Cuevas arenas de san pedro

Lion cave

The seepage of rainwater and groundwater currents created a large cavity (erosive phase). After some time, the cave ceases to function as a subway conduit: from that moment on, the slow filtration of surface water from the rain, loaded with CO2, dissolves the calcium carbonate, slowly giving rise to the different types of concretions or speleothems, with all known forms being found in their maximum splendor: stalactites, stalagmites, gours, lava flows, eccentrics, aragonite, etc.
Las Grutas del Aguila de Arenas de San Pedro has achieved TripAdvisor’s 2014 Certificate of Excellence, which means that it has consistently earned exceptional reviews from TripAdvisor travelers.  This prestigious award is based on the quality of the opinions and comments it has garnered on TripAdvisor.
It is a 12-page document, written by J.J. Durán Valsero, S.R. Durán Laforet, R. Morales García and P.A. Robledo Ardila, detailing tips before, during and after the visit to promote a complete experience for the tourist. In addition to basic safety measures, some simple tips are recommended in order to evaluate, as a whole, each of the ACTE tourist caves and mines.

Caves in spain

There are tubular stalactites and curtains (hanging), stalagmites and splash concretions (cases in which the water reaches the ground), by water circulation, there are the washes, gours and microgours. Eccentric by hydrostatic pressure, porosity, capillarity, also intervening air currents (anorthites and helictites). Finally, for underwater deposits, there are the pisolites or pearls. Among the formations, the following stand out: El Águila, La Virgen del Pilar, Ramo de Azahar, Mazorca, Columna Partida, La Tortuga.
More than a kilometer of the route has been paved, saving the unevenness with steps and, here and there, at strategic points, lighting has been placed in different shades, in contrast of light and shadow, enhancing this set of stalactites and stalagmites that form sculptural groups.
It all happened one Christmas Eve day, December 24, 1963, in the afternoon and like so many other times; a group of five kids (children of local workers), when prowling around the so-called Cerro de Romperropas observed a kind of smoke or mist coming out of a hole in the middle of the hill. What was really happening was that through this «hole» a jet of water vapor was coming out, probably caused by the difference in temperature of the route (20º approximately), with respect to the cold outside.

Wikipedia

Today we change a little bit our way of traveling and is that taking the car every day to meet our routine, traffic, traffic jams…… We are saturated. So we want to disconnect from the car.
Then we have free time to go back to those places that have impacted us the most, always within the great Hall and what does not usually happen in this kind of places, we are allowed to take pictures, of course, always without flash.
Some of the works that we find, make us special illusion because we recognize them from visits of other places like the Garden of the Sorolla House where we have been recently or the beautiful Villa de San Vicente de la Barquera, place that we visited in our trip by Cantabria.

Grotto of wonders

Very close to Madrid, in Arenas de San Pedro, are these interesting caves whose visit alone justifies the trip to this town.Inside them, stalactites and stalagmites are alive and well preserved in their natural state, so the brightness of the calcareous compositions is spectacular.It is worth paying the seven and a half euros for the guided entrance fee that allows you to contemplate in all its magnitude the incredible calcareous developments. It is a pity that the visit only lasts half an hour? It is not enough time for a place like this.
Visiting the Grutas del Aguila is an experience not to be missed if you are in the area. First for the environment, as you can see the natural environment is amazing and the sunset is wonderful, one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen in my life. The caves themselves inside are amazing, for 7 euros you can enjoy thousands of different shapes (stalactites, stalagmites, columns, lava flows …) with a subtle but sufficient lighting. They also allow you to take pictures inside (without flash, of course).