Located near the city of Matanzas, about 100 km east of Havana, Bellamar Cave is one of Cuba's most famous and mysterious landmarks. Discovered in 1861, the cave has become an attractive destination for tourists from all over the world thanks to its stunning natural beauty and unique historical and geological value.
About Bellamar Caves Cuba
Bellamar Caves, located in the west of Matanzas, Cuba, is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. The caves are known for their magical natural beauty and long history of exploration. With over a century of existence, Bellamar Caves offer visitors the feeling of entering another world where time seems to have stopped.
Inside Bellamar, visitors will admire the brilliant golden rock landscapes and unique stalactite formations. Vast tunnels, mirror-like pools and rich rock ranges create a wonderful natural display. In particular, the guides here will help visitors better understand the history of formation and the secrets hidden in these spaces.
In addition to its natural beauty, Bellamar is also home to much of Cuba's cultural heritage. Archaeological finds here have proven that the cave has long attracted people to explore and celebrate its magical beauty.
Bellamar Caves Cuba. Photo: @begunowa
Transportation to Bellamar Caves
To get to Bellamar Caves , you can use the following means of transport:
Bus or taxi from Varadero: If you are staying in Varadero, you can take a bus or taxi to Matanzas, where Bellamar Cave is located about 5 km west of downtown Matanzas. From there, you can hire a taxi or motorbike to get to the cave.
Car or motorbike rental: If you want to drive yourself, you can rent a car or motorbike in Varadero or Matanzas to get to the cave. The road from Matanzas to Bellamar is relatively short and easy to travel.
Tours: Many tour companies in Varadero or Matanzas offer tours to Bellamar Caves. These tours usually include transportation and a guide, making it easy to get to and explore the caves safely and conveniently.
Bellamar Caves is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Cuba with its intricate cave systems and striking stalactite formations. Using these means of transport, you can easily reach the caves and explore their magical natural beauty.
Photo: @anneluchi
The ideal time to explore Bellamar Caves
The ideal time to visit Bellamar Caves in Cuba is during spring and fall. During this time, the weather in Matanzas and surrounding areas is usually warm and pleasant, making cave tours more comfortable and enjoyable.
Spring (March to May) and fall (October to November) are the least rainy times of the year in Cuba, so visitors can avoid sudden downpours and enjoy sunny days while visiting the caves. These months are also less crowded than summer, making your travel experience more peaceful and comfortable.
You should visit here in spring and autumn. Photo: @slomotravelsThe origin of Bellamar cave
The galleries and passageways of Bellamar Cave are estimated to have begun forming around 300,000 years ago. According to scholars, the delta where the caves are located was originally under the sea, forming part of the Matanzas Gulf. Along the so-called Bellamar Fault, groundwater, combined with carbon dioxide, dissolved the limestone and in this way created underground chambers in the ground; under the seabed.
Although still below sea level, these caves were filled with water. Tectonic movements caused the area to rise until the seabeds that can be seen in the city of Matanzas and the surrounding area were formed.
As time passed, these caves dried up. Some of the deep chambers below sea level even drained and leaks began to occur between the rocks, on the cave roof, water containing dissolved calcium carbonate left a residue when dripping and in this way, formed stalactites from the cave ceiling and stalagmites on the floor.
The cave is believed to have formed 300,000 years ago. Photo: @vikasimages
Explore Bellamar Cave
Bellamar Cave was discovered by accident in February 1861 when a slave lost his crowbar while digging a hole in the ground to move a limestone boulder. The slave and his foreman imagined that the earth had swallowed the boulder.
Don Manuel Santos Parga, the owner of the farm, asked for an explanation and when he received no answer, he went to the scene of the incident and ordered a digging there. As soon as a gap slightly larger than a bar was opened, a large stream of air, with an unpleasant odor, escaped through the hole that had been created, hot and smoky. Then the entrance to the cave was discovered.
Mr. Parga, who was knowledgeable about mining and caves, realized the significance of the discovery and began preparing the cave for visitors to enjoy. They removed a lot of rock; they made stairs out of bricks that are still in use, installed handrails, and once that was possible, he installed electric lighting. He or one of his guides would take visitors through the cave passages, explaining what they were seeing. Two years after the event, José V. Betancourt of Matanzas recounted what happened.
