Speleology || It’s not your everyday tourist trip, but it will definitely appeal to thrill-seekers with a love of science and the unknown.
The Soprador do Carvalho is Portugal’s third largest grotto, discovered only 22 years ago in the borough of Penela, near Coimbra.
Also known as the Talisman Grotto, it had been confined to visits by specialist cavers (speleologists) until the local council and interpretative centre of Dueça (CISED) decided on creating a “tourist route”.
This offers visitors an 800 metre tour through an underground river, which they will need to travel with their trousers well rolled-up!
The cave actually extends far deeper (over 3,000-metres), but the 800-metre circuit is considered the safest way to show people a little bit of the world under our feet.
Thus far, over 40 enthusiasts have taken the tour which takes around four hours.
Visits will stop in the autumn – due to rising water levels in the river – and resume again in the spring.
961 178 466 | geral@sopradordocarvalho.com
Portugal’s third largest grotto now open to visitors
