Kiko´s adventure in the Cova dels Coloms

Today I have woken up very early. I've hardly slept because I have been thinking about the adventure we will have today when visiting the Cova dels Coloms (Cueva de las Palomas), the largest natural cave in Menorca.

I leave Club Kikoland and I am on my way to meet my friends at the beach in St. Thomas, where we will go to the ravine of Binigaus.

We start from the parking lot which is very near to the Camí de Cavalls, the path that will take us up towards the cave. We will go along a narrow path that goes between the forests and some cliffs. How exiting is this!

Pigeons and bats

You might think that the Cova dels Coloms is named after the fact it was full of pigeons. Not anymore, because many hunters chased them down and they ended up disappearing.

Now there are many bats. They are small and at day time almost invisible because they are hidden in the walls of the cave, which of course is really big!

• Juan asked us if we are ready for the tour.

• The first step is to go onto the Camí de Cavalls, up towards a stone way where the road gets divided. We should put a cap on as it is very sunny today! I told him.

We laughed; we put on our backpack and started walking.

At the end of the ravine

From up here we see can see the beach of Binigaus. It is very long and beautiful. The sea has lovely blue colors. I think I will take a swim here will here as it will be the best ending to this great adventure.

The beach is situated at the end of the ravine of Binigaus. You can see it from here. There are many trees and plants that are very green and the walls of the ravine are almost white.

​Animal well to drink

We have reached a crossroad. Opposite, on the rocks, there is a stone well created for animals that pass by to drink from. Especially horses, as it is a path that many trips are made on. Do you remember the ride we took through the Prat de Son Bou? It was fun, wasn´t it?

Here we see a sign indicating the road to Cala Galdana. We take a path that climbs up the cliff.

Are we lost?

We go through a narrow path and on both sides of the cliffs the plants have overgrown the rocks and they tickle our legs.

We came to an opening and Juan tells us all to stop.

• I think we are lost. Here there should be a sign indicating the way to the cave but we cannot see it.

• Look at that rock! There is a yellow arrow indicating the way, says Pedro

Na Polida, Marble Cave

Before reaching our destination we turn to the right to see the Na Cova Polida. Oh, It´s closed. A couple of years ago Pedro had come here to see it and it's awesome!

• We enter with flashlights because it is very dark and we had been told that before marble was extracted here. There is a large family of bats and the cave has been closed so they can recover their species as they are almost disappearing!

A goat that lived in Minorca 5000 years ago

Pedro always tells us curious stories. He also says that in this cave, Myotragus Balearicus remains were found.

I get very curious! Do you know what a Myotragus is? They explained us that it was a kind of goat that disappeared 5000 years ago and lived in Menorca. He had short legs and a small hump on his back.

We arrive at the Cathedral!

It is amazing! It measures up to 24 meters high, more than 100 meters long and 15 meters wide. When we entered we felt very tiny. No wonder they call this cave “the Cathedral”.

You have to go down carefully because there is a lot of humidity and the soil slips a little. The walls are of clay and a layer of dark moss.

Cova dels Coloms was a sacred place for the early settlers of Menorca. 100 years ago human bones and pottery ceramic from the Talayotic period were discovered in the cave. Do you remember our visit to the settlement of Trepucó? There we learned some interesting things the history of Minorca.

Bull’s horns

Excavations in the cave also found two Bull’s horns made of bronze. In the prehistoric times, these figures were honored as the ability of mothers to have children and increase families.

Let’s go for a swim!

We want to rest a while, drink something and eat the fruit that we carried with us in our backpack. During all the tour we have heard birds singing among the trees, and here, in the cave, they are still twittering.

We're back and we are thinking of having a swim we will be doing that here on the beach of Binigaus.

When I return to the Royal Son Bou Family Club I’ll tell all my friends about this adventure. Who wants to see the highest caves in Minorca with me again? And swim in the sea at the foot of the Binigaus’ Ravine?