Karst cave.
reprint of original article in York Grotto Nl 19 (2) March 1982 40-44 illus. Online version of this article, see link below.
Iraida Calzadilla Rodríguez (?): CUEVAS DE BELLAMAR, 48pp (
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| Location: | Matanzas. 2 km south of the city of Matanzas. |
| Open: | All year daily 9-18. |
| Fee: | Adults US$ 4. |
| Classification: |
Karst cave.
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| Light: | electric |
| Dimension: | L=3,225m, T=27°C. |
| Guided tours: | D=45min., L=1,500m. |
| Bibliography: |
General Frederico F. Cavada (1870):
The Cave of Bellamar,
Harper's New Monthly Magazine Vol 41, Issue 246, November 1870, pp. 826-834, Harper & Bros. New York. reprint of original article in York Grotto Nl 19 (2) March 1982 40-44 illus. Online version of this article, see link below. Iraida Calzadilla Rodríguez (?): CUEVAS DE BELLAMAR, 48pp ( )
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| Address: | Cuevas de Bellamar, Carretera La Alcancma, Matanzas, Matanzas 40300, Neighbourhood: 7540, Tel: +53-5-261683. |
| Last update: | $Date: 2008/07/01 20:18:40 $ |
| 17-APR-1861 | discovered by quarrymen. | |
| 1948 | members of the Sociedad Espeleológica de Cuba (SEC) explored the cave. | |
| 1989 | the Grupo Espeleológico Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente began to explore the area and discovered a network of more than 7 km of passages. | |
| 11-FEB-1999 | Cueva de Bellamar Speleological Museum inaugurated. |
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This is one of Cuba's oldest tourist attractions and is famous for the beauty of the speleothems. The tour includes six halls and seventeen galleries of incredible beauty, fountains, stalactites and stalagmites, crystallised domes and other formations bearing names such as La Fuente del Amor (Fountain of Love) and La Galerna Coco Rallado (Grated Coconut Gallery). The constant dripping of the water that seeps from the caves's inner walls ensures 100-percent relative humidity. The temperature in the caves ranges between 25° and 27°C. Once outside the caves, there is a cafe-restaurant along with shops. Text by Tony Oldham (2003). With kind permission. |
The description on this cave is rather short, as it is not really necessary. This cave is known for a very long time and well described. For example, there is an excellent description from Harper's New Monthly Magazine which you can find below. The cave was known and visited, but the first detailed study took place in 1948, at the request of the owners. Members of the newly formed Sociedad Espeleológica de Cuba (SEC) worked the geology, hydrology, climate and speleothems and made the first survey. But the most intensive and successful exploration started in 1989, when the Grupo Espeleológico Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente began to explore the area. They discovered more than 7km of passages, new parts of the Cuevas de Bellamar, fossils of species previously unknown in this province, and an abundance of crystal formations, some not known until now.
In 1999 the Cueva de Bellamar Speleological Museum was inaugurated. This speleologic museum is based on first ideas of Dr Antonio Nuñez Jiménez in 1948, who started to collect some speleothem fragments for a museum. However, it was never realized and only a glass case with some randam items existed. The new museum was created by members of the Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente group, who also maintains the show cave.
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