Cuevas del Canelobre

Cuevas de Canalobre - Coves del Canelobre - Caves of Candelabra


Useful Information

Location: 3 km north of Busot, 10 km south east of Jijona, 24 km north east of Alicante. Road from Busot to the the cave.
(38.509893, -0.411816)
Open: SEP to JUN Tue-Fri 10:30-16:50, Sat, Sun, Hol 10:30-17:50.
Easter week daily 10:30-18:30.
JUL to AUG daily 10:30-19:30.
Closed on Monday after Easter Monday, 25-DEC and 01-JAN.
[2021]
Fee: Adults EUR 9, Children (5-14) EUR 4, Children (0-4) free, Seniors EUR 5, Disabled EUR 3.60, Students EUR 5.
Groups (20+): Adults EUR 5, Children (5-14) EUR 4.
Tickets available at the cave, the Ethnic Music Museum, and online.
[2021]
Classification: SpeleologyKarst cave
Light: LightIncandescent Electric Light System LightColoured Light
Dimension: L=150 m, VR=50 m, A=700 m asl, Ar=80,000 m².
Guided tours:
Photography:  
Accessibility:  
Bibliography:  
Address: Cuevas del Canelobre, Carretera Cuevas del Canelobre, CV-776, 03111 Busot, Alicante, Tel: +34-965-699-250. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

10th century cave discovered during the moorish era.
19th century first documented visits of the cave.
1930s during the Spanish Civil War used as an aircraft repair shop by the Republican army.

Description

Cuevas del Canalobre (Caves of the Chandelier) is a single huge chamber with a length of 150 m and a height of 70 m. It contains many stalactites, some of them looking like a chandeliers, which gave the cave its name. The huge chamber has a good sound, so it is used for concerts and folk festivals. The cave contains a large stage for such events. Outside the stage there are several groups of stalagmites, the La Sagrada Familia reaches a height of 25 m and the El Canelobre is thought to be more than 100,000 years old.

The cave is known since a thousand years, but was never important. During the 19th century there were some documented visits, but just touristic visit, no exploration. The first time the cave became actually important was in the Spanish Civil War, in the 1930s, when it used as an aircraft repair shop by the Republican army. For this it was necessary to do some development work. An access tunnel to the cave was built, also trails and several platforms inside the chamber. Those develpoments are still part of the show cave trails.

The entrance is located high on the slopes of the Cabezón de Oro (Golden Head) in a dry and hot bare karst region, and the visitor has a beautiful view onto the region of Alicante and the Mediterranean Sea. Several paths in the area allow very nice walking tours. Quite exception is the L'Esquenall de la Foradada (Scrap of the Foradada) or Ojo del Cabeçó d'Or (Eye of the Golden Head), a short through cave or natural bridge in a mountain ridge. Its possible to see the sky through the hole even from far away. The mountain consists of 145 million years old Upper Jurassic

Despite so much favorable facts, there are two drawbacks: the cave is in summer very well visited, there are regular bus trips from the tourist centers at the coast, and it is lighted with coloured light.