Cueva de los Verdes
The Cueva de los Verdes is so named after the Green family who lived in it with their sheep in the 17th century. It was also used by the populace at that time to shelter from volcanic eruptions and from North African slave traders and pirates.
It is a volcanic tube formed from eruptions of Corona Volcano 3-4500 years ago. The 50 min tour is a spectacular walk through 2km of the 7km long tube. I found the interior very difficult to photograph and the pictures that I managed in no way do justice to the epic scale of the place. I must read my camera handbook.
The tour is enhanced by mood lighting designed by Jésus Soto and soft new age music plays in the background. To good effect I thought.
Entrance sign.
Looking up from the entrance stairs.
The tour path is paved but otherwise the cave is pretty much in it's natural state.
There are small rock falls in places but the tour section is otherwise safe and stable.
The tunnel splits into two or three galleries in places. The scale of the place is immense.
Rock shape and colour varies widely.
Vertical shafts run between the galleries at irregular intervals.
Some galleries are quite low.
The cave produces exellent acoustics and regular mainly classical music concerts are held there.
Part of the concert seating area.
This is a very effective illusion. The photograph shows a huge gallery with a rock bridge in the centre. In fact the lower half of the photo is a perfect reflection of the gallery ceiling. The cave floor here is flooded with 3cm of water. The illusion is revealed when a member of the public is invited to throw a stone into what appears to be the gallery below. Cue gasps all round.
This attempt at flash photography revealed patterns in the solidified lava flow.
Another €8.00 well spent.
It is a volcanic tube formed from eruptions of Corona Volcano 3-4500 years ago. The 50 min tour is a spectacular walk through 2km of the 7km long tube. I found the interior very difficult to photograph and the pictures that I managed in no way do justice to the epic scale of the place. I must read my camera handbook.
The tour is enhanced by mood lighting designed by Jésus Soto and soft new age music plays in the background. To good effect I thought.
Entrance sign.
Looking up from the entrance stairs.
The tour path is paved but otherwise the cave is pretty much in it's natural state.
There are small rock falls in places but the tour section is otherwise safe and stable.
The tunnel splits into two or three galleries in places. The scale of the place is immense.
Rock shape and colour varies widely.
Vertical shafts run between the galleries at irregular intervals.
Some galleries are quite low.
The cave produces exellent acoustics and regular mainly classical music concerts are held there.
Part of the concert seating area.
This is a very effective illusion. The photograph shows a huge gallery with a rock bridge in the centre. In fact the lower half of the photo is a perfect reflection of the gallery ceiling. The cave floor here is flooded with 3cm of water. The illusion is revealed when a member of the public is invited to throw a stone into what appears to be the gallery below. Cue gasps all round.
This attempt at flash photography revealed patterns in the solidified lava flow.
Another €8.00 well spent.