The Canelobre Caves, Their Colors And History

The Canelobre Caves are one of the most popular caves in all of Spain, for their strange geological formations that give them beautiful colors and also for their history. Do you want to join us to meet them?

In the region of Busot, province of Alicante, is the Sierra del Cabezón de Oro. This is a mountain range that houses some of the most interesting caves in Spain from a geological point of view, about which we tell you more next.

The Canelobre Caves

These are natural caves that have been shaped by the natural action of water on stone. However, in them we also see the influence of the human being, which has left several vestiges and created one of the most incredible and visited tourist places in this Spanish region.

Its discovery, carried out by the Arabs, took place around the year 740 AD However, it was rediscovered during the Spanish civil war, a moment to which we owe much of its current paths. And it is that these Canelobre Caves were used by the Republican side of Alicante, as an aircraft workshop and a powder magazine factory.

It was at this time that the tunnel that leads to the cave currently used was excavated. Today, its military activity is still visible in various parts of the place.

Its geological value

This cave is of great value to speleologists, as it contains materials that are about 145 million years old. However, the cave itself is the product of the last seven million years of erosive action of water on the rocks.

The set of caves has a dimension of 80,000 square meters, although its part that can be visited is only 160 meters. The route that is made is circular and can only be visited in summer, because in winter there are great floods inside the cave.

The most prominent places that you can see inside it are La Bóveda and La Sagrada Familia. The first of them is about 70 meters high and is considered the highest; as such, it is the highest cave in all of Spain.

For its part, the set of geological formations called La Sagrada Familia is the place within the Canelobre Caves where you can contemplate an entire wonder of nature: a stalagmite 25 meters high and nearly 100,000 years old.. In addition, there are many more rooms that feature all kinds of rocky landscapes and huge free falls.

The transformation of the Canelobre Caves during the civil war

As we have already mentioned, despite the fact that it is the Arabs who seem to have begun to use these caves, it was during the Spanish Civil War that they were given greater use. In fact, the great traces of human action that we find inside date back to this time.

Specifically, what will first catch our attention is the access tunnel created during this time. It is an access of about 45 meters long in which you can see the information of everything that is contemplated throughout the visit.

The entire cave is full of paths, stairs and railings that give access from one room to another and mark the route through the incredible rock formations. Everything so that the Republicans who occupied them could go through them without fear of getting lost.

The visit to the caves

Currently, there are a series of guided tours that will take you through the caves showing you all their geological aspects and telling you about the interesting role they played during the civil war. In addition, the lighting system they have allows the visitor to enjoy the beautiful colors of these caves.

Polychrome flashes that can be seen in stalagmites and stalactites. In addition, the extraordinary acoustics of the place are used to make musical presentations in them that are part of the program of the nearby Museum of Ethnic Music of Busot.