Rather overlooked, these caves are a great place to explore whilst in Mallorca. They are less commercial than other caves on the island, and are tucked away in the north east, in the pretty foothills of the Tramuntana Mountains.
We love the story of how they were discovered – the family that owned the land knew for many years that there was a small hole in one of their fields, but never really thought anything of it. In 1945 the farmer decided he wanted to try to make the land more fertile to grow crops and wanting to irrigate the land, went to see if there was a source of water down the hole. As there was a flow of air and noise coming from the hole, he was sure there was a stream running below. What he found when he went to explore obviously came as rather a surprise!
He discovered a natural wonder and an underground world of stalactites and stalagmites. Dripping water combined with the local rock formations had created wonderful rooms such as The Palm Tree Chamber (called this as the rock formations resemble palm trees) and the Lake Chamber. There were some small water pools in the caves but not what the farmer was looking for in terms of irrigation. On finding the caves, the farmer abandoned plans to farm the land and in 1948 decided to open them up to the public and constructed the entrance and routes through the caves.
Now there are tours every hour at the Caves of Campanet, so whatever time of day you arrive you don’t have to wait long. The 40 minute tour is headed by a knowledgeable guide keen to impart information to everyone (in excellent English!) The caves cover a surface area of around 3200 m2 and some chambers go down as far as 1000 feet. The tour follows a constructed pathway that takes you through the different passages and spectacular chambers.
This is a great place to take children as it feels like a real exploration, walking through to different chambers, looking down into the depths and wondering what to expect around the corner.
To add to the attraction, there is also a relaxed café with a terrace that has beautiful views to the surrounding countryside.
A few tips:
- For entrance fees, at the cafe and shop, they only take cash so make sure you have plenty of euros with you.
- The signage to find the caves isn’t that prominent, so maybe look at a map before you set off.
- Even though they are still rather overlooked, in high season it can get a bit busy so it may be best to arrive when they open at 10am or visit at the end of the day.
- There are around 200 steps within the caves so the tour so not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.
The caves are near to the ancient town of Campanet. Here you can watch the world go slowly by from a cafe terrace, or enjoy the bustle of market day on a Tuesday. The caves are also close to the North East of the island and the pretty old towns of Pollenca and Alcudia.
Read more about the surrounding North East area and places to stay in the North East>>