|
Altamira cave and beyond |
|
Enter many actual caves, see the
original art |
|
Custom, private small group tours |
|
Tour led by native English speaker |
|
All necessary reservations, fees
included |
|
All transportation, transfers provided |
|
Private vehicle (not a tour bus) |
|
|
|
|
|
Altamira
Cave Tour provides custom, private escorted tours
of the most important Paleolithic prehistoric cave
art sites of Northern Spain, including several
important museums. The caves contain Europe´s
oldest art, dated at over 40,000 years old and
possibly created by Neanderthals. Beyond the
caves, we ensure you enjoy the beautiful
landscapes, wonderful food and unique cultures of
Northern Spain.
|
The Caves
|
Including Altamira, there are a total of
18 UNESCO World Heritage site Paleolithic
art caves in Northern Spain. By region they
are: |
|
|
Cantabria (10 caves)
Altamira, Chufin, Covalanas, El
Castillo, El Pendo, Hornos de la
Peña, La Garma, La Pasiega, Las
Chimeneas, Las Monedas |
|
|
Asturias (5 caves)
Covaciella, El Pindal, La Peña del
Candamo, Llonin, Tito Bustillo |
|
|
Euskadi/Basque Country (3 caves)
Altxerri, Ekain, Santimamiñe |
|
|
|
Each of the
caves has its own restrictions on entrance and
presents unique physical limitations which may not
be suitable for all persons. Many present difficult
access routes, most of which are not suitable for
larger vehicles such as buses. |
|
|
Tour Details
|
We plan your custom tour based
on your group´s dates, size and physical
limitations. We do tours from one person but
limit our tour groups to six persons
maximum. We provide all land transportation,
transfers and site reservations. We can
recommend and book accommodations based on
your preferences throughout your guided
Altamira Cave Tour and beyond. We travel by
private vehicle (not tour bus). Your Spanish
born Chief Experience Officer is a native
speaker of both English and Spanish.
We also offer set departure semi-private
tours several times a year. Limited to six
participants. More
information can be found here. |
|
|
Location
|
Cantabria, Northern Spain, is
home to Altamira and offering the best
access to the UNESCO World Heritage site
caves in Cantabria, Asturias and the Basque
Country. Our tours are customized for your
group and can begin/end in any of these
regions or beyond. |
|
|
About
|
Altamira Cave Tour is operated
by Northern Exposure Spain,
a boutique provider of custom tours in
Northern Spain. Owner and Chief Experience
Officer, Charles, is a native of Cantabria
and will lead your tour. Charles first
entered the caves as a young child and
hasn´t stopped since. In March of 2014,
Charles entered the original Altamira cave
as part of the ongoing experiment to
determine if the cave is opened on a more
permanent basis or not. Read about his experience
here. Afterwards, Charles was invited
by the National Speliological Society of the
United States to give a webinar about
Altamira. Watch
the Altamira webinar here. Charles
also did a webinar on La Pasiega cave, a
cave not open to the public that he had the
privilege of entering also. Watch
the La Pasiega webinar here. |
|
|
Year Round
|
Altamira Cave Tour operates
year round. Each tour is private and
customized specifically to your group´s
dates, unique preferences and particular
circumstances. |
|
|
Why Us
|
We are highly knowledgeable
with a lifetime of experience in the area.
We understand the idiosyncrasies of each of
the caves and know our way around Northern
Spain. We are very familiar with the
restrictions on entry and the physical
limitations unique to each of the caves. We
design your custom itinerary to ensure your
experience is carefree and nothing short of
unforgettable. |
|
|
Testimonials
|
“Charles was a wonderful guide
on our recent trip to see prehistoric cave
art. He met us right at the train, arranged
for an overnight stay in a lovely place and
accompanied us to three different and
beautiful caves. Charles helped me navigate
through some areas that could have been
difficult for me as an 84 year old with a
broken arm! I recommend him highly to anyone
interested in this type of tour.”
Barbara G. - Georgia, USA
|
|
“It has been
a month since I toured with Charles into the
caves in Northern Spain. Charles' infectious
passion for how people from thousands of
years ago captured their experience in cave
paintings set the tone for an
individualized, exceptionally rich
experience. It has been a month since the
tours and I am still exuberant when I share
what I learned. As a kid, visiting the caves
were always a goal; little did I know I the
extent of details I would learn. I
thoroughly enjoyed how Charles could meet me
where I was with my knowledge and questions,
planning a program that met my interests and
abilities and the rich conversations before
and after visiting the caves, chatting about
the ancient peoples and the lands where they
painted. I am still buzzing. This experience
rates as one of my best experiences with
guides over 20 years of travelling. I highly
recommend Northern Exposure Spain and
Charles as an educated, experienced,
extraordinary investment.”
Emma B., British Columbia, Canada
|
|
“I can sum up the entire
experience in one word - FANTASTIC!!
