The countryside around Oñati is very interesting and beautiful. Among other things, close to the Arantzazu Sanctuary and blow the Aizkorri massif, the town has a very attractive, imposing karst (scenery typical of a limestone region), with a very extensive and complex system of potholes.
Arrikrutz was one of the first sites to be explored in potholing, archaeological and palaeontological terms in the Basque Country. The initial work led to the discovery of palaeontological remains such as:
- A complete skeleton of a cave lion, the first find of this type in Spain.
- Partial panther skeletons and craniums.
- An impressive bear site.
THE VISIT OF ARRIKRUTZ
During the 60 minutes that it will take to walk through the cave, the system will cover the following subjects in an attractive, educational way:
- Water and hydrology as the sculptors of the cave.
- The Arrikrutz cave as just part of the more than 15 km of the vast, complex Gesaltza-Arrikrutz sinkhole system.
- The geological formation of the cave and an appreciation of its beauty, which includes a subterranean river and a gallery full of enormous stalactites.
- The origin of the mineral universe.
- The archaeological and palaeontological finds in Arrikrutz.
- The importance of Arrikrutz in the history of potholing
GEOGRAPHIC SITUATION
The Oñati-Arrikrutz caves are located in the municipality of Oñati, the province of Gipuzkoa.
It is accessed from the freeway A-8 and AP-1 from Donostia-San Sebastian, Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz, and takes the direction of Oñati and the sanctuary of Arantzazu.