Trave System

At 1,441 metres deep, the Trave system is one of the most vertically developed caves known in Asturias and one of the largest in the world, and stands out for its complexity and verticality.

Located in the central massif of Picos de Europa, at the foot of the Cuetos del Trave and very close to the Jou de los Cabrones refuge, it is the union of three large chasms: the upper one, Torca de la Laureola (open at 2,042 metres), the intermediate one, Torca del Alba (1,975 metres), and the lower one, Sima del Trave (1,917 metres), each with an independent entrance.

There are several watercourses that run through the Trave, converging in the great collector, which forms the lower level of the cavity. This collector, a real underground river, can be crossed in a short section, all the way to the end. Various species of insects and crustaceans have been found. Of particular importance is the discovery of a new genus of springtails, Ongulonychiurus, the type species of which is Ongulonychiurus colpus.