Originally called Parga Cave in honor of its discoverer, the site was renamed Las Cuevas de Bellamar (although experts point out that it is a single cave with multiple chambers) due to its proximity to the beach of the same name on the west side of Matanzas.
In the first two years more than two thousand people visited it. At the time it was a resounding success, both touristically and scientifically.
The magnificent beauty of the cave. Photo: @raulitome
Features of Bellamar Caves
Stalactite
Stalactites are cylindrical in shape and become conical as they grow, while stalagmites are conical or flattened, as if they were melted. Both grow until they come together and form columns. In some cases, several stalactites that are relatively close together come together, creating formations called carpets. Others run along the walls to form waterfalls. In the Bellamar Caves, you can see all of these formations.
What is interesting about Bellamar Cave is that the crystal formations are transparent and shiny, and do not originate in the same way as the other named structures. They originate from geodes that were filled with water. And what is even more interesting is that in certain cave cavities, the sediments are covered with a layer of crystals, suggesting that after drying, these chambers were completely, or at least partially, flooded again.
Beautiful stalactites. Photo: @photosdanielajerez4
Showroom and waiting room
In the main hall is the rock formation known as Manto de Colón. Divided into four areas, its galleries and chambers are covered with stalactites, stalagmites and spiral stones, the latter having a strange horizontal shape. Designed by nature and built by man, there is the Tunnel of Love, the Chapel of the 12 Apostles, the Devil's Throat, the Pass of Rain, the Hall of Snow and the San Pedro and Gothic shrines. These caves are of rare beauty in the cave world because of the many brilliant formations due to the layer of crystals covering them.
Enter the Bellamar Cave through the recess known as the Gothic Hall, a square room about 80 meters long and 25 meters wide. The Gothic-style room has given names to several formations. Among other places are the carrot garden, the chapel of the twelve apostles, Doña Mamerta and the famous Columbus cloak.
The other chambers are the Gallery of the Two Lakes, the Gallery of the Sponge, the Gallery of the Dwarves and the Gallery of Megalocnus to the east of the Gothic Hall. On the other side are the Hatuey Passage, the Ladies' Hall, the Dalias Pool and the American Baths. As for the latter, legend has it that an American traveler, many years ago, got lost there when she decided to cool her body in the crystal-cold water.
According to scientists, this is a single cave with many chambers. The air is very breathable, at least in the part where visitors are allowed access. The temperature is relatively stable all year round, maintaining a constant 26°C. For cavers, Bellamar Cave is also considered a potential laboratory for the study of underground crystallography, especially those of calcium carbonate origin, as its galleries display a wide range of strangely beautiful crystal forms.
Photo: @sofiahakunamatata
New discoveries at Bellamar cave
Of related scientific interest, new discoveries in part of the Bellamar cave system , a prominent National Monument, are worth mentioning here.
In this centuries-old cave, a team of speleologists discovered a narrow chamber that led them to another underground extension about 9 km long. To everyone's surprise, they found galleries of unparalleled beauty there.
These are stalactite-shaped cylinders suspended in the air, with solid calcite crystals hanging from their ends. Due to its size and rarity, experts consider this find to be a unique gem, incomparable to any other find of its kind. They are indescribable in shape, as nowhere else on the planet is such calcium carbonate glass known.
During subsequent explorations by the zoological team of Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, other paleontological discoveries of important scientific significance emerged, such as the remains of terrestrial vertebrates and birds estimated to be millions of years old.
Specialized entities count more than 10 thousand caves throughout the island, many of which have undergone some 25 million years of evolution, but to this day, Bellamar Cave remains the queen, the oldest tourist center in Cuba, a National Monument, a favorite of all who visit.
There have been some new discoveries at Bellamar Cave. Photo: @gonzaloperalWith its combination of unspoiled nature and human impact, Bellamar Caves is a must-see destination for those who want to explore the richness and diversity of Cuba .
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