Cueva de Can Marçà

On the island of Ibiza, a former smuggler's cave now shines with an otherworldly glow. The Cueva de Can Marçà is filled with stalactites, stalagmites, and other geological formations that have been given a range of imaginative names. One of those is the Waterfall Chamber, where the cave operators have created an artistic sound and light show that floods the limited number of natural pools and cave formations with glowing pools of light.

Ibiza's climate is so dry that Can Marçà has none of the naturally flowing water that provides the exciting waterfalls that make them popular with tourists. So the owners created one.

Between tours, water is pumped up from a lower underground lake into a retaining tank. At a specific point during the tour, the floodgates are opened to create a spectacular waterfall. This is enhanced by a lighting effect that can only be described as impressive.

The owners are quite up-front about the artificial nature of the waterfall, explaining why there is no natural flowing water and making a virtue of the excellent lighting effects.

The tour gives an interesting explanation of the history of the caves as a smuggler's hideaway (which lasted up to the mid-20th century) and the artificially carved "windows" through the rock face, to allow light into the cave, provide nice views over the sea but the real attraction is the modern artistic effects created by the owners.