Cueva del Viento

Cueva del Sobrado

Useful Information

Location:	c/ Los Piquetes 51, 38430 Icod de los Vinos, Tenerife. TF-5 Carretera Autovia Variante Norte exit 55 Icod/TFD-366, at roundabout follow signs to El Amparo/TF-366/Cave 500 m, turn left and follow Cam. la Patita 1 km, turn right on Cam. los Piquetes 290 m. The cave entrance is on the left, turn left right before, car park after 50 m. (28.351980, -16.704030)
Open:	Visitor’s centre: Summer Mon 9-19, Tue 9-16:30, Wed-Fri 9-19, Sat, Sun 9-16:30. Winter Thu 9-18, Fri-Wed 9-17. Cave Tours: Online booking mandatory. [2024]
Fee:	Adults EUR 20, Children (5-12) EUR 8.50. Canary Islands Residents: Adults EUR 10, Children (5-12) EUR 5. Only card payment. [2024]
Classification:	lava tube Blowhole
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	L=18,500 m, VR=560 m.
Guided tours:	L=180 m, D=2 h, MinAge=5.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:	(1997): La Cueva del Viento, Consejería de Política Territorial y Medio Ambiente
Address:	Cueva del Viento Visitor Centre, c/ Los Piquetes 51. 38430 Icod De Los Vinos (Tenerife), Tel: +34-922-47-43-80. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1776	first written account by the brothers Bethencourt de Castro in their description of Cueva de San Marcos.
1891	survey by British visitors.
APR-1969	first modern exploration by the Sección de Exploraciones Vulcanoespeleológicas de La Guancha.
1973	Shepton Mallet Caving Club discovers the Pozo de los Ingleses.
1974	results of the exploration with cave map published.
1982	a group of biologists from the University of La Laguna discovers a great variety of cave fauna.
1982	Tenerife Benisahare Speleology Group discovers and surveys new galleries.
1989	Tenerife Benisahare Speleology Group discovers and surveys the connection with the Cueva del Sobrado, new length 14 km.
1990s	efforts by the village Icod De Los Vinos to develop the cave as a show cave.
1994	cave declared a natural monument.
1994	development as a show cave started, coordinated by the Museum of Natural Sciences
1998	the Canary Islands Government approves a Natural Resources Management Plan for the Cueva del Viento.
2004	development of the cave.
17-JUN-2008	reopening.
2014	adaptation of PORN Cueva del Viento to the regulations of European Special Conservation Areas.

Description

Cueva del Viento (Cave of the Wind) is an extraordinary lava tube, one of several on the Canarian Islands. The tube formed on the northern flank of Pico Viejo, next to Mt. Teide, 27,000 years ago during an eruptive phase of this volcano.

The cave entrances in the village were known for centuries because of the significant airflow. The surrounding area was named Cueva del Viento in old maps. There are old descriptions where the cave was mentioned and an early attempt by British visitors to map the cave in 1891. But the first serious exploration was made by the Sección de Exploraciones Vulcanoespeleológicas de La Guancha. They first entered the cave in April 1969, and after little more than a year 6,000 m of the cave were explored and mapped. This meant that this cave became the longest lava tube on earth, as it beat the former first, Showcave Cueva de Los Verdes on nearby Lanzarote. This label stuck for decades, even after caves were explored on Hawai'i ten times as long. In 1986 the new discoveries downgraded it to place three, although its total length had increased to 9,902 m by new discoveries. But they are still pretty pushy when it comes to the ranking of the cave, even though it changes so frequently that their own website is always out of date. With a length of 18.5 km [2024] it is today still one of the longest lava tubes on Earth. At the moment the cave is on position six on the list of the world’s longest lava tubes, and it is the longest lava tube outside Hawai'i. Exploration is ongoing, the Grupo de Espeleología de Tenerife Benisahare tries to find a connection to nearby Cueva Felipe Reventón, which would increase the length to some 21 kilometers. This would actually not change the ranking, but one of the longer lava tubes was lately hit by a new lava flow, which might have separated it into two shorter parts. This might change the list again soon.

The cave has seven entrances and a rather big height difference between upper and lower entrances. As a result air is flowing through the cave forming a convection cell. In winter the cave is warmer than the outside and the warm air leaves at the upper entrances, in summer the cold air flows out of the lower entrances. That’s the simple reason why the cave is called Cueva del Viento or Cave of the Wind. This type of cave is often incorrectly labelled as a ‘wind cave’, but wind caves are actually created by wind erosion. So this is a Speleology Blowhole.

The cave runs underneath the village Icod De Los Vinos, which is famous for the huge Drago (Dragon Tree), an endemic Canarian tree. It is also famous for its wine, which explains the name of the village. Its evident that the locals used the cave if it was on their ground, as cellar, refrigerator, rubbish dump and more. The cave is listed in various guide books for a century, although it was not officially open for the public. This was a wild cave and required equipment and a caving skills, nevertheless it was visited by tourists. It seems after the exploration efforts in the early 1970s, a section of the cave was developed in a rather simple way and opened to the public. This was a private initiative by a landowner, and not documented in the literture. It was more or less a semi-wild cave with trails but no light. However, it was not open for very long, probably because of a change in ownership. The area of the developed cave entrance was owned by one of the vineyard owners, and it seems during the 1980s and 1990s he was not interested in re-opening the cave to the public.

There are various entrances which are used by the cavers, but they are not developed. Local tourist bureaus tried to reopen the cave as an important tourist sight, but for long all initiatives failed. One problem for the development was the owner of the original entrance, another problem is the rich and fragile ecosystem inside the cave. In 1982 a group of biologists from the University of La Laguna began exploring the ecosystem inside the cave. During their research 190 different species were documented in the cave, among them 48 true troglobionts, most of them endemic to this cave. As a result the cavers and conservationists wanted to keep it protected and closed.

A first development attempt in 1994 coordinated by the Museum of Natural Sciences failed. They discovered new cave passages, but never opened the cave to the public. Finally, a cooperation between the involved institutions, the cavers, the scientists, the government, and nature protection agencies worked hard for the reopening of the cave. A different part of the cave, which is 180 m long, was newly developed. The entrance El Sobrado was completed in autumn 2004, and € 717.000 have been invested for 14 months of work cleaning the main passage, removing 5,000 tons of debris, constructing paths, and electric light. But the opening scheduled for 2005 was delayed again until the cave was finally opened in 2008. The result is a compromise between the protection of the cave and its inhabitants, and the touristic importance of the place.

The cave visitors meet at the Visitor Centre above Icod de los Vinos. From here a small coach brings up to 15 visitors to the cave entrance. The Visitor Centre is also museum and gives an introduction into the geology and biology of the cave. The visitors are equipped with helmets here, good shoes and long trousers are recommended. The cave is not suitable for very young children and people with claustrophobia or difficulties to walk on uneven ground.

The lava tube is quite complicated, as it has three different levels. During the formation of a lava tube, only one level is created. In other words, the levels were formed one after the other, and it is only an accident that they are connected. This is a complexity which is quite unique among lava tubes.