Cueva de Ardales reopens after a month of 'very necessary' works

Earthquakes mostly leave destruction in their wake, but there are times when they uncover hidden treasures, which is what happened in 1821, when the entrance to what is now Cueva de Ardales came to light. A natural cavity of huge proportions that houses one of the best collections of palaeolithic rock art in Europe, this cave receives numerous visitors throughout the year.

However, last month it was closed to the public due to “very necessary” works. These works have consisted of resurfacing the access road, seeing as it was badly damaged during storms that hit the area in 2018.

The emergency lighting on the steps leading from the mouth of the cave through the archaeological zone of the cavity has also been replaced. It was in this part of the cave in 2014 that archaeologists confirmed that it had been used by Neanderthals. In 2018, following further archaeological surveys, several cave paintings were discovered that are believed to be more than 45,000 years old.

“Since the storms in 2018, we have been accessing this area in a very precarious way, but now the road has finally been concreted, which has made access much easier,” the director of the Cueva de Ardales, Pedro Cantalejo, said.

The works had a budget of 420,000 euros and was financed by the provincial authority.

Two groups of a maximum of 15 people are permitted to visit the palaeolithic archaeological and artistic areas every day for a minimum of two hours. Guided tours take place from Tuesday to Sunday at 10am, while on Friday and Saturday a second tour takes place at 4pm.

Bookings via www.giglon.com