Paddling underground down the underwater river

Today we rediscovered Les Coves de Sant Josep, in Castellon. We'd already been to this wonderful place, but it's totally different if you go underground kayaking. It wasn't just a very different thing to do, we were experiencing a new dimension of this underground route. It's a unique experience that I never tire of recommending to everyone.

The Viunatura guides, Nando y Marc, were incredibly nice from the word go, they helped us with selecting all the technical kit (there's a lot of it): helmet, neoprene, jacket, etc. And after a brief but concise explanation of how to use the paddle, we set off on the kayaks to enter the longest navigable underground river in Europe.

At each and every stop we made along the way, they explained the different rock formations. Each one is as incredible to see as it is to hear how it is formed. But it wasn't all just geology, they told us a lot of stories and anecdotes about the long and varied history of Les Coves de Sant Josep.

It's worth mentioning the way the guides talk about their subject. It's very different from the typical explanation repeated once and again, almost like a recording. These guys explained everything very clearly, made it all easy to understand and always got us to participate. We felt great in their company, and trusted them completely as if we'd known each other since we were kids!

One important thing about the experience with the kayak was the autonomy you discover by being able to move around this subterranean gem. The kayak's size lets you explore nooks and crannies that are out of the question in a typical boat for "conventional" visitors. That, and the sound of the paddle leaving the water and occasionally breaking the silence of the cave, made my hairs stand on end from the pleasure and excitement of the trip, and that never happened the last time I was here.

To end this fantastic experience, they reserved a very special surprise for us, which I'm not going to spoil for you. What I can tell you is that nobody was left unmoved, it really was the perfect finishing touch to an experience that I'll remember for the rest of my life. I'd certainly do it again, and I'm even thinking of proposing the trip to my workmates. Of course, I'd recommend doing it with certified companies that comply with all the safety measures, like the one we went with, where the professionalism was evident in everything they did. What's more, this company in particular has a lot of excellent activities.