No trip to Puerto Rico is complete without going deep
underground to explore Camuy Caverns, officially known as Rio Camuy Cave Park.
It’s located in the karst mountains of northwestern Puerto Rico, where the
towns of Camuy, Hatillo, and Lares come together. It was fascinating to see
what nature wrought over millions of years, as well as the huge impact of
Hurricane Maria.
Make sure you stay till the end: There is surprise bonus
material you won’t want to miss!
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.
Our exciting hike into the Cueva del Viento (Cave of the
Wind) took a potentially disastrous turn when we ventured too far into the
pitch-black cave and couldn't find our way out.
We found ourselves grappling with very dark thoughts as we
walked in endless circles, listening to bats screech overhead and willing our
flashlights not to stop working, while we looked for anything familiar to help
us escape the cave.
The Cueva del Viento is found at the end of a popular trail in
Guajataca State Forest in the northwestern town of Isabela, Puerto Rico. If you
go, make sure you take a good flashlight, tell someone where you are going, and
don’t go in too deep.
We thought the rickety stairs down into the cave were the
dangerous part.
