Canelobre Caves — Attraction in Busot

The Canelobre Caves are an incredible sight, one of the largest and most impressive cave systems in Spain, covering 80,000 square meters. The main chamber's ceiling reaches 70 meters high, resembling a natural cathedral. The name "Canelobre" comes from a stalactite formation that looks like a large candelabra.Discovered by the Moors in the 10th century, the caves remained largely unexplored until the 19th century. They were not opened to the public until the 1960s, nearly a millennium after their initial discovery.

The caves are a prime example of a karst cave, formed by the dissolution of limestone by slightly acidic rainwater over millions of years. This process created the stunning stalactites and stalagmites that fill the caves today.

During a significant historical period, the caves were adapted for practical use, with a tunnel being constructed to facilitate various activities. This construction caused some damage to the natural formations inside the cave, with certain features being altered or buried. These changes are still evident today, providing a glimpse into the cave's intriguing past.

Access to the caves is mainly limited to the central chamber and one smaller section, with the rest reserved for speleologists. Tours are scheduled, so it's wise to check the timings in advance to avoid long waits. I recommend arriving a bit early, but not too early, as parking is limited. There’s a small café where you can order coffee and snacks, making the wait more pleasant. Additionally, there are free restrooms near the tunnel entrance.Compared to other famous Spanish caves like the Caves of Nerja, which span nearly 5 kilometers and house the world's largest stalactite, or the Caves of Drach on Mallorca, known for their large underground lake and classical music concerts, the Canelobre Caves offer a unique blend of natural beauty and historical significance.

However, I was disappointed by the prohibition on photography inside the cave, which seems unjustified. Overall, while the guided tour could be more engaging, the natural beauty and history of the Canelobre Caves make it a...

This cave is about 1 big hall you can 'admire', while they play the 'Lord of the Rings' movie soundtrack. : ) And even that hall isn't a too spectacular one. For regular cave visitors definitely doesn't worth the money, even if that's just 7 euros. The guiding is kind, but quite amateurish, mostly talking about what they think the different rock formations look like: a jellyfish, a helmet, a snake etc.

Warning / 1: And at the entrance the visitors first have to pass a guy taking photos of them almost one by one behind a curtain, in front of a big poster from inside the cave - with no previous question or info on what exactly is going on and that it isn't a part of the program really, but just some photos you can buy for 20 euros when leaving. So the rest of visitors, not knowing why exactly they have to wait, are made to spend additional minutes in front of the curtain, on the hallway, instead of being let to spend that time inside the cave. VERY annoying. When I realized what exactly is going on there we just went to the front and entered the cave, saying a flat "NO" to the guy who didn't say anything.

Warning / 2: At the end of the 'tour' do NOT climb the additional stairs on the left, as there's absolutely nothing to see up there! Just exit the cave instead. The young girl - our guide - didn't tell us anything just that we can go up there too. While she didn't follow us either, just let us climb those steep stairs, we ended up at a closed fence - the original entrance. After a few 'clueless' and crowded moments at the top of the stairs we had to realize that there's nothing to see there, so we had to go back disappointed to the main entrance and leave.

So perhaps the best thing is to drive up to the entrance of the cave and enjoy the truly incredible panoramic view of the surrounding mountains, without visiting the cave itself. Or if you want to enter but do not wish to get a retarded photo in front of a poster - for 20 euros, just go ahead and tell the photographer guy that you're not interested in his business and you want to get in.

Panoramic view: 5+ stars....

Visited here on a trip to Alicante, which was a pleasant short drive away. The place seems rather small from the outside, but has a small cafe bar selling hot and cold snacks and drinks too, plus a little shop selling a range of items relating to the cave, but lots of other lovely and nature related items. Tickets were around €8 each and guided tours are every 30mins or so. However they let us go in between tours, although we ended up joining the group in there already, as the guide not here was excellent, full of fascinating facts relating to the cave. It was honestly breathtaking on entering, feeling somewhat like a cathedral in it's proportions. They have presented it so well too, with amazing multi-coloured but complementary LED lighting. They have made lots of areas accessible by stairwells and gantry, from the top to the very bottom, as you start off at a mid-level point. Apparently they hold concerts and performances inside at times, which must be just amazing, the acoustics of the place must be brilliant. I would recommend going before 11am if possible, as the tourist coaches come around those times, which may take something away from the experience, we were leaving as one arrived, about this time. Would recommend to all, by far the best cave attraction we've seen so far. Some of the tour guides are very anti pictures inside, however we managed a few sly shots, although being dark, a good camera would be best, no flash photography is allowed due to it...