Caves of St. Joseph
The Caves of St. Joseph (Grutas de San José) were discovered in 1902 and are one of the most beautiful natural underground caves, the study of which continues to this day. The caves are located in the southern part of the province of Castellon, in the town of La Vall dUixó (la Vall dUixó) on the territory of the Sierra Espadán Nature Reserve in Valencia.
This is the only place in the eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula where cork oak grows. The entrance to the caves of St. Joseph preserves rock carvings dating back about 15 thousand years. Visiting the longest underground navigable river in Europe, flowing through the caves of St. Joseph, the length of which has not yet been measured, you will be able to penetrate into the depths of the earth, admire the bizarre shapes of rocks that have been honed by water for thousands of years, see the dizzying beauty of clusters of stalactites and stalagmites, listen to the silence and feel the murmur of water, hear the echo produced by water droplets feeding into the underground lake from the cave walls, in a word, you will be able to discover a beautiful natural landscape, many secrets of which have not yet been revealed.
The underground caves of St. Joseph are natural caves in Spain. In order to preserve the natural beauty of this unique place, human intervention has been kept to a minimum. For the safety of tourists, cave walks are carried out only along a strictly defined route and only in the initial part of the caves. Despite the fact that you are not left alone for a minute, as the guide accompanies you throughout the journey, you need to be very careful throughout the trip, most of which takes place on water, although there is also a pedestrian segment of the way. The ceiling height sometimes reaches only 80-90 centimeters. The journey along the river begins with the Hall of Bats that lived in this place in immemorial times. In this hall you will be able to admire the peculiar dome carved by underground waters for many centuries. Then you swim through the beautiful Avenue of Lovers and get to Diana Lake, the bottom of which is covered with soft moss growing in this dark kingdom thanks to the installed artificial lighting.
Then you find yourself in the Siphon Gallery, 60 meters long, the longest artificial tunnel, home to unique tiny crustaceans that live only in such places. After that, a walk along the Dry Gallery begins, where you can enjoy the view of the beautiful Cascade of Flowers (Cascada de la Flor), where water-carved shapes on the walls, the play of light and shadow create the most bizarre shapes. Then you transfer back to the boats and sail into the Cathedral, the hall that got its name due to the 12-meter high dome. The most beautiful stalactites hang from the walls, forming a symphony of shapes and colors, the most famous is the Jellyfish, a stalactite resembling in its shape a majestically floating jellyfish on the boundless sea and ocean waters. Let your imagination run wild, the caves of St. Joseph will not disappoint you.
Caves of St. Joseph