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. A large section of the town was destroyed in 1522 by an earthquake. 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
The area 30 km south of Almeria is known for its greenhouses. This area can be seen 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. Vegetables grown here are exported all over Europe.
Photo Source: Private
The discovery of a spectacular geode
Another reason why 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. It was originally mined 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
Comments
Jessica
Wow Taetske, the cave in Vietnam is amazing! I watched the video and especially like the gorgeous “Garden of Eden” the waterfall and the blue water. I would love to see that someday. I don’t think I have ever been in a large cave. Watching the video reminded me of the story “Journey to the Center of the Earth”. I can see how someone could dream that up seeing such a huge cave!
Thanks for the trip!
Jessica
Taetske
Good Morning Jessica,
Yes, that cave is indeed amazing. I would also love to visit it one day. Mother Earth has some great sights for us to see. I much prefer this above big cities, masses of cars and bad air. Thank you for leaving this nice comment.
Regards, Taetske
JauneSK
Amazing Crytal Caves In Almeria and San Doong Cave of Vietnam, The Largest Cave in the world. Just wonder what will be the feeling being inside the cave? Hopefully, the Government of Vietnam does not approve the cable car project to San Doong Cave.
Thanks for sharing and would like you to look into one of the largest cave in the world, The Mulu Cave of Miri Sarawak, a UNESCO World Heritage site. I believe you will like it.
SK
Taetske
Good evening Jaune,
Thank you for leaving a comment on my website. Mother Earth has so many amazing places to visit. Even having a hundred lives we would not be able to see it all. I pray that we humans take good care of her as she provides us with all we need. I certainly will check on the cave you mention, thank you for the tip. Thank you for your visit and I hope to see you again.
Regards, Taetske