One of the main wonders of Cuba, the pearl of its unique nature can be called the Bellamar Cave. It is located near the town of Matanzas. Bellamar was discovered in 1850, when local shepherds lost a sheep, and in search of the missing animal stumbled upon the entrance to the underground bowels. However, at that time people were superstitious and believed that the caves were haunted by evil spirits. Therefore, for 100 years there was not set foot there. It was only in the second half of the twentieth century that researchers began to study Bellamar. To discover it in all its glory, they took out more than one tonne of water and limestone. The 2.5 kilometre long cave turned out to be extremely beautiful and full of surprises. Its main decoration is stalagmite and stalactite crystal formations, some of them 40000 years old. Tourists are offered a route of three hundred metres, but it is enough to get a lot of impressions. Crystals on the walls look like stars, different rocks shimmer with all the colours of the rainbow, karst lakes and streams wash the rocks of bizarre shapes. The so-called "Columbus Cloak" deserves special attention. It is a completely unusual crystalline formation 12 metres high, resembling the folds of a cloak. The so-called "Gothic Hall" - a vast grotto with amazing stone formations, which is 80 metres long and 25 metres wide - also impresses with its grandeur.
