Cueva Grande de Santa Catalina

Great Cave of Santa Catalina


Useful Information

Location: 4 km east southeast of Carboneras, 20 km east of Matanzas.
(23.087623, -81.414936)
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Dimension: L=7,000 m.
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Bibliography: John Gunn (2003): Encyclopedia of Caves and Karst Science, p 272 mention
Address: Cueva Grande de Santa Catalina.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
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History

1996 declared Monumento Nacional (National Monument).

Description

Cueva Grande de Santa Catalina is located at the Predios de Camarioca, on the Matanzas-Varadero Highway. It contained evidences of pre-Colombian visitors. The cave is renowned for its cave mushrooms which are over a metre in height. These are speleothems resembling huge mushrooms, hence the name.

The cave is visited by guided tours which are offered at the nearby tourist hotels. It's not possible to find the cave without a guide, such trips are three-hour tours with transportation, cave and snack.

A natural limestone cave, located to 4 km to the east of the town of Carbonera, on the Matanzas-Varadero railway line. It was declared a National Monument in 1996. It is characterised by his 11 km [ others say 7 km] of underground passages which display some unusual speleothems. The cave is also noted for its native fungi, zinolitas and pictographs.


Text by Tony Oldham (2004). With kind permission.