Explore El Castillo Caves and Paleolithic Art in Small Groups from Santander City Centre

Summary: Amazing experience of relatively unchanged caves. Is slippery- be sure to wear good shoes for walking/wet surfaces. Cave art from 40,000 to 10,000 years ago together with impressive stalagmite and stalagmite formations. No photos allowed. The associated information center is also interesting with art and 360 virtual views of caves. Our guide Jaido knew alot about the art as well, helping out the docents!

Summary: Fantastic tour and well worth the trip to see the caves and art. The columns of stalagmites and stalactites made it feel like we were in a natural cathedral and the many ancient drawings simply added to the experience. Definitely wear good footwear as the floor is slick and request an English guide who will translate alongside the Spanish guide. Our guide was fantastic and answered all of our questions!

Summary: Wonderfully passionate and informative guides for some spectacular snippets of prehistory. An absolute privilege to get to see these works of art in person and in situ.

Summary: An unforgettable cave experience made truly special by our guide Gabriela, and the two cave guides. Their deep knowledge, passion for the caves, and warm, welcoming nature brought everything to life. With only six of us on the tour, it felt intimate and personal, more like a real exploration than a typical group visit. We had the time and space to absorb the beauty and stories of the place. Highly recommended!

Summary: I have travelled quite a lot, and prefer to plan my own independent travel but I often book local day tours. I can honestly say that this was the best tour I have ever taken! If you are in or near Cantabria I highly recommend that you make the effort to take this tour with Exploring Cantabria. First of all, you will never see anything like it in your lifetime. The cave paintings are much more beautiful in real life and it is an incredible privilege to see them in this way, with our guide from Explore Cantabria and the local guides in each cave. They are all so passionate about what they do and what they are showing you. The guides share their extensive knowledge and bring everything to life. I actually got tears in my eyes when we entered the first cave we actually saw 2 caves). These caves, unlike Altamira, are not reproductions, you are in the actual caves. Rafa told us that each year the number of people allowed in per hour is dropping, I think he said it is down to 7 people now. One of the guides in the 2nd cave said he does not believe his children will be able to see these caves with their own eyes, so to go now was pretty awesome. I also can’t say enough about the owner (along with the his wife) and guide, Rafa. He phoned me in the morning to tell me to wait at my hotel instead of the pick up point (which was only about a 5 minute walk away) because it was raining a little bit, he came to my hotel to pick me up. He is a most gracious and lovely host with a real love for what he does. Thank you Rafa, you gave us a precious gift indeed! The small group ethos (there were only 3 of us and our guides) meant that we were immersed in the experience and it was very intimate and special. If you are fortunate enough to be in the north of Spain, a beautiful part of the country, I highly recommend that you look into any of the tours they offer, but this tour is pretty special!

Summary: The Castillo and Monedas caves were fantastic, even just in terms of geology. Add the mystery of the ancient human artwork and the wonder of 40,000 years of preservation, and you get the gift of an experience full of wonder. Our guide, Pepe, was genuinely kind, knowledgeable and fun. The guides at the two caves were really excellent and engaging. Do wear solid anti-slip shoes to maneuver the stairs and floors, and keep an eye open for low ceilings.

Summary: The tour guides were so knowledgeable and helpful. And the driver was so friendly and kind. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who is interested in learning about history and caves. They were incredible.

Summary: Great tour and our guide was very nice. Pretty amazing to see the caves and drawings. I would highly recommend to anyone who is in the area. There is a bit of walking and a few steps! But 100% worth it.

Summary: Paid for this as a tour so that we got an English translation. Great to see the cave formations and hear some of the history discovered. Went to see both caves both have cave drawings dating back to 40k years ago.(various stages) Can be slippery as ground is wet. Amazing to see it. No photos allowed and you may not get to see it in a few years time as it’s a UNESCO site and we are contaminating the site by our visits.

Summary: Our guides were fabulous, multilingual and were really knowledgeable and helpful. A trip well worth undertaking.