In addition to its geological value, the cave preserves an exceptional industrial archaeology heritage derived from the zinc and lead mining that was active in the Sierra de Arnero from the mid-19th century until the late 1970s.

A replica of a mining train transports visitors through the La Isidra mining gallery to an underground station. From this point, the tour continues on foot through various galleries and chambers, including La Gorda, Los Fantasmas, Lacuerre, Centinelas, and Ópera, among others.

Tour Options: A 1-hour tour suitable for all types of visitors. It is adapted for people with reduced mobility, and nearly 90% of the route can be accessed by wheelchairs.

Adventure Tourism Tour: For the more daring, El Soplao offers an extraordinary way to discover the underground world in depth. This 2.5 km route allows visitors to feel like cavers for a day, exploring cave galleries in their natural state. Visitors will be awed by the variety of formations and the diversity of spaces. This tour is not exclusively for experts; rather, it aims to bring the beauty of the subterranean world to anyone with normal mobility.

Tourist Complex

The cave facilities include ticket offices, a gift shop, a cafeteria and self-service restaurant, restrooms, a terrace, and an observation tower. Outside, you will find parking for both private vehicles and buses, recreation areas, and a permanent contemporary sculpture exhibition. All of this is set against an incomparable landscape featuring breathtaking views of the Cantabrian Sea, the Picos de Europa, the Peña Sagra mountain range, and the Nansa River valley.

For further information regarding rates and schedules, please check the official website: www.elsoplao.es.

Estilo artístico

Geological Significance and Industrial Archaeology

Acceso

The cave is located in the Sierra de Arnero, between the municipalities of Herrerías, Valdáliga, and Rionansa, about 85 km from Santander and just over a 1-hour drive by private vehicle. Access is via the A-8 Santander-Oviedo highway, exit 269 (Los Tánagos-Pesués-Puentenansa).

Época

Características

Its interior houses an unusual diversity of speleothems, renowned for their beauty and abundance. Its most impressive formations, which make it a ‘Unique Cave’, are the so-called ‘eccentrics’ (helictites), which carpet floors, ceilings, walls, and other formations throughout the tour. These eccentrics, along with the whimsical shapes adopted by stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and flowstones, make the journey a thrilling immersion into the underground world.

 

 

 

El Soplao Cave