Cueva del Gato

Cave and Pool in Ronda 

The Cueva del Gato or The Cat’s Cave is a cave in Ronda, Spain, from which the water of the Guadares or Gaduares River flows.

The spring has permanent crystal-clear waters, which invites you to have a swim in summer, although be warned of its breathtaking temperature! The water has flowed through the underground river for over four kilometres, from the Garganta del Hundidero Gorge to its exit from the Cueva del Gato Cave.

It is considered area of cultural interest, for its cave paintings and as a natural monument.

The Legend of the Cueva del Gato

It was said that this was the lair of a basilisk! Was this a mythological beast, a bandolero or a smuggler?

Wildlife at the Cueva del Gato

The confluence of the Guadares and Guadiaro rivers are very interesting, covered in typical riverbank vegetation in which many water birds can be seen, such as herons, cormorants, mallards, nightingales, etc. The cave also has one of the largest occupied colonies of cave bats, important cave paintings, at both the mouth and inside the cave.

The Cueva del Gato and Prehistoric man

The entrance  to Cueva de Hundidero is a cavern called La Cueva de la Cabaña. It is 50m high and is where many artefacts have been found from the Neolithic period including decorated jugs, some with handles and spouts, hundreds of stone tools, bracelets and necklaces which can now be found in the Archeological Museum of Seville.

There are surviving cave paintings hidden away is cracks in the rock, a red dear, a croup, and a human figure. The human is painted just above a shallow but distinct horizontal sloping crack in the rock face, as if to advise us, “the place to be,is above the waterline”.

Where is the Cueva del Gato Located?

it is located in the town of Benaojána few kilometres from from Ronda and in the Nature Reserve of the Sierra de Grazalema Mountains, it has great scenic value, both for its natural and cultural components.

Caving in the Cueva del Gato

The cave is the mouth caving system called the Hundidero-Gato system, but it is not recommended to enter the cave system  without a tour group as flash flooding and the cold temperature of its waters, it has caused the death of several people.

The Cueva del Gato appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Ronda !

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Visiting Cueva del Gato

Hours:

24 Hour


Price:

Free

Address: Cueva del Gato, MA-7401 Km 3 Carretera de Benaoján a 29370 Ronda Málaga Spain
Duration: 2 hours

Nearby Attractions

Tours and Activities from Ronda 

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