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Escape the heat and navigate Europe's longest underground river
Saturday, July 22, 2023 @ 2:42 AM

Located half way between the shore and Sierra Espadán, La Vall d’Uxó exhibits an interesting monumental heritage distributed among its two traditional centres. But the caves of San José are one of its main attractions.

La Vall d’Uxó is situated in the spurs of Sierra Espadán, in a valley devoted to citrus farming, and surrounded by coastal mountains.

Traditionally, the village was divided into two centres: the high quarter, and the lower side, or Poble de Baix. In the higher part of town, we can admire places such as the square of Plaza del Ángel, and the parish church of Poble de Dalt, or rather take a walk through the narrow streets of the district of L'Alcudia, whose origins date back to Arab times.

The centre of Poble de Baix is at Plaza de Sant Vicent, where a hermitage of the same name stands. Carrer Nou, the main artery of this side, leads to other historic spots, such as Plaza de la Asunción, where the church of Poble de Baix stands, as well as the historic Fountain of Chorros.

On the outskirts of the city centre we find the caves of San José, which can be visited either on foot, or by taking a boat ride through its passages.

 


This underground river flows through the Sant Josep Caves, which enables you to enjoy an amazing natural phenomenon.

The Sant Josep Caves are situated in the Sierra de Espadán Nature Reserve. They hold one of the few navigable underground rivers in Spain and the longest in Europe, which is 2,750 metres long, out of which 800 are suitable for tourist visits. It is a magnificent example of a hydrologically active cave, where remains of Palaeolithic sites and cave paintings have been found. The highlight is the tour round the crystal clear waters that goes by the Azul (Blue) Pond, Murciélagos (Bat) Room, "Boca del Forn", and Diana and El Diablo (Devil) lakes, amongst others. 

 

 

Some of its most characteristic formations are: the Medusa, la Cascada de la Flor and Portal de Belén. The visit lasts 40 minutes and is covered mainly by boat. It is suitable for everyone and an additional caving/tourism visit can be booked. (Cuevas de San José in Vall D'Uixo)

 



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