Exploring the Caves of the DR
By Abby McAllister
(disclaimer: we are sorry that we don't have better photos of our visits. We seem to have video and a few scattered photos. We hope this won't deter you from going and getting your own photos!)
(disclaimer: we are sorry that we don't have better photos of our visits. We seem to have video and a few scattered photos. We hope this won't deter you from going and getting your own photos!)
Our kids love caves. They love to explore any cave they find. We find them when we are rafting, hiking, biking, and driving. As their mama, I like to find the caves that are developed so I know they are safe. On Christmas in the Dominican Republic one year we took the boys on a surprise caving tour. The DR has many caves although often their roofs have collapsed making them more like a sink hole. Even thought they don’t have the traditional cave feel, they can be fun too. During our time in the DR we checked out three major caves/sinkholes: Tres Ojos, Cueva de las Maravillas, and Laguna Dudu.
Tres Ojos
Tres Ojos lies on the edge of the capitol city of Santo Domingo in the South. Harley and I had never been there before but found it on a map and thought we should check it out. We found the parking area and negotiated around a mob of guides offering to sell us a tour. Being the old pros that we are (read “cheap-skates”) we declined them all and bought our own tickets. We lined up and headed immediately down a steep staircase. The paths were paved and there were handrails so we felt secure. At the bottom the path split and wandered. You really don’t need a guide and can choose whichever path you like-they all meet back up and you can just wander through at your leisure.
The caves are called “Tres Ojos” (translated “three eyes”) because there are three main pools at the bottom. It is hard to say whether these were created when the roof fell in and debris filled the center of the cave or if they were all originally there when the cave had a ceiling. One of the pools is the “women’s pool” and was used by native women for bathing while the men used a separate pool. This would indicate that they were originally in the formation you find them now…but you never know! The color of the pools is stunning, especially when the light shines down into them. Although you are not allowed to swim in them now, the boys enjoyed watching a turtle swim around in one and the changing colors and shadows as the sun moved behind clouds.
Toward the back and bottom of the “cave” you come to a pool that is still under the intact roof. There is a pole barge there that will take you across to another part of the cave. When my “thrifty Scotsman” husband (read “penny pincher”) heard it was an additional cost he said no way. However, when we heard it