Ra Paulette is an American cave sculptor based in New Mexico who digs into hillsides to sculpt elaborate artistic spaces inside mountains. Reviewer Martha Mendoza in the Los Angeles Times described the caves he created as shrines, as hallowed places, a “sanctuary for prayer and meditation” while others describe the caves as works of art. The caves are finished with “scallops, molded curves, smooth ledges, inlaid stones, narrow pods and crusty ledges”. His caves attract visitors worldwide.

These otherworldly images give a rare glimpse inside caves barely ever seen by the human eye. With its peculiar pools of water and strange colored sediments, the bizarre looking tunnels of the Shakuranskaya cave could be a set straight out of a science fiction film. Found in the disputed region of Abkhazia, around 75 miles outside of Sochi, Russia, it is rumored the incredible underground chambers were formed after a huge earthquake struck the area in 1892. After causing part of a nearby mountain to collapse into the Amtkel River, it is thought the dam-like affect has created a series of interconnecting underground tunnels. Here: a large pool of water inside one of the tunnels. (Photo by Vladimir Mulde/Caters News)

Slovenian photographer Peter Gedei started caving 25 years ago and has carried a camera with him on every trip getting stunning pictures from his travels, capturing the ice formations, tight chambers and beautiful halls. Photo: The Ice Cave in Postojna, Slovenia. (Photo by Peter Gedei/Caters News)

A pair of ice climbers have been snapped in front of a stunning aurora. Mike Stuart and Takeshi Tani were climbing the Athabasca Glacier in Alberta, Canada, when the aurora lit up the nights sky. They were photographed by famed night-time photographer Paul Zizka, who specialises in photographing auroras in some of Canadas most beautiful parks. (Photo by Paul Zizka/Caters News)

“Adventurers have gone deep underground to discover previously unexplored caves in these pictures. The awe-inspiring snaps show the cavers dwarfed by the huge series natural rock chambers in the Leye – Fengshan Geopark, China. Belgian photographer Francois-Xavier De Ruydts, 33, captured the team of explorers as they trekked through the deep wonderground in January 2014”. – Caters News. Here: Caving expedition in Fengshan, China, Guangxi province. (Photo by Francois-Xavier De Ruydts/Caters News)

Ice swimmer Klaudia prepares to swim in a filled up water kettle in an ice cave inside the Nature Ice Palace, with a hight of 3,250 meters (10,663 feet) above sea level, at Hintertux Glacier near Hintertux, some 480 kilometers (298 miles) western of Vienna, Austria, 28 July 2018. (Photo by Christian Bruna/EPA/EFE)