This natural paradise lies between the districts of Valdáliga, Herrerías and Rionansa. Once inside we are treated to breathtaking spectacles of the caves encrusted with aragonites, stalactites and stalagmites.

El Soplao is particularly rich in speleothems, which differ from stalactites and stalagmites in lacking any cross-sectional axis. This creates eccentric formations that appear on the floor, wall and roof, making these caves an unrivalled spectacle of cave formations.

Access to the cave is by way of a mining train that carries visitors four hundred metres through a tunnel. Visitors than continue on foot for about sixty metres through old mine galleries, well worth the visitor’s attention in themselves as an interesting display of mining archaeology. Here is where the cave exploration really starts with the astonishing sights of these curious natural sculptures. The tour round the accessible galleries takes about one hour.

But there is also a route called adventure tourism which allows visitors to reach new stretches over a total distance of up to 6 kilometres. The habitual visit starts in the La Isidra tunnel, giving access to the Falso Suelo. From there we make for the galleries of Los Italianos, El Campamento, El Órgano, El Bosque and, finally, La Sirena. Visits are made in guided groups and the organisation provides the necessary equipment.

In the nearby reservoir of La Palomera there are two more caves: the Cueva de El Chufín (reached in a boat) with rock paintings and the Cueva del Micolón, only for real cavers. As well as the caves in themselves, the environs are also of great ecological and natural interest. A few kilometres from here are nature reserves as valuable as the Parque Natural de Oyambre and the Reserva Nacional del Saja. The coastal strip from Unquera to San Vicente de la Barquera is also nearby, where the mountains run right down to the sea while the sea returns the compliment by running up the estuaries of Tinamayor, Tinamenor and San Vicente. Oakwoods, beechwoods and birchwoods abound; Red Deer, Roe Deer and Wild Boar roam through them under the attentive gaze of Griffon Vultures and Golden Eagles. In short, this Cantabrian land regales us with a rich and varied gamut of natural sights to round out the astonishing visits to the caves.

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