A famous cave in Tenerife is hidden in the hinterland of Icod de los Vinos, where the lava flows from Pico Viejo once passed. Name of the Cave: La Cueva del Viento (The Wind Cave).
Inland from Icod de los Vinos, the village where the ancient dragon tree has graced the area for a thousand years, lies the Cueva del Viento, one of the longest volcanic tunnels in the world. The cave complex of Viento-Sobrado, called ‘the wind cave’ in English, is nothing less than a volcanic corridor but the largest in Europe and among one of the largest in the world.
This tubo volcánico was formed by the lava flows from the ancient volcano Pico Viejo, a volcano that stands near the Pico del Teide. The volcanic eruption about 27,000 years ago caused these subterranean passages to form. About 1,800 years ago, there was then the eruption of the nearby Roques Blancos volcano in which large parts of the corridor complex were covered with a thick layer of lava.
Volcanic tube
The famous cave in Tenerife consists of a corridor system has a total length of over 17 kilometres, runs over three different levels and is full of geomorphological phenomena. Besides its great volcanological importance, biological and palaeontological phenomena are also highlighted.
This cave is also a place rich in fossils and prehistoric archaeological finds. Thus, remains of bones of the ‘Lacerta goliath’ and a ‘Ponceleti’ lizard, an extinct breed of salamander, have already been found.
Not least of note are the archaeological remains of the Guanches, Tenerife’s ancient Aborigines, which were found at several sites in the volcanic tube.
Still to be explored
The tunnel has several side passages and covers a total of more than 17 kilometres. Other well-known volcanic tunnels include those at Kazumura in Hawaii (11 km), the Levanthian Cave in Kenya (11 km) and the Mag Yabg Gont in Korea (12.5 km).
Seven major side passages have been discovered and countless branching tunnels. The tunnels are on average eight to 10 metres high and equally wide. The rock and solidified lava flows in the tunnels are invaluable for studying the geological history of the Canary Islands. Many of the smaller branches are still unexplored.
A native beetle lives in the tunnel. This one is blind and has adapted to living in darkness. The creature’s pigmentation has virtually evolved away and its metabolism is very slow to survive in these conditions. There are not many sources of energy in its habitat.
Remains of a Canary giant rat have also been found. This species is now extinct. Furthermore, remains of a large lizard species have been found. The reptile must have been one and a half metres long.
Pebble beaches
In 1961, a geological team from Oxford University discovered and partially explored the volcanic tunnel of Cueva del Viento. They had to do some of the work while swimming because here and there the bottom of the tunnel was found to be covered with water and mud. Pools with pebble beaches were also found. There are several tunnels in the municipality of Icod de los Vinos, for example those at San Marcos, Puerto Blanco and El Rey. Lava tunnels can be found on all the Canary Islands, except La Gomera, where erosion has done its work more thoroughly than elsewhere.
Bookings and information
Admission is €20 (€10 for residents) and €8.5 for children aged 5 to 12 (€5 for resident children). Children under 5 are not admitted.
Payments are made by credit card.
Visits – maximum 15 people – are accompanied and last 2.5 hours. Explanations are provided in Spanish, German, French and English.
Bookings and payments via the internet on the website.
The visitor centre is open every day from 09:00 to 16:00.
Important: to get a guided visit in the language of your choice, press the desired language and then scroll to ‘buy a ticket’. The dates that appear are the guided visits in the desired language.
Cuevadelviento.com © Photography
Famous Cave in Tenerife ©
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