There is something special about entering a cave, imagining the beginning of mankind using them as a home. Many caves have startlingly beautiful and colorful stalactites and stalagmites, hanging from their ceilings and sprouting from their floors. Here are three caves worth visiting in this wonderful world.
1. Fingal’s Cave, Isle of Staffa, Scotland
Fingal’s Cave has inspired many famous and celebrated people, including Jules Verne, Queen Victoria, Pink Floyd and Matthew Barney. Besides its fame, the cave’s history and geology are unlike any other cave anywhere in the world.
The sea cave is 270 ft in depth and stands 72 feet in height, but besides its height what makes Fingal’s Cave unique is the hexagonal columns of basalt, standing in six-sided pillars and lining the interior walls. This forms a crude walkway that visitors can use to explore the cave, just above the level of the water.
The Celts called this “Uamh-Binn” (The Cave of Melody) and it has been compared to the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland, which is also made up of basalt columns. It turns out Fingal’s Cave and Giant’s Causeway were both created by the same ancient lava flow. Experts reckon this happened about 60 million years ago, so it’s been around for a while.
While the cave was known in the past, it was rediscovered in 1772 by naturalist Sir Joseph Banks. At that time, an ancient epic poem named Fingal was very popular, which led to the cave receiving its name. Later on, the cave became a popular Romantic-Victoria tourist site, which led to John Keats, William Wordsworth, Queen Victoria and Lord Tennyson all paying it a visit.
Jules Verne was also a fan and could have inspired his writings. Much later on, Pink Floyd wrote unreleased songs about Fingal’s Cave. Nowadays us humble humans can visit Fingal’s Cave on a boat cruise, that drops us at the opening, allowing us to step from column to column into the cave.
2. Neptune’s Grotto, Alghero, Italy
Neptune’s Grotto in Alghero, Italy, was first discovered by a fisherman from Sardinia in the 18th century. While fishing out on the water, he spotted an opening in the cliff side. Heading closer he discovered the opening, around a meter above the water and found out it was a beautiful grotto, filled with stalactites and stalagmites.
The grotto was named for the Roman god of the sea and has become a popular tourist attraction. On entering the grotto, visitors will see a saltwater lake surrounded by the fascinating structures. However, while the caves within the cliff are around two-and-a-half miles in length, visitors only have access to the few hundred yards.
3. The Caves of Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio, USA
Heading to the USA, we now visit an Ohio Park, a beautifully scenic spot with its hills and trees. However, in the park there are a number of striking rock formations, among the gorges and caves, just waiting to be explored.
There are several caves, including the 25-ft-high Rock House Cave, with its 200-ft long corridor. Another is the Old Man’s Cave, the most popular visit, which was named after a hermit who lived here in the late 1700s. Ash Cave was named for the mysterious piles of ash created by Native Americans and discovered by colonial settlers.
Hocking Hills State Park is open from 10 am to 4 pm each day and besides visiting the caves, there are many exciting activities to be enjoyed. These include rock climbing, kayaking, hiking and swimming. For those who want to stay longer, campsites are available too.
Have fun exploring some of the beautiful caves in the world on your next vacation – a truly enjoyable and rewarding experience.
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