9 Crazy Cool Caves You’ll Want To Explore ASAP

By Libby Ryan   ‧   08/27/2017   ‧   Explore /

@firenzeclub

Explore beneath the earth’s surface in these stunning caves around the world. From iridescent caverns to glowing hot springs, these natural formations are worth a deep dive. Our picks for the coolest caves in the world will inspire you to grab your flashlight and get subterranean!

1. Waitomo Glowworm Caves, New Zealand

The Waitomo Caves are a shimmery spectacle because of hundreds of little glowworms spinning traps for cave-dwelling insects. But to human visitors, the silky strands look like an alien sky.

Еще одно необыкновенное место на нашей планете столь прекрасно, что сложно поверить в его реальность. Это место – карстовые пещеры Вайтомо, которые по праву считаются главной достопримечательностью Вайкато – области на Северном острове Новой Зеландии. Это шедевр природы, над которым она трудилась миллионы лет. На протяжении веков здесь хозяйничал океан, создавая причудливые наросты известняка и таинственные хитросплетения ходов. После отступления воды образовалась система из 150 пещер, самая известная из которых – пещера Glowworm. Она заселена удивительными существами – Arachnocampa Luminosa. Это светлячки, которых можно встретить только в Новой Зеландии. Их зелёно-голубое свечение делает свод пещеры похожим на звёздное небо в морозную ночь. Открывайте для себя мир вместе с #firenzeclub! #travel #wanderlust #discovertheworld #waitomo #cave #newzeland #ocean #glowworm #lights #nature #amazing #путешествие #природа #вайтомо #пещера #новаязеландия #океан #пещерасветлячков

A post shared by Firenze club (@firenzeclub) on

2. Cueva de los Cristales, Mexico

This insane crystal cave is off-limits to anyone, but the luckiest researchers because of extreme temperatures and humidity. If you can swing a way in, you’ll see piles of crystals up to 36-feet long.

The Cave of Crystals Natural Wonder in Mexico : In 1910 workers in the Naica mine in Mexico discovered the Cave of Crystals. In 2000 at the same mine, but about 120 meters below the first crystal cave, workers made an even more amazing discovery. The Giant Crystal Cave is a horseshoe shaped limestone cavity covered in crystalline blocks. There are giant beams of crystal formed throughout the cave including the largest one ever found measuring 13 feet in diameter and weighing 55 tons. The crystals are selenite, or gypsum, and are deteriorating because of their exposure to the air. The mine had drained these caves to work in them, but now they are considering flooding them again to preserve the crystals.

A post shared by Natural_hd (@amazing.and.nature_pictures) on

3. Reed Flute Cave, China

The natural beauty of the Guangxi Provence Cave is elevated by the addition of bright neon lights. It’s truly magical to see the rock formations illuminated with such bright colors, especially when the cave lacks natural light.

Rápido, brusco, violento.

A post shared by E L E N A R O D R Í G U E Z (@__elenarodriguez) on

4. Hang Son Doong, Vietnam

Hang Son Doong is the world’s largest cave passage. It’s two and a half miles long, 300 feet wide and 600 feet tall. Even better for the get-there-first crowd, the Vietnamese cave has only recently opened to visitors since professional cave explorers only discovered the spot in 2009.

5. Caverns of Sonora, Texas, U.S.

In Texas’s Sonora Caverns, the walls glow pink. The seemingly endless corridors are a rose-colored landscape of stalagmites and stalactites (but don’t worry, you don’t have to remember which is which from those grade-school lessons).

6. Cenote Dos Ojos, Mexico

Snorklers love this underwater sinkhole in the Yucatan region of Mexico, but you can also simply float in the shockingly clear water. Dos Ojos is one of the biggest underwater caves in the world, so keep both eyes open to take in the vast expanses of turquoise water.

7. Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, U.S.

The longest cave system in the world is hidden beneath rural Kentucky. There are 400 miles of caverns that have been explored, but since the caves are so massive, no one really knows how much is left to discover.

8. Catedral de Marmol, Chile

The Marble Cathedral in Patagonia is home to 5,000 tons of marble. The caves are located on a glacier-fed lake and the clear blue water reflects off the marble, giving both surfaces an icy blue hue.

9. Fingal’s Cave, Scotland

This Scottish cave was known as the “Cave of Melody” in the days of the Celts and even now, the sound of the waves echoing through the cavern is one of the coolest parts of Fingal.

 

Next on Swirled

Most Popular