Cuevas dels Hams

In the municipality of Manacor, along the east coast of the island of Majorca, there are beautiful caves and underground caverns of truly ancient origins. In addition to the famous Caves of the Dragon, there are also the Caves of the Harpoons, known to locals as Cuevas Dels Hams. The name of the site derives from the Majorcan language as ‘hams’ means ‘harpoons’ and the term refers to the presence of numerous hook-shaped formations within these caves.

The Cuevas Dels Hams were formed more than 10 million years ago, but were discovered by speleologist Don Pedro Caldentey Santandreu (1886-1950) in 1905 while he was conducting excavations in search of onyx, a stone that was widespread in the area at the time. In 1910 Don Pedro Caldentey Santandre succeeded in bringing electric light inside the Caves to illuminate and explore them. This was of great importance at the time because electricity had yet to arrive in Porto Cristo and Don Pedro used a waterfall mill to power a dynamo in order to provide enough light to visit these underground environments.

Things to do at the Cuevas dels Hams

The Cuevas dels Hams are subterranean caves consisting of fifteen different environments rich in rock formations, stalactites and stalagmites that have formed over millions of years and can be discovered along a route approximately 850 metres long. The environment of the Harpoon Caves is actually made up of three main caves, which in turn contain very different habitats and landscapes. The visit begins by descending towards the Cueva Redonda where there is a large botanical garden with a special microclimate characterised by a lower natural temperature than outside and a unique wealth of flora and fauna.

We then proceed to the Blue Cave where you can follow a trail to find out more about the history of Majorca, thanks to the presence of a documentary ‘Descubriendo el pasado’, projected with blue lighting. Here, one can discover a lot about the history of the island: from its first inhabitants to the different dominations that have followed, to the formation and discovery of the numerous underground caves. The route through this cave also allows you to admire different formations such as the ‘Columnes de Samsó’ (Samson’s Columns), the ‘Planes de Fra Mauro’ (Friar Mauro’s Plains) and the ‘Fós de l’Infern’ (Hell’s Pit) and then reach a special natural auditorium. In this area, using state-of-the-art LED technology, an audiovisual film entitled “GENESIS, -The History of Life” is projected, telling the story of planet Earth from the Big-Bang to the present day.

Finally, the third environment is the Classical Cave (Cueva Classica), consisting of 12 galleries including an underground lake known as the ‘Mar de Venecia’, or Venice Sea. A special classical music show is organised here, taking advantage of the special acoustic system of these caves.

Tickets and opening hours

The Cuevas dels Hams in Porto Cristo are open every day of the year from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last admission allowed at 4 p.m. During the winter months, the caves are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

The cost of a ticket to enter the Ham Caves is cheaper if purchased online than at the on-site ticket office. Admission ticket prices are

• full ticket 16 €
• reduced ticket 10 € (for children from 3 to 12 years old)
• Children under three years of age enter free of charge.

How to get to Porto Cristo

The Cuevas dels Hams are located in the town of Manacor, which can be easily reached by car or public transport. By car from the harbour or the centre of Palma de Mallorca you can reach the Caves by taking the Ma-15 road.

Those wishing to travel by bus, on the other hand, can take bus line TIB 401 (Palma-Cala Millor) and get off at the Cuevas dels Hams stop. Alternatively, there is also a train from the centre of Palma to Manacor via Inca.