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Mira de Aire is a small town in Portugal in the district of Leiria,
not far from Fátima. A point of interest is the Natural Park of Serra de Aire e Candeeiros. The area is known for caving. This
is Portugal's largest caves system and
the underground tour leads down through a series of colourfully lit caverns with some impressive speleothems. The last cavern,
110m below the surface contains a huge lake with artificial waterfalls and dramatic artificial fountains. Exit is via a fast
elevator to the surface.
Personal
experience: The Mira de Aire caves are truly a great place to visit. Tickets cost approx. 5€ for an adult,
but it worth every cent. The tours are guided but the guide speaks in Portuguese only; for the non Portuguese speakers here
it is a summary of what you will hear in the caves:
‘Stalactites are the rocky formations coming
from the ceiling, stalagmites are the rocky formations raising from the floor; they are caused by water pouring in the limestone
and they can have different colours depending on which minerals the water finds in the way… they can be white, red or green.
Stalactites and stalagmites grow at a proportion
of 1cm every 100 years, so many of the formations will have thousands of years. When a stalactite and a stalagmite reach each
other, they form a column.
The rest of the story is the names of each room
and the date of discovery of the cave, etc… Enjoy the sight if you don’t understand what the man says!'
You should also visit S. António Caves (not as big as Mira de Aire, but more rich in rocky formations)
and Alvados
Caves. These last two caves are only 1km from each other and tickets
will be cheaper if bought simultaneously for both caves.
Not advisable for disabled people. In Mira de Aire Cave the exit will be made near a nice water
park, but you can expect a short walk up the hill to the entrance car park. In all caves you might need to wait some minutes until enough
people is assembled.
Notes:
- Do not touch the rocky formations; they took thousands
of years to get to this point and a single touch can ruin the entire process.
- The temperature inside the caves is 17ºC/18ºC all-year-round.
- Inside the caves the floor is wet, so don't forget
to use appropriate shoes.
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