Well, my sisters had made it to Mallorca and we were looking for something else to do. We’d already been kayaking to Cala Blava, walked around Palma city for a while and visited the Cathedral, done a short hike up to Castell d’Alaro from restaurant Es Verger where the leg of lamb is to die for, drove to Sa Calobra, visited Capdepera castle and been to Cala Mesquida but the water was waaaay, I mean way too cold to even think about taking a dip.
After all, the wife and I had only been here for a few weeks prior to their arrival. ‘Lets go see some caves’ said the wife . . and so we did.
Deciding to Visit the Cuevas Del Drach or Caves of Drach or Dragon Caves
Off we went towards Manacor on the east of Majorca. Here, in the locality of Porto Cristo are the Cuevas del Drach or Caves of Drach literally translated to ‘Dragon Caves’ in English.
We were meant to get there for quarter to the hour but due to a delayed departure from home we were almost gonna have to wait an extra 45 minutes or so to catch the next show. Thanks to some sublime driving by the wife (wish I could drive like that) we made it just before the hour and were lucky enough to get tickets for the show starting in 5 minutes time but were advised to make our way to the cave entrance as soon as possible before it shut.
As we quick walked/slow jogged our way to the cave entrance thinking oh crap we definitely don’t wanna wait for the next show we were surprised to see a massive horde of people still waiting and queueing up outside the cave. I guess there were probably a couple hundred people there. That’s when I realised what the words ‘one of the main attractions in Mallorca’ actually meant.
We decided to stick to the back of the queue so that once we were in we would have ample space and time to take pictures and soak it all in without worrying about people wanting to get past you or stepping in the way of your pictures, shoulder nudges, etc … I think you get the picture. Don’t you?
A bit about the history of the Dragon caves
The earliest mention of these caves dates back to 1338 so I guess they’ve been around a bit longer than myself. The caves themselves are composed of 4 different caves – the Cave of the French, the White Cave, the Black cave and the Cave of Luis Salvador – that are all connected. The tour itself is of an hour’s duration where you walk through a 1200 metre section of the cave and wind up with a classical music concert on Lake Martel performed by a quartet.
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Along the way you see various structures that bear a resemblance to a flag, snow-capped mountains . . somebody pointed out to something that resembled Santa Claus. For me, it looked more like a terracotta army warrior . . That aside, I guess having a good imagination helps with spotting heaps of things that others would perhaps miss out on.
Along the way there is a small crystal clear lake that has formed by water seeping into the cave. There are a few caverns going down, but we can’t see how far down. Looked pretty deep.
The route covers a fascinating array of stalactites and stalagmites of various shapes, sizes, lengths and heights that have formed over the years that one can’t help but marvel about. Amazing stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!
Classical music in the Cuevas del Drach
As you come to the end of the walk you are led into an in-cave auditorium where you are strictly advised to switch off your cameras and requested to maintain pin drop silence. The lights are then dimmed and you are sat in pitch darkness . . when the beautiful sound of classical music fills your ears. As you listen to the sweet music a light emerges from the distance and makes its way towards the auditorium. It is a small row boat beautifully decorated with lights that reflect off the water of Lake Martel – simply stunning scenes. Three such boats row out from the distance and float about whilst a harpsichordist, a celloist and a couple of violinist make classic love to their instruments. If you are a fan of classical music – you’re definitely in for a bit of a treat.
Once the show has ended you have an option of walking back over a bridge to get to the exit or taking a short cruise on one of the row boats on the underground lake to get ferried back towards the exit. Obviously, without a doubt there was only one way we were gonna get back. The water in the lake was uber cold . . the thought of approx. 20 people tipping over in a small row boat in a dimly lit cave wasn’t a good one. As much as I love the movie Titanic, I didn’t necessarily want to experience something like it ; ). Luckily everyone behaved and balanced and we all made it back to the exit without getting drenched. Enjoyed every second of it.
Prices and visiting times for the Cuevas del Drach in Mallorca:
Entrance fees (online): Adult – Euro 15.00 Child – Euro 8.00
Entrance fees (box office): Adult – Euro 15.50 Child – Euro 8.60
Entry is free for infants up to the age of 2.
Cave opening times are as follows:
1st November to 11th March – 10:45 h, 12:00 h. 14:00 h and 15:00 h.
12th March to 31st October – 10:00 h, 11:00 h, 12:00 h, 14:00 h, 15:00 h, 16:00 h and 17:00 h.
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Hey this is paps, this is my blog, Here you’ll find stories from my travelling log; I’ve been to places but not a lot, These are stories of what I’ve seen and thought; Small tales of places I’ve been to, So go on have a browse, have a read-through.
By the way, I blog along with my wife, The Soz, who often takes to the skies. However the majority of the time these gravity defying feats are for business and not pleasure. Although she flies a lot for business, it does not stop her from flying once again to go where no Soz has gone before.
Saying that… reading about us is not as interesting as reading about the places we’ve been. So scroll on down and let the adventures begin.
The Caves of Drach (Cuevas del Drach)—an enormous underground expanse of undulating sandstone, stalactites and stalagmites, and semiprecious agates—create an imaginarium of formations. This exquisite ornamentation frames one of Europe’s largest underground lakes, Lake Martel, where classical musicians on boats serenade visitors.