ARPEA CAVE

Legends say that the Lamias, those Basque fairies who lived next to mountain torrents, had one of their favorite homes in the Arpea cave. In one of the most beautiful corners of the Pyrenees, between the Aezkoa and Garazi Valleys, the Arpea cave opens its jaws. A place that transmits sensations that are difficult to describe in words, since its special orography, hidden between mountains dense with green vegetation, together with the fogs that frequently accompany it, create an atmosphere full of mystery. The laminated walls in the shape of an inverted “V” of the Arpea Cave are the fruit of forty million years of geological formation, which, like the rings of the trunk of a tree, teaches us through its rock sheets the history of its evolution, each sheet corresponding to a period of about 20.000 years. Used as a shelter since prehistoric times thanks to its location protected from the winds in the area, it does not, however, have great depth, being the unique shape of its entrance and the wonderful environment that surrounds it that has given it its legendary aura.

Photo by Nemet