Most of us have spent time in the forest, in the mountains, or a dessert. But how many of us have spent time underground on the earth, visiting the depths of nature? Not many people have had the chance to explore a cave and see stalactites and stalagmites, or the mysterious creatures that live in a world without light. Read on then, browse, dig down the page. You will thus discover the ten most impressive caves in the world.
For lovers of travel and extreme sports, in addition to visiting the exteriors of the landscapes, it is also possible to visit the interior of these, since several caves and grottos around the world offer a hidden natural beauty. Several hundred meters underground, you can find landscapes and fauna as diverse as on the surface. Here are the most incredible caves globally, and although not all are open to the public, the available ones are an excellent option to visit. Two of them are in our country.
#1. Skaftafell Ice Caves in Iceland
Located to the southeast of this country, they can be visited in winter. For there, you can observe the water that runs underneath and from the Vatnajokull glacier, which allows access to the cave through the holes formed by the wear of the ice. It has a length of 22 meters by one by just over a meter deep.
#2. Waitomo Caves in New Zealand
It is located just over 60 meters deep and is about 30 million years old and is composed of limestone, and home to hundreds of fireflies that adorn the place. It is ideal for rappelling or taking a boat ride.
#3. Wookey Hole in England
At 91.44 meters underground, this cave is located below the Mendip Hills and made of limestone. This rock formation was inhabited by humans approximately 45 thousand years ago. It was opened to the public in 1927.
#4. Sac Actun System in Tulum, Mexico
Located in Tulúm, this cave has a depth of 101.19 meters and which gives access to El Gran Cenote and an underground river of 230.8 kilometers that makes it the longest aquatic cavern in the world. Sac Actun means “White Cave” in Mayan.
#5. Gouffre de Padirac in France
At 103 meters deep, this French cave was first opened to the public as a tourist attraction in 1899. However, visitors can only reach the first 75 meters through a 35-meter diameter channel before reaching the system.
#6. Postojna in Slovenia
Considered the second-longest cave in Slovenia at 114.91 meters deep, it has a length of 21 kilometers. Its landscape is made up of stalactites and stalagmites, as well as the Pivka River. During World War II, the Germans used it as a warehouse for jet fuel tanks.
#7. Hang Son Doong in Vietnam
It is the longest cave in Vietnam and is located 149.35 meters below the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. This cave is so big that a Boeing 747 plane could fit inside the system where 350 million old coral fossil remains have also been found. Just discovered in 1991, it was opened to the public in 2013 for the only time.
#8. Cueva de Cristales or Cueva de Naica in Chihuahua, Mexico
This cave owes its name to the peculiar formation of crystals that appear in its interior. It is located in Naica, in Saucillo, Chihuahua, at 298.7 meters below the ground. The crystals that form inside can reach up to 10 meters in height. It was discovered in 2010 and had a temperature of 53 degrees inside and being 100 percent humid. However, it is not open to the public as people can only stay inside for 10 minutes due to the temperature.
#9. Ellison’s Cave in Georgia, United States
At 324 meters deep, this cave stretches for 19.3 kilometers in length, making it one of the largest in the United States.
#10. Krubera Cave in Abkhazia
Considered the deepest cave in the world, it is located 2,197 meters underground in the western Caucasus region, in Abkhazia, Georgia. So far, it is the only cave of more than 2 kilometers to be known. A map was created in 2012 with the underground complex routes, and only experienced explorers and specialists have access.