SPELEO EXPERIENCE
The caves by night
A DIFFERENT FACE OF THE CAVE SYSTEM
Speleo Night Tour is an exclusive visit of the Caves of Castellana to be carried out for half of the route in the dark; it takes place after closing to the public, for groups of at least 15 people (reservations: +39 080.4998221 – segreteria@grottedicastellana.it).
Speleo Night is the night tour in the Caves of Castellana that shows you a different face of the karst site. Equipped with a helmet with a front light attached, guided by two expert spelunkers from the Puglia Grotte Group, you will visit the entire itinerary up to the White Cave with the lights off, including a sidearm of the cave system which is not part of the tourist itinerary.
The first half of the trip takes place in the dark, only illuminated by the lights on the helmets, in an almost palpable silence in which the ticking of the drops of water is amplified and the dripstones show themselves with new and unique details.
The two highlights: the Corridor of the Desert traveled in solitude, an unrepeatable experience in the underground world, and the switching on of the lights in the White Cave. On the way back the lights remain switched on, that way everything will seem different.
The excursion
A TRULY UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
A truly unique experience that starts from the “Grave”, where the deeper sense of this special visit is explained by “educating” the participants how to live this adventure as true explorers and, above all, to make use of all their senses.
Proceed into the dark, through the Cave of the She-Wolf, where you can admire the transparent droplets of water (illuminated with LED lights) shining seemingly of a silver color on the vault. In the Monument Cavern you will be asked to switch all lights off, and one of the guides will show you how the cave looks using only a mining light burning acetylene, in an attempt to recreate the conditions experienced by the first explorers.
At this point, you will detour from the tourist route and venture inside the Cave of corals, which is a small side branch of great beauty.
Back on the main itinerary in the Cave of the Owl, the flora and fauna of the caves are explained, focusing on animal life forms (much easier to encounter by night) and their evolution. In this cave the group is divided in two and proceeds in two parallel corridors that will lead to the same cave (Cave of the Abyss), to experience a feeling of real exploration.
Entering the Desert Corridor marks a very exciting moment; all visitors will walk 500 meters in total solitude to seek a real “contact” with the cave, a real “intimacy” with mother earth. And once the group is re-assembled, we proceed towards the Cave of the leaning Tower, where the colors and shapes of the speleothems start to change.
In the Dome Cave all the lights will be turned off again (including the acetylene lights of the guides), in order to experience absolute darkness, to enhance the sense of hearing and the perception of the many drops dripping from the ceiling to the ground. The sounds are as delicate as they are surprising.
Once in the White Cave, you will pass from the dark to the intensity of the pure white ,enhanced by the artificial lights of the caves. We pause a few more minutes to explain the wonderful dripstones and to provide some more detailed information on speleogenesis and on the geology of the underground environments.
The way back to the “Grave” will be illuminated by the artificial light system of the caves, and will enable you to admire the “macroscopic aspect”, the majesty of the caves, after having admired the magic and variety of the “microscopic aspect” during the tour in the dark (the headlamps enhance the beauties and marvels hidden in the small niches like little treasure coves).
Back in the first cave you will take the elevator up to go to the Museum to return the helmets.
Participants are invited to fill in a satisfaction questionnaire to help collect statistical data.
Tickets
RESERVATIONS AND COSTS
The Speleo Night Tour is designed as a group experience (minimum 15 participants) at the cost of 25 Euro per person.
Individual participants can buy their ticket online exclusively on our webshop.
For more information and reservations contact the number +39 080.4998221 or mail to segreteria@grottedicastellana.it.
Speleo Family
AN ALTERNATIVE ITINERARY TO THE TRADITIONAL TOURIST ROUTE
The Speleo Family is a visit that allows you to visit an alternative itinerary to the traditional tourist route. Guided by professional speleologists, we set off on a multi-sensory exploration where only the small beam produced by the headlamp on your helmet will shed light. The tour particularly excites participants who want to feel like explorers for a day. This experience is recommended for families, and even the little ones will be stimulated by the charm of nature. Access to children is allowed from 4 years upwards.
Cost: € 12 for adults and € 6 for children from 4 to 14 years.Route: about 1 km on foot and lasts no less than 1 hour (based on the interest and performance of the group).
For more information and reservations contact the number
+39 080.4998221 or mail to segreteria@grottedicastellana.it
FURTHER INFORMATION
