The best caves to visit in Asturias

If you are a lover of caves, without a doubt, Asturias is a place that you will love, since numerous natural caves from the paleolithic period are hidden among its mountains.

Some of them with exceptional paintings, which form a World Heritage Site along with other caves in Cantabria, Euskadi and the famous Altamira Caves.

Here we are going to tell you what some of those caves are, and how to get to know the visitable caves that you can find in Asturias.

Route through the caves of Asturias

1. The Cave of Tito Bustillo

This is probably the best known and most visited cave in Asturias and the one that you must visit. It is located in the beautiful town of Ribadesella and to visit it you can take advantage of the guided tours that are carried out.

To be able to take one of these guided tours, you must book in advance as they are very limited to guarantee the conservation of the cave and not damage the beautiful paintings of bison, horses or reindeer inside.

To learn more about the Cueva de Tito Bustillo you can visit our page dedicated to it and also the official page.

2. The Pindal Cave

The cave paintings that you can find in the Cueva del Pindal are also of enormous beauty and can also be visited by booking in advance.

It is located near the town of Pimiango and is one of the best options to visit in eastern Asturias, very close to the border with Cantabria.

The paintings of the Cueva del Pindal are spread over 5 different areas, highlighting different figures of animals such as horses, hinds, bison or mammoths, the latter animal being the protagonist of the most well-known painting in the cave.

You can find more information on the official website of the Government of Asturias in the section dedicated to this cave. In addition, do not miss the spectacular landscape offered by the surroundings of Cueva del Pindal.

3. The Cave of the Rock

Much less known than the previous two, but no less beautiful for that, Cueva de la Peña is also a World Heritage Site. It is also known as Cueva de Candamo because it is located in the council of the same name, not far from Oviedo or Avilés.

In this cave we find different rooms where you can see paintings of various animals, usually horses, deer or bison. The Hall of Engravings, where the famous Stalagmitic Slope is located, gives access to other rooms such as the Camarín, the main area of ​​the cave.

Visits to the cave are very restricted and are carried out for a few months a year since its state of conservation is not adequate due to the fact that for many years there was no effective control over visitors and it deteriorated considerably. In any case, in San Román de Candamo there is an interpretation center where there are replicas of some of the paintings.

You can find more information on the official website of the City Council of Candamo.

4. The Cave of Ardines

Very close to the Cueva de Tito Bustillo we find another exceptional cave, this one without cave paintings but no less interesting for that.

Its main room has a considerable size, no less than 40 meters high and where there is a natural gap that allows the passage of light. The best thing about the cave is enjoying its columns, its stalactites and stalagmites and trying to find a salamander, bat or frog that lives in it.

Visiting this cave is possible with the same ticket that is purchased for the Cueva de Tito Bustillo, with which for many years it was thought to be connected but recent studies have shown that it is not, that they are two independent caves.

A few meters away is the Cuevona de Cuevas del Agua, which can be crossed by car, is 300 meters long and has become a major tourist attraction in the area.

Other caves to visit in Asturias

As we have said before, the number of caves to see in Asturias is quite large and we cannot mention them all.

Forming part of the World Heritage Site of the Cueva de Altamira and Palaeolithic cave art of Northern Spain, we have another 2 caves, but they cannot be visited. They are the Cueva de Llonín and the Cueva de La Covaciella. In the Teverga Prehistory Park we can visit some reproductions of both caves.

Other interesting caves are the Cuevas de la Lluera, located next to the Nalón River and which also has cave paintings, or the Cueva del Buxu, near Cangas de Onís and which has engravings of horses, goats, deer or bison.