Caves del Ham

Overview

The Caves del Ham is one of a few cave systems on the island and a very popular tourist detination. The reason these caves are called the Caves of Ham is because in spanish "Cuevas del Hams" means Fishhook caves. While these caves may not be as large as the Caves of Drach, they are worth a visit is you'll find out why the fishhook term is used.

The caves were discovered in 1905, on March 2nd, by Pedro Caldentey while digging for onyx, a precious stone abundant in the region. In 1910 he produced electricity to illuminate the cave before electric lighting had reached the village of Porto Cristo. Using a water mill, a dynamo and a water tank, he generated 16 hours of electric current to enable visits to the caves. Upon entering the facility, after having your tickets scanned, you'll walk downstairs into what seems a world of its own, very jungle like, as you wait for the tour to start.

In total there are three caves, the "round cave" which is the area you'll enter, that houses a botanical garden and what seems to be a bar - however we have no additional information on that. It would be nice to visit this area without having to purchase tickets. Nonetheless, the tour starts with the blue cave ("Cueva Azul") which is a "discovery of the past", introducing the history of Mallorca and its first inhabitants, with 2 different videos. The first is about the caves and Mallorca, whereas the second video is related to the big bang and a short film of time. They are both definitely interesting for children. The first is only in Spanish, hence make sure to grab a translating device upon entry.

After the Blue cave, the tour guide will take you to the classic cave with is composed of 12 sections including the "Sea of Venice" where you'll have a musical show and is one of the main tourist attractions of the island of Mallorca. Albeit it not being as spectacular as the Caves of Drach, this is worth a visit. It is here where you will also discover the stalagmites and stalactites in fishhook form, a phenomenon that scientists have yet to explain. After leaving the caves, you'll come to a small gift shop outside, before heading back up to the parking lot area, next to the Dinoburger restaurant.

Overall, worth a visit, albeit it not being an extremely exciting experience for children the videos and short stop-overs in each of the sections gives them something to do, attentive, and allows them to discover rock formations in a fun environment.

There is plenty of parking available, which is completely free. Along the parking spaces, you'll find picnic tables, where you'll find folks picnicking prior to or after the tour. There is also a snack bar and restaurant, as well as the Dinosaur Land a new attraction which opened July 1st, 2022 and is great for children.

One can purchase individual tickets to the caves, or a combi ticket for the caves and the Dinosaur Land together.

Purchasing tickets online will allow you to skip the queue.