The Five Most Spectacular Caves in Cantabria (Not Counting Altamira)

Cantabria is home to a set of caves that were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2008. They complement Altamira, the most famous of them all, and serve as an open book of Spanish Paleolithic art. For information and reservations: .

Near the Cantabrian town of Ramales de la Victoria is the cave of Covalanas. Its entrance faces the peak of San Vicente, and its narrow passage leads to a collection of rock art created using dot and line techniques. On the walls, eighteen deer, an aurochs, and a horse can be distinguished. Their realism is breathtaking. The lines appear alive and full of movement. The narrowness of the cave allows us to view the paintings just inches from our eyes. It is a unique experience to be aware that these works were created over twenty-five thousand years ago and that, fortunately, they are still preserved.

Only two kilometers from Covalanas, very close to Ramales, is the cave of Cullalvera. Its entrance is spectacular. The mouth has colossal dimensions, resembling a huge cathedral of Paleolithic art. An audiovisual presentation prepares us to explore its interior and appreciate the site. It contains Paleolithic art, but it is not accessible because it is located between six hundred and twelve hundred meters inside the cave. However, its enormous galleries are accessible, showcasing a spectacle of water and light blurred against the stone. When heavy rains occur in this corner of the Cantabrian region, the waters spring up again through the wooden walkway of just over one hundred and fifty meters that runs through the site.

The Mount of Castillo is in Puente Viesgo, and its interior hides four caves with valuable examples of rock art. Among the four, El Castillo stands out. It has been inhabited by hominids for more than one hundred fifty thousand years. The rock art consists of negative handprints and drawings of bison, deer, horses, and enigmatic symbols that have yet to find a definitive translation, created over different historical periods. Additionally, El Castillo has the oldest paintings in the world, dated at forty thousand eight hundred years. Very close to here, just over half a kilometer away, is the cave of Las Monedas, where the drawings of goats, horses, reindeer, and even a bison are prominent.

According to a legend, a Moor named Chufín hid a valuable treasure inside a cave near the small village of Riclones. The treasure was never found, but those who ventured into this cave located in the municipality of Rionansa discovered another treasure perhaps more valuable for human history. Its red paintings, decorating the high ceiling, and the exterior engravings located in the vestibule of the cavity are almost an eccentricity in the rock art of the northern peninsula. Entering it is not easy. It is necessary to crawl the first four meters. The effort will be worth it as soon as we stand up again. Inside, we are greeted by the waters of an underground lake and one of the most valuable proofs of human art from antiquity.

Near the bay of Santander is the cave of El Pendo, another of the Cantabrian caves of colossal dimensions. It has been one of the most studied caves by Cantabrian archaeology. In fact, Don Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola, who discovered the caves of Altamira with his daughter, worked here. El Pendo was occupied by Neanderthals over eighty-four thousand years ago before they were displaced by Homo sapiens. The most valuable painting in El Pendo is a red deer that displays enormous expressiveness and aesthetic composition. The technique, like the paintings in Covalanas, is dot work, and it dates back about twenty-five thousand years.