It took some digging to find the well-hidden Cueva de las
Golandrinas (Cave of the Swallows), on the jagged coast near Arecibo. We made a
wrong turn before getting some guidance from the ancient, toothless man with
the machete to whom we had paid a few bucks "propina" (tip) to watch
our car on the dirt road.
Tip: If someone is on the roadside or has a yard nearby and
offers to let you park, or watch your car, for maybe $5, do it. It's good
manners and pragmatic, and the cops in Puerto Rico are pretty vicious about
writing tickets to unsuspecting drivers for infractions such as parking with
your car facing the wrong direction, or parking with any part of your car
blocking the roadway.
This man, whose Spanish was almost unintelligible, likely used
that machete to clear branches on the roadside so our car wouldn't get
scratched. He was lean and brown and muscular, despite appearing to be well
into his 80s. He kept an eye on our vehicle while we were hiking, and kindly
showed us the hidden trailhead without us even asking.
Then on to find the cave! It was very difficult to find, as the trails are not well marked. We were halfway there when we finally chanced upon a sign, the only one sign, plunked in the middle of a meadow. If you’re going to do this hike, wear water shoes and a swimsuit, because you have to wade into the water to get a clear view of the cave. It's gorgeous, and the beach is lovely. Definitely worth the walk.
LINKS:
Alltrails Hike (The cave is at the very western end of this hike.)
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