The insular councilor of Sports, Concepcion Rivero, explains that in this period «the number of guided tours through the cave, which are done in four languages, has increased until reaching 457. They are 130 more than in the previous quarter, which shows the interest that this visit arouses among residents and tourists who spend their holidays in Tenerife».
Of these routes, 279 have been carried out in Spanish, with a total of 2,783 participants; 72 in English, with 718 people; 58 in German, in which 596 people participated, and 48 in French, with the participation of 484 more visitors.
The Cave of the Wind, which is the sixth longest volcanic tube in the world, was originated by the lava flows of the Old Peak, a volcano located next to Teide, about 27,000 years ago. 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 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 eyeless cockroach (Loboptera subterranea), and for harboring remains of Guanche burials and fossils of vertebrates already extinct on the island like the hubara or the giant rat and lizard.
The visit to the cave, which is made with prior reservation at the Web, has a price of 20 euros for adults and 8.50 for children over five years of age, although for Canarian residents the price is reduced to ten and five euros, respectively.
The Cave of the Wind is about 17 kilometers long, to which recently had to be added 1.5 more than in 2011, a group of Canarian and English speleologists discovered. The part that is enabled for the visit is about 250 linear meters, with a drop of 30 meters. The somewhat uneven ground is combined with areas where you walk on metal bars. As there is no natural light, the journey is always made with the lighting provided by helmets with a headlamp.
The Government of the Canary Islands approved in 1998, to guarantee its conservation, a Plan for the Management of Natural Resources of the Cueva del Viento, a step prior to its declaration as Special Nature Reserve. This plan was born to stop the actions that damaged the cave, such as new constructions, the alteration of the soil and the wastewater discharges.
