Armintxe Cave

Armintxe Cave lies beneath the old town of Lekeitio, a fishing port on the Basque coast, tucked into the southern slope of Arbiatx hill. It holds one of the most important collections of Paleolithic rock art found anywhere in Europe this century — yet it's a site no visitor can actually step inside.

How was the cave found?

On 1 May 2016, eight cavers from the Basque speleology club ADES Espeleologia Elkartea squeezed through a narrow, hard-to-reach passage and broke into a chamber nobody had entered before. What they found on its walls — dozens of engraved animal figures — was quickly described by specialists as one of the most spectacular rock art discoveries ever made on the Iberian Peninsula.

What do the engravings show?

Around 50 figures cover the rock surface. Bison, ibex and horses dominate the panel — one horse engraving stretches nearly a metre and a half. The biggest surprise for archaeologists was a pair of engraved lions, a motif never before recorded in Basque rock art. Semicircles and linear marks accompany the animals, carved with a technique closely matching engravings from the French Pyrenees, hinting at contact between communities on both sides of what is now the border. The images date to between 12,000 and 14,500 years ago, placing them in the late Magdalenian period.

Can you actually visit the cave?

No — Armintxe stays closed to visitors to protect the fragile engravings from the humidity, carbon dioxide and light that foot traffic would bring in. Instead, Lekeitio's tourist office runs a free continuous video showing the cave's interior, and the Bizkaia regional government has produced a 3D digital reconstruction of the engraved chamber, one of nine Basque Paleolithic sites scanned this way.

When's the best time to see more of it?

Plan around early August, when Lekeitio holds Arkeologia Eguna (Archaeology Day): guided talks, children's workshops and virtual projections that let you "enter" the cave without putting the artwork at risk. Outside that event, the tourist office keeps Armintxe material on display year-round, and Lekeitio itself — with its harbour, old quarter and beaches — makes an easy base for exploring this stretch of the Bay of Biscay coastline.

Frequently asked questions

Can I go inside Armintxe Cave? No. The cave is closed to the public to protect the engravings; only researchers working on the site are allowed inside.

How can I see the engravings if I can't enter? Lekeitio's tourist information office shows a video of the cave's interior year-round, and once a year, during Arkeologia Eguna, it adds 3D projections and themed workshops.

Who discovered the cave, and when? Eight cavers from the ADES Espeleologia Elkartea club found it on 1 May 2016 while exploring a difficult passage beneath the town centre.

What exactly is engraved on the walls? About 50 animal figures — mostly bison, ibex and horses — plus a pair of rare lion engravings, all dated to roughly 12,000–14,500 years ago.