Caves of Santos António – Mira d’ Aire

The Mira de Aire Caves, in addition to the natural beauty of their rooms, are also the largest tourist caves in Portugal, with 600 meters of the 11 km that make them up available to the public.

The size, beauty and ecological importance of these caves, associated with a polje with periodic flooding, have allowed them to be classified as a Property of Public Interest (1955) and a RAMSAR Site (2005), as well as being a place of indisputable interest for speleological studies and research, which take place on a regular basis.
It was in 1947 that, for the first time, some men tried to explore this cave. Using ropes, they descended into a small gallery where, a few dozen meters away, they found themselves as if in an open window on a precipice.

It was opened to the public on August 11, 1974.

The Mira de Aire caves recently took part in the “7 Natural Wonders of Portugal” competition, promoted by New 7 Wonders Portugal, where they competed in the “Caves and Caverns” category and were elected, on September 11, 2010, as one of the 7 Natural Wonders of Portugal.