The most beautiful sea caves in the Costa Brava

The Cova de s’Infern (Cave of Hell!) is, by a long way, one of the most incredible geographical accidents in the Cap del Creus. Visiting it is an amazing experience. It's basically a rock that, thanks to water erosion, has gradually been shaped into a kind of cave with a natural swimming-pool inside it. Take a dip there and you will practically arrive at nirvana. The name, incidentally, comes from the red colour you can see in the water as the sun is rising. To get to it, you need to walk about 10 minutes from the lighthouse.

The Cova d’en Gispert (sea cave of Gispert) is the longest and most spectacular of its kind in the Costa Brava. It's located between the coves of Aiguablava and Aiguaxelida and, as a result, the best way to get there is by kayak, leaving from Aiguablava. It's also possible to get there from Aiguaxelida or even Tamariu. Wherever you start from, the outing is really worth it. Don't be fooled by the narrowness of the entrance: la cova d’en Gispert stretches for almost 150m and you can travel by kayak right to the end. In addition, it has two very different sections: la Galeria, which occupies the first 90m from the entrance, and the Sala Final, where you'll find a small rocky island (that many know as the 'Taula', or table), where you can sit. 

La cova de la Sal ('the sea cave of salt') is situated between Cala Montgó and the Point of El Milà. You can only get there by kayak or boat but it's worth the effort because, unlike other sea caves, it has a small cove with boulders where you can go snorkelling, although this does depend on the sea level and the time of year. This cave, very popular in L'Escala but invisible on most maps, is about 20m wide and 25m deep. And we should also mention the two openings that take in and expell water when the water rises.

This is another incredible geographic accident. La Foradada is a sea cave open on two sides, located on the coast of the Natural Park of Montgrí below Cap Castell. That can be crossed, as a result, by small boats, a fact that has transformed it into a major attraction for vessels that frequent the area on excursions.

This small haven among the cliffs below the castle of Cap Roig, situated between Mont-ras and Calella de Palafrugell, got its nickname (The Bath of the Russian Woman) from a one-time owner of the place, a Ms. Woevodsky, who would head down to the beach on the back of a donkey and bathe there in the nude. The fact that she wasn’t actually Russian but British doesn’t spoil either the legend or the hike along the paths that descend from the botanic gardens of Cap Roig to this spot, which has red-coloured rocks, water that is always calm, and complete seclusion - and which is officially called Cala Massoni. Currently, however, you can only get to it by the sea. But it's still worth seeing the cove and the small cave where Ms. Woevodsky bathed.