allowed to reach. The temperature is relatively stable all year round, remaining at 26ºC.
For connoisseurs of caving , the Bellamar Caves are also considered a potential laboratory for the study of underground crystallography , particularly those derived from calcium carbonate , as a wide representation of crystal forms of singular beauty are found in their galleries. The antiquity of its galleries and levels allowed them to serve as a refuge for the Quaternary fauna of the region, a fact confirmed by the discovery in the excavations of remains of prehistoric animals, in addition to the location of the most large cavity of phreatic origin in Cuba . »
Source: https://www.ecured.cu/Cuevas_de_Bellamar (Right click in Chrome to have the French translation option)
Cueva Ambrosio
Photos: Sonia Sinclair
"Ambrosio Cave is located in the Punta Hicacos (Verahicacos) Nature Reserve. This cave is said to have been home to animals, native aborigines, slave poachers and pirates. Evidence of its most ancestral origin are the more than 70 Pre-Columbian designs in reddish and black tones mixed with concentric circles that adorn the walls of the Skylight Room, named for the filter of natural light that passes through its cracks." It is in this cave that we find bats.
Muslim Caves
Photo found on TripAdvisor
On the Muslim Trail: “As the name suggests, this is about taking a tour to see, first-hand, the exquisite variety of flora and fauna of this small nature reserve. The Muslim Trail owes its name to the fact that during the 19th century, Cuban smugglers who called themselves Muslims took advantage of the natural lattice resulting from its leafy leaves which, together with its caves, were the ideal place to hide the goods with which tampered with. Its jewel is the Cave of the Muslims, where there are well-preserved remains of a burial that testify to the protocol of a mortuary ritual due to its capricious placement. Historians calculate that the waiting skeleton is thousands of years old. In addition, in one of its caves were found remains of prehistoric tertiary animals, also extinct thousands of years ago, which increases the incalculable archaeological value of its cave. »
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