Google Maps describes the Pulpi geode as an ‘abandoned silver mine with a huge geode’. While that is technically correct, the description does not do justice to the magnificence of the geological marvel discovered in 1999 and now open as a tourist attraction. Halfway between Mojácar and Puerto de Mazarrón you will find the La Geoda De Pulpi, a crystal-lined enclosure inside a reasonably impressive cave in the Spanish town on Pulpi.
We headed to Pulpi on a day trip from Almeria, around 120 kms, expecting to be able to purchase tickets on site before the tour. Unfortunately, tickets for the day had been sold out so we purchased tickets for two days later when we would be driving from Almeria to Alicante and instead visited the very impressive Aguilon Golf development just down the road. We did, however, take the chance to take photos outside of Geoda de Pulpi before heading to the golf course. At the date of this blog post, tickets were priced at 22 euros per person.
On the day of our tour, we arrived at the meeting point and had a short briefing by the tour leader. Unfortunately, like many of the tours that we did in Spain, the tour was in Spanish but the tour leader and the other persons on the tour did the best they could to explain to us the main highlights of what we needed to know. Perhaps you could book yourself a tour in English if that is what you prefer as the tour guide did say that she does offer tours in English also.
After a short safety briefing, we walked down the path to the entrance to the cave. After having been fitted with hard plastic safety helmets, we made our way into the cave. It was at this point that the tour guide informed us that no photos would be permitted in the cave, something that I find incredibly frustrating. Fortunately, however, she took many photos for all guests on her own ‘phone and these were made available for purchase at the end of the tour for the price of one euro per person for all photos. We paid two euros for around 15 photos so not a bad deal I guess.
We made our way along the narrow passageways further into the cave. Various stops of interest were pointed out to us and explained in Spanish. Fortunately, we were offered basic explanations in English so we did not feel as if we were missing out on important information. Even if you generally feel claustrophobic you need not worry too much inside the cave. The passageways are reasonably large and only the tallest tourist will need to bend slightly to navigate the tunnels.
Various stops for photos were made along the way. We saw smaller collections of crystals throughout the cave. We saw the remains of a previous mineshaft used to extract the silver, and we learned the process by which silver was extracted from the mine using various trolleys and other devices. We also saw the chapel inside the mine, used by miners before heading to work for the day. It was interesting to hear that crystal was not the main goal of the mine but rather the extraction of silver.
After an hour or so we made our way to the top of a very steep flight of stainless steel stairs that descend into the part of the cave where the crystal geode is located. Descending the stairs with a feeling of anticipation and excitement, we arrived to the ‘holding area’ where the large group was separated into smaller groups to descend a few more stairs towards the entrance to the geode cave. It was at this time that we had to put on masks and plastic gloves so as not to touch or damage the crystals in the cave.
Finally it was our turn to pop our heads into the cave. You make your way to the bottom of the smaller flight of stairs and then turn around and prepare to crawl through the narrow entrance to the cave. You can only get about half your body into the entrance of the cave, and you are stuck between the walls of the crystal cave, surrounded by beautiful crystal on all sides. I suppose if you tried hard enough, and if it was permitted to do so, which it is not, you could actually crawl all the way into the small crystal cave and explore a little further.
Once you are in position, the tour guide turns on the lights in the crystal geode for 30 seconds and you are given the chance to admire the stunning beauty of the crystal cave until the lights go off. This was the longest part of the tour since only one person can access the cave at any one time. It then takes time for people to exit the cave, have photos taken and for the next person to be put in position to view the cave. We had 19 people on our tour so we had to make sure that everyone could access the cave and experience the true wonder of what lay in front of them.
Once you exit the small crystal cave you are given the chance to have some photos which the guide will take for you. You can ask for them in a small group and / or individually, whatever works for you. After having experienced one of the highlights of our trip to Spain, we made our way back up the smaller stairs to discard the plastic gloves and mask and then headed to the much taller flight of stairs to make our way towards the exit of the cave.
Having recovered your breath from the climb up that long winding staircase, you will make your way slowly out of the cave and to a place where you will hand back your safety helmet, after which you face the uphill walk back to the meeting point where your car is parked.
This was one of my Top 5 highlights of our trip to Spain. Despite only seeing the crystal geode cave for 30 seconds, its magnificence is etched on my brain. What I would love for the tour organizers to do is allow tourists to take their own photos within the cave, assuming that this would not harm the cave in any way or slow down the progress of the tour. Other than this small issue, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to La Geoda De Pulpi and I highly recommend that you include this in your plans when you are in this part of Spain.
If you are looking to visit the beautiful Pulpi crystal cave and would like to stay nearby, consider booking your accommodation in Mojácar by clicking here or in Puerto de Mazarrón by clicking here.
How about visiting other tourist attractions around Andalucia in Spain? To do so, start your planning by clicking here and select the Viator tour that is best for you.
Our other posts on Spain may be found here.
(Visited September 2023)