Home
Directory
Destinations
Maps
Reports
Bookings
Español Español
  You are from:  Estados Unidos de America(select your country)
        My account   
Search
Questions?
+1 (833) 685-0373
Toll-Free

Bookings
Lodging
Cars
Flights
Envíos de Paquetería a Cuba
Directory
Accommodation
Top list
Attractions
Where to shop
Embassies
General information
Marinas
Where to dine
Health
Transportation
Nightlife
TOOLS
Distancies calculator
Travelers' Tips


We accept
We accept VISA and MasterCard credit cards.

Weekly report on Cuba's tourism industry
Search in DTCNews 
  ReportsAttractions |  Services |  Destinations |  Culture |  Health |  General
  NewsTourism |  Business |  Health |  Sports |  Culture
Matanzas: Beauty Can Also Be Found Underground

The attractions of Cuba's western province of Matanzas, famous for holding the world-famous beach resort of Varadero, include a heavy load of history, traditions, culture and relics in the underground world.

The province also boasts the Bellamar Caves, which are among the most visited caverns by thousands of foreign travelers arriving in the largest Antillean Island.

Discovered in the 19th century, the Bellamar Caves are among the best known in the country. They are nearly two kilometers long and feature many crystalline formations, including a lot of stalagmites and stalactites in salons that go deeper into the aquifer, ending in lakes of crystal-clear waters.

Formed 300,000 years ago, the Bellamar caves are made up of three caverns that were one whole cave in ancient times: Bellamar, El Jarrito and Soto Jíbaro.

According to legend, the caves were discovered by accident in 1861, when a slave working in a Matanzas quarry lost its working tool in a hole in the ground, where later excavations unearthed a true natural treasure.

Speleologists consider the caves are potential laboratories to study underground crystallography, particularly those derived from calcium carbonate, since their galleries feature a wide range of crystalline formations of peculiar beauty.

Bellamar Cave
Wall in Bellamar Cave
Bellamar Cave

Experts guide groups of tourists along the caves' galleries, where they can visit unique sites such as "the American woman's bath" or "the fountain of youth".

The ancient galleries were a safe haven for the region's quaternary fauna, a fact that has been confirmed by findings of such prehistoric animals during excavations. The caves hold the largest phreatic stratum in Cuba.

Matanzas also has the Saturno Cave, which is 20 meters deep and is a flooded cavern with beautiful stalagmites and stalactites.

The Saturno Cave has two galleries inhabited by fish and blind shrimps, a typical fauna of Cuba's underground world, in addition to lakes of crystal-clear waters for the enjoyment of visitors.

The Catalina Cave, which is 10 kilometers long, is close to the Bellamar Caves.

The existence of so many caves in Cuba has a geological foundation, since two thirds of the Island's territory is made up of karst rocks, which have created the largest caverns in the Caribbean basin.

Specialized institutions estimate that Cuba has some 10,000 caves, many of which have a long history of nearly 25 million years of evolution.

RELATED SERVICES
Attractions  Accommodation  Nightlife  
ATTRACTIONS
“Sauto” Theater
Theaters

Calle Magdalena e/ Milanes y Medio, Plaza de La Vigía

Matanzas
Bellamar Caves
Places of Interest

Carretera Cuevas de Bellamar

Matanzas
La Vigia Plaza
Urban Historic Centers

Calle Magdalena e/ Milanés y Río

Matanzas
Memorial-Museum “El Morrillo”
Museums

Km. 1 ½, Canimar

Matanzas
Museo de Arte de Matanzas
Museums

Calle Contreras No. 36 e/ Jovellanos y Matanzas

Matanzas
Museo de los Bomberos
Museums

Plaza de la Vigía, Matanzas

Matanzas
Museo Provincial (Palacio de Junco)
Museums

Calle Milanés e/ Magdalena y Ayllón

Matanzas
Pharmaceutical Museum
Museums

Calle Milanés No. 4951 e/ Santa Teresa y Ayuntamiento

Matanzas
San Severino Castle
Places of Interest

Carretera del Puerto, Zona Franca

Matanzas
The Melody Cave, Bellamar Cave Complex
Monuments

Sistema Cavernario Bellamar

Matanzas
ACCOMMODATION All services
NIGHTLIFE All services
Tropicana Matanzas
Cabaret

Autopista Varadero km. 4 1/2

Matanzas
Home | Directory | Destinations | Reports | Flights | Lodging | Cars
About us | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy
(c) 1997-2024 Vacacionar Travel, SA. All rights reserved.