Charles' knowledge of pre-historic caves is
exemplary. On top of that, his experience of
travelling around the world has added to his
repertoire. We greatly benefitted from his
knowledge and friendly character during our
visit. We would recommend anyone who plans
to visit the caves to book his services
without a blink of an eye. From the day I
contacted Charles, he has been extremely
informative, prompt and helpful. Any
questions (even weird ones) were answered in
a professional and timely manner.”
Dipan D., Alberta, Canada
|
|
“My main
reason for going to this area was to see the
Palaeolithic cave art of Spain following a
visit to the French caves in Dordogne the
year before. Charles got me into 8 UNESCO
caves- an unforgettable experience. Touring
Northern Spain with Charles was a wonderful
experience. He considered all my interests
and designed a program that exceeded my
expectations. I have travelled on 6
continents on my own and on tours. Charles
is one of the best guides I have had:
experienced, knowledgeable, curious, with a
great sense of humour and appreciation of
nature and culture combined. It quickly
became apparent he knows the area intimately
having explored it since childhood. I was
delighted by surprise visits to special
places as we travelled along the roads. He
also took me to museums, art galleries,
churches, medieval towns, Roman and Celtic
sites, port towns, national parks, sea,
valley and mountain viewpoints, markets and
even a ranchers fair, a music concert and
some gourmet restaurants. I had a great time
and would thoroughly recommend touring
Northern Spain with Charles!”
Trallee D., British Columbia, Canada
|
|
“It is with the greatest of
pleasure that my brother, boyfriend and I
got to tour the prehistoric caves of
Cantabria with Charles for four days. We
each have a keen interest in the subject
matter and Charles arranged our itinerary
with surprises each day - Michelin star
restaurants, classic bars, private tours and
ultimately far surpassing my initial
requests. Charles is a rare combination of
knowledge, patience, enthusiasm and
gentility. In addition, the love of his
country is infectious, all comfortably
operating within his American upbringing.
Customs and languages are fully integrated
for a seamless travel experience. We
recommend him for anyone traveling to
Northern Spain. You will have the trip of a
lifetime.”
Fritha K. - California, USA
|
|
“Our tour in
northern Spain with Northern Exposure Spain
was a perfect commencement to our European
itinerary. The tour was structured to unfold
as both an adventure and learning
experience. Although the itinerary was
mainly tailored to our timing and interests
(Palaeolithic cave art, prehistory/history),
we experienced places that we did not know
existed, and that revealed the magnificent
beauty of the region. Charles' local
experience, knowledge of the local
environment and species, all round skills
and sense of humour made the journey one of
our best holidays. We learned more than we
could have anticipated and in fact this trip
ignited our interests in continuing to learn
more about prehistory and about Spain.”
Val & Chris M. - New South Wales,
Australia
|
|
“The three days we spent with
Charles touring the caves of Northern Spain
were really the highlight of an already
fabulous trip. Charles really understood
what we wanted to see and also had a
complete understanding of the kinds of food,
wine and cultural experiences we were
seeking. Charles brought a wealth of
information that enhanced our "cave
experiences" and he introduced us to some
wonderful wines and food we had never tried
(and we're pretty well travelled.) We highly
recommend Charles to anyone planning a trip
to Northern Spain.”
Michelle & David L. - California,
USA
|
|
“This was an
absolutely terrific experience! Charles has
extensive knowledge of northern Spain and of
the historical and archaeological sites we
visited, and particularly of the Paleolithic
cave art sites. He was also a great
traveling companion. As English speakers
with virtually no Spanish, we would not have
gotten nearly as much out of the caves if we
had been on our own. We thoroughly enjoyed
the trip, and hope to do something like it
again.”
Bruce & Julie B., - Alaska, USA
|
|
“A fantastic vacation in
Northern Spain, thanks to Charles' superb
guidance and accompaniment. He took us to
Paleolithic caves to see the amazing cave
art we wanted to see, plus to other
excellent, beautiful and tasty places we
didn't know about. He made all the
arrangements and gave us excellent,
comprehensive information. He is far and
away the best I could have ever imagined. I
could not recommend him more highly.”
Nadine B. - New York, USA
|
|
“Cantabria
is famous for some of the finest prehistoric
painted caves in Europe. Charles was able to
set up impromptu visits to seldom-seen
caves. He seems to know everyone and his
knowledge of Cantabria is profound.”
Rob S. - California, USA
|
|
“I want to thank you for the
wonderful experience I had touring Northern
Spain. I have travelled extensively in
Europe and the United States and I can say
that I have never had anyone as
knowledgeable as you. I had so much fun,
learned so much about Northern Spain and am
still in awe of the caves.”
Ellen D. - New York, USA
|
|
“My wife and
I and two friends recently traveled to
Spain. We spent almost 3 weeks in Spain but
we all agree that the highlight of the trip
was the day we spent with Charles of
Northern Exposure Spain touring caves. What
a fabulous day!”
Joel W. - Hawaii, USA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
“After Altamira, everything
has declined”
-Joan Miro
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|