The Cueva del Viento, the longest volcanic tube in Europe and located in Icod de los Vinos, has received the visit of more than 4,000 people since its reopening on February 20, which implies that it has tripled the number of visitors in its second quarter of activity. The Councilor for Museums of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Concepción Rivero, explains in a statement that the visitor data confirms the interest that the cave arouses among tourists who visit the island.
The Cueva del Viento, in Icod de los Vinos, receives more than 700 visitors in its first month of opening
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“We have increased the offer of places by 250% in the last quarter, with 320 routes in four languages for small groups that have followed a strict health protocol,” he adds.
Of these routes, 194 have been carried out in Spanish, with a total of 1,926 national visitors; 67, in English, with the record of 632 Britons; 41, in German, in which 377 Germans participated; and 18, in French, which were attended by 163 visitors. “We have adapted to the circumstances so that our visitors can get to know the cave in a safe way for everyone, with limited capacity and a mandatory mask during the tour,” highlights the island councilor, who points out that the offer continues to increase and in this month of August up to 50 weekly routes are already offered.
Longest volcanic tube in Europe
The Cueva del Viento is the longest volcanic tube in Europe and the sixth in the world. Originated by the lava flows from the Pico Viejo, located next to the Teide, it was formed 27,000 years ago and its name is due to the significant air currents that occur inside.
It is a unique place because its galleries extend over three superimposed levels, it has numerous branches that have yet to be explored and it presents a great variety of structures of primary origin such as lava stalactites, lava waterfalls, lateral terraces or lava lakes.
Its physical beauty is compounded by a high ecological, scientific and archaeological value, as it is home to unique species such as the underground wolfptera eyeless cockroach, and houses remains of Guanche burials and fossils of vertebrates already extinct on the island such as the hubara or the giant rat and lizard.
