WORLD'S COOLEST UNDERGROUND WONDERS - TINEE WAS THERE

WORLD'S COOLEST UNDERGROUND WONDERS SLIDESHOW

Jules Verne understood it best: you can fly around the world in 80 days and dive 20,000 leagues under the sea, but you can also find awesome otherworldly adventures right beneath your feet.

MAGMA CHAMBER OF THRIHNUKAGIGUR VOLCANO, ICELAND • Joe Versus the Volcano this is not—no need for human sacrifice to see the inner chamber of Thrihnukagigur Volcano, which has been dormant for 4,000 years. Instead of erupting, the magma mysteriously drained away, leaving behind psychedelic mineral colorations geological geeks can gawk at today. After a hike across lava fields, visitors are whisked 390 feet into the volcano’s maw by a cable car. Tours usually occur between June and July, but can be extended beyond that period. 

WAITOMO GLOWWORM CAVES, NEW ZEALAND • The real-life setting for a glow-in-the-dark sci-fi spectacular is two hours south of Auckland and the same distance west of Rotorua under Waitomo’s rolling green hills. Here caves are filled with arachnocampa luminosa (that’s New Zealand’s indigenous glowworms to you) that give off a subtle blue glow due to a chemical reaction occurring in their abdomen. Enjoy a boat ride that will take you through this galaxy of living lights, strong on sticky webs above.

PUERTO PRINCESA UNDERGROUND RIVER, PHILIPPINES • A UNESCO World Heritage site, this five-mile-long underground river lies beneath a limestone karst mountain on the island of Palawan, connecting the Cabayugan River’s flow to the South China Sea. The surrounding national park protects eight different forest systems, from mountains to beaches, and is a naturalist’s dream with a multitude of plant species (800 and counting) and vibrant animal life. While underground on guided rafting trips, visitors enter several large chambers, some as wide as 390 feet and almost 200 feet high, as well as passageways with a more claustrophobic fit.

CAVE OF THE CRYSTALS, MEXICO • La Cueva de los Cristales was discovered in the Naica Mine near Chihuahua in 2000 after water was pumped out of the 30-by-90-foot chamber, and there’s nothing else like it on—or under—earth. The crisscrossing gypsum columns are some of the world’s largest natural crystals. Despite its grandeur, visits are nearly impossible to come by due to dangerous conditions: near 100-percent humidity and temperatures as high as 136 degrees, warmed by a pool of magma sitting below the cave. There’s even been talk of refilling it with water. 

WAITOMO GLOWWORM CAVES, NEW ZEALAND • The real-life setting for a glow-in-the-dark sci-fi spectacular is two hours south of Auckland and the same distance west of Rotorua under Waitomo’s rolling green hills. Here caves are filled with arachnocampa luminosa (that’s New Zealand’s indigenous glowworms to you) that give off a subtle blue glow due to a chemical reaction occurring in their abdomen. Enjoy a boat ride that will take you through this galaxy of living lights, strong on sticky webs above.

FORESTIERE UNDERGROUND GARDENS, FRESNO, CA • From 1906 to 1946, Sicilian immigrant Baldassare Forestiere built himself a subterranean home and garden modeled after the ancient catacombs of his homeland. The intrepid builder and gardener dug some 10,000 square feet of rooms, a chapel, and even an underground fishing pond using just farming tools. Forestiere’s 10-acre creation provides a cool respite from the scorching California sun, with blooming fruit trees reaching to skylights above. 

PUERTO PRINCESA SUBTERRAINIAN RIVER, PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES • The park has a limestone  karst  mountain landscape. St. Pauls Underground River Cave is more than 24 km (15 mi) long and contains an 8.2 km (5.1 mi) long underground section of Cabayugan River. The river winds through the cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea and is navigable by boat up to 4 km (2.5 mi) in from the sea. The cave includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers, including the 360-meter-long Italian's Chamber with approximate 2.5 million square meters volume. It is one of the largest cave rooms in the world.^[2] The lower portion of the river up to 6 km from the sea, is subject to tidal influences. Until the 2007 discovery of an underground river in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River was reputed to be the world's longest underground river.

The area also represents a habitat for biodiversity conservation. The site contains a full mountain-to-the-sea ecosystem and has some of the most important forests in Asia. It was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site on December 4, 1999.

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