Deep in the Andalusian mountains, not far from the ancient Celtic town of Ronda, near the old Moorish village of Montejaque, hides the Hundidero cave.
Map
The Hundidero cave – Cat’s cave system
The Hundidero cave is the home of one of the biggest colonies of Schreibers’s belt-wing bats in Europe. It is the north entrance of the Hundidero-Gato system.
The Cueva del Gato is called the Cat’s Cave as the entrance looks like the face of a cat. Evidence of ancient human occupation from the Stone Age to the Chalcolithic period (Copper Age) has been found in the Cat’s cave, including idols, pottery and tools.
The Hundidero cave lies 4 km from the Cat’s cave but a total of 10 km of galleries have been mapped making it the longest cave system in Andalusia and one of the biggest in Spain.
Cut into the karst rock by the River Guadares, the flow can vary considerably making the cave system hazardous with intense rainfall.
The story of the record-breaking dam, that didn’t dam
In 1921 the Sevilliana electricity company wanted to build a dam and use the River Guadares to generate electricity. Work began on the Caballeros dam in 1923 despite the Portuguese geologist Fluery warning against the project. Workers in 3 x 8 hour shifts working every day of the week managed to finish the 83 metre-high dam in 1924. It was the first dam of its kind in Europe.
The Montejaque reservoir did initially form, but as Fluery had warned the water continually drained through the split karst rock back into the Cat’s Cave system. After several unsuccessful attempts to plug the leaks with concrete, Sevilliana finally abandoned the project in 1947 with their enthusiasm for the project, and the bed of the reservoir, a little damp.
The Hundidero-Gato cave system is part of the Grazalema Natural Park and was declared a natural monument in 2019.
Permission, experience as a member of a speleology society, and suitable equipment are required to venture into the cave system. It has claimed the lives of 20 people.
Guide to the Gato cave system and contact numbers.
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