Gruta da Mangabeira

Gruta Sagrado Coração de Jesus

Useful Information

Location:	R. Gruta da Mangabeira - Ituaçu, BA, 46640-000. Ituaçu, valley of the Rio de Contas, southern part of the Serra de Sincorá. Cad: MG-003 (-13.8395, -41.3154)
Open:	All year daily 7-17. [2026]
Fee:	Church: free. Cave: Guide BRL 50. [2026]
Classification:	Karst Cave. Cave Church Una Group carbonates.
Light:	Electric Light candles
Dimension:	L=3,230 m, VR=40 m.
Guided tours:	Church: self guided. Cave: D=2 h, 2.5 km.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Elvis Pereira Barbosa, Márcio Santana Santos et al (2022): Caverna Em Festa: A Romaria Da Lapa Da Mangabeira Em Ituaçu – Bahia, ANAIS do 36º Congresso Brasileiro de Espeleologia, Brasília/DF, 20-23 de abril de 2022 – Sociedade Brasileira de Espeleologia. online
Address:	Gruta da Mangabeira, R. Gruta da Mangabeira - Ituaçu, BA, 46640-000, Tel: +55-77-98153-6214.
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

07-JUL-1962	declared a cultural monument by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Service (SPHAN).
03-SEP-1986	900 m of the cave equipped with electric light.

Description

Gruta da Mangabeira (Mangabeira Cave) has a huge entrance portal and entrance hall, which was transformed into an important religious temple, visited by thousands of pilgrims every year. The suburb of Ituaçu which developed around the cave entrance was originally named Brejo Grande, but was renamed "Gruta da Mangabeira" because it is mainly the infrastructure for the cave church. The main season for pilgrims is during August. The cave is also known as Gruta Sagrado Coração de Jesus (Sacred Heart of Jesus Grotto), Bom Jesus da Lapa or Lapa da Mangabeira. Inside the cave chapels for different saints such as St. Gaspar, St. Anthony, Our Lady of Grace, Our Lady of Aparecida and the Sacred Heart of Jesus were built into different side branches of the entrance hall. The name "Mangabeira" is derived from a large quantity of Hancornia speciosa trees from the Apocynaceae family in the area. The fruit of this tree is called mangaba by the indigenous inhabitants of the area.

The names related to Jesus are part of the legendary discovery of the cave. According to this legend a group of cowboys rode through this area with a herd when the ground collapsed and the cave opened up. They went in to explroe, but they feared they could get to hell if they took a wrong turn. So they prayed to Jesus to safe them from this fate, which actually worked, hence the name. Another version of the legend tells that the cowboy fell into the doline with his horse and was not able to climb out again. The place where this happened is the karstfenster which is not far from the entrance.

The cave is more than three kilometers long, and the longest cave in the Ituaçú area. Until now no other major caves have been discovered in this part of the Una Group carbonates. The illuminated tourist section is 900 m long from the entrance with the sanctuary to the Hall of the Heart, the main attraction during the pilgrimage season. This route has six sections which can be turned on and off as required. This is a sanctuary, and thus it is free, donations are welcome, as in any other church.

At the same time this is a show cave and there are guides, so if you take such a guided tour, there is a fee for the guide. The tour enters the cave passage behind the churches and chapels, and shows spectacular speleothems. In some areas the stalactites are full of helictites. Unfortunately the floor is leveled, but there are no railings, so it’s possible for the visitors to reach the speleothems at the sides and touch them. This has caused massive damages over time. The cave is exited at the far end through a second entrance, another collapse doline with a steep pile of debris, over a long stone staircase with 200 steps. From here buses bring visitors back to the entrance for an additional fee. It’s also possible to walk, a 2 km/30 minutes hike.

The cave is a typical Brazilian show cave, so development is basically a leveled floor and an unlit passage. Wearing walking shoes and brining a headlamp and reserve lamp is essential. Visitors in flip-flops with smartphone torch app are quite common, we recommend nevertheless to bring better equipment. Especially as the tour is over 2 km long and takes two hours, it is essential to keep your hands free by using a good headlamp.