If you find yourself in Mallorca, there are hundreds of things to do. Sun, sea, waves, palm trees, and tourist attractions. Why in the world - when visiting this beautiful location would you go to a cave? In this case, it would be the uniqueness of the caves!
I probably would not have gone. I was only on Mallorca for 10 hours. But it was raining. And the Drach Cave was a location that I knew I would not get wet. Because it is a commercial cave with easily traversable walking paths, it rarely gets wet, even in the heaviest of downpours. But there is so much more to the Drach Caves. You will have no regrets visiting the underground world.
Cuevas del Drach (or Caves of Drach) are four interconnected caves located just a mile south of Porto Cristo. But why the name - Drach Caves? Aptly named, in German for dragon. El dragón is Spanish for dragon. But in Catalan, it is Coves del Drac.
It turns out the German cave explorer, M.F. Will, mapped an area known as the White and Black cave in 1880. Black Cave, White Cave, Cave of Luis Salvador, and Cave of the French, are all connected. Lake Martel, located within the system, is one of the longest underground lakes in the world, discovered and named after a French explorer/scientist Édouard-Alfred Martel in 1896. Martel found two more caves adjacent to the Drach Caves during his exploration. Even though these men are credited for the discovery, there is written history of the caves from the middle ages.
The Drach Caves are absolutely beautiful. there are more formations at this cave, than any other in Europe. Arguably some of the finest stalagmite and stalactite formations anywhere, are located in the Drach Caves. However, there are several very special surprises in this cave.
Once you reach the underground Lake Martel, you will experience a remarkable event. After taking a seat, a quartet of musicians with cello, harpsichord, and two violins, while floating on a boat on the lake, will perform beautiful classical music pieces, such as Les Contes d'Hoffmann: Barcarolle. Most of the performance is played totally in the dark, with just the boat illuminated by candles. After the performance, you will have an opportunity to ride on a boat across a portion of Lake Martel.
The cave is easily traversed by most. The caves walking path is about 3/4 of mile long and are about 80 feet deep. There are 270 steps total in and out, but there is a good hand rail along the route. However, there is no wheelchair accessibility and no elevator. Their are other areas above ground that you can visit by wheelchair such as a bar, store and restroom facilities.
There is a small fee of 16€, but the concert alone is worth the price. Even though the caves are on the far side of the Mallorca from Palma, it is a significant tourist attractions and can be busy.
If you have time, rain or shine, you should visit the Drach Caves.
