Max Abroad : The Best of Spain

Described as “The Eighth Wonder of the World” by Hollywood movie legend Rita Heyworth, the Jameos del Agua in lanzarote is a main attraction for many tourists. So, what exactly is a 'jameo', it is a geographic feature similar to a sink hole and is caused when a lava tube (an underground tunnel created by flowing magma) ceiling collapses in on itself, or as in this case, when natural gases accumulate and blow the ceiling off, opening the tunnel to the sky.

Los Jameos del Agua is a partially collapsed section of a larger volcanic tube system extending out from Montaña La Corona. The whole structure known as the "Tunnel of Atlantis" is the largest submerged volcanic tunnel in the world and Los Jameos del Agua is found near the end of the tunnel system on the north coast of the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. It prominently features two "Jameos," or large holes in the roof structure of the volcanic tube, the larger being Jameo Grande and the smaller Jameo Chico, with a stretch of un-collapsed tunnel between the two.

Artist and architect César Manrique transformed it into an underground water garden which includes two cafe/ bar areas, an underground lagoon, a beautiful pool area with a magnificent tropical garden, a stunning underground auditorium, a shop and a museum. Jameos del Agua is César Manrique finest creation. This place epitomizes the artist’s desire to fuse art with nature in order to create a truly unique attraction.

Today, to enter the lava tube, one descends a large winding staircase and enters a bizarre lava tube which leads to an impressive cave system full of stalactites, stalagmites, water systems (as well as a range of low-light optical illusions), the Jameos del Agua is also home to a unique species of blind white crab that have adapted to the dark and live in a sheltered Atlantic-fed pond.

Guests are encouraged to visit La Casa de Los Volcanes, an interactive information center about the island located on the ground level above the jameo, as well as the nearby Cueva de los Verdes which allows further exploration of the Montaña La Corona volcanic tube system.