Unique and Very Special Natural Sites

A special place in the south of Spain

The narrow streets of Almeria

A unique cave in Andalusia

Whenever you plan to visit the south of Spain, there is one area I would recommend.

The town of Almeria, with its narrow streets, is over 1000 years old. An earthquake destroyed a large section of the town in 1522. Within 30 km (to the north) from the old town, is the largest protected coastal area in Andalucía. The natural park is called Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park.

The old castle of Almeria

The greenhouses of Almeria

We know the area 30 km south of Almeria for its greenhouses. You can see this area from space because it is over 40,000 hectares (100,000 acres) covered in plastic. A visit to Google Earth at latitude 36.74 degrees N and longitude -2.71 degrees, you will see the magnitude of the greenhouses. They export vegetables grown here all over Europe.

The discovery of a spectacular geode

Another reason this area is so interesting is that in 2000, in an abandoned silver mine near Almeria, a massive geode was discovered. This site is not open to the public but an amazing video detailing the geode is available online and linked here.

Lechuguilla Caves

On the other side of the globe is an absolutely amazing cavern associated with the Carlsbad Caverns. They originally mined it for bat guano but in 1989, some spelunkers (cave adventures) found that there was air seeping up out of the bottom of the cave and decided to escalate the bottom. What they found is an absolute wonder.

Although the site is part of the Carlsbad Caverns, it is now restricted access and available only for scientific study. This recent video is a great tour of the cave systems. Click on the photo below for a wonderful trip through an amazing underground labyrinth.

The largest cave in the world

Son Doong cave in the Republic of Vietnam is reported to be the largest cave in the world. This cave is over 5 and 1/2 miles long can fit a 40 story skyscraper inside it. It also has the largest known cave passage in the world.

Unlike the previous two examples, this is a site that the public is welcome to visit. In fact, it is likely to be a tourist attraction before too long. There are 3, 4, and 6-day tours through the cave system. Son Doong Cave

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many exciting places to visit in our world. In case you come on a holiday to the south of Spain, do not hesitate to contact me. I love to meet the visitors who come to my website.

A fascinating book

Are you interested to visit caves? Then this book is for you. Around the globe, there are famous caves and here you will find 26 of the most spectacular ones.

Each entry will explain in detail how to get there when it was discovered and access sites. This is a book for expert cavers, spelunkers, climbers, and adventure travelers.

Before you leave, have a look at Recommendations. It is a special page I have made for you with a collection of things you might find interesting.

Photo Source: Private