DAY 1: Cave of the Crystals or Giant Crystal Cave (Spanish: Cueva de los Cristales) is a cave980 ft below the surface in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. The main chamber contains giant selenite crystals - (gypsum, CaSO4·2 H2O), some of the largest natural crystals ever found.The cave's largest crystal found to date is 39 ft in length and 13 ft in diameter and 55 tons in weight. The cave is extremely hot with air temperatures reaching up to 136 degress Farenheit with 90 to 99 percent humidity. The cave is relatively unexplored due to these factors. Without proper protection people can only endure approximately ten minutes of exposure at a time.
DAY 2: A scientific explored the cave in detail in 2006. To survive and to be able to work in the extreme temperature and humid conditions which prevent prolonged incursion in the crystal chamber, they developed their own refrigerated suits and cold breathing systems. Special caving overalls were fitted with a mattress of refrigerating tubes placed all over the body and connected to a backpack weighing about 44 lbs, containing a reservoir filled with cold water and ice.
DAY 3: Wieliczka Salt Mine Cathedral - POLAND
Deep underground in Poland lies something remarkable but little known outside Eastern Europe. For centuries, miners have extracted salt there, but left behind things quite startling and unique. Deep below ground there is an astonishing secret. This is the salt mine that became an art gallery, cathedral with statues and chandeliers made of salt, and underground lake. The Salt Mine Cathedral is something that, once seen, is never forgotten.
Skaftatell Ice Caves - while the Cave of Crystals is super hot, today we visit a cave cave made of ice. Located within Iceland’s own Skaftafell National Park, the whimsical crystal Skaftafell ice cave is the result of centuries old ice coming down the slopes of a glacier. The cave's ice dates back centuries, and its weight has pressed out all remnant air, so the resultant formation's texture and colors are both brilliant and otherworldly. Visitors to the cave often hear snap, crackle, pop sounds as the glacier moves along.
DAY 5: Blanchard Springs Caverns - Arkansas ...Blanchard Springs Caverns is a cave system located in the Ozark National Forest in Stone County in northern Arkansas, 2 miles off Highway 14 a short distance north of Mountain View. Blanchard Springs Caverns is a three-level cave system, two of which are open for guided tours. The Dripstone Trail runs through the upper level of the caverns and opened in 1973.
The Discovery Trail on the second level opened in 1977 and runs through
the middle of the cavern. Also offered is a "Wild Cave" tour which
allows access to undeveloped parts of the cave to more adventurous
visitors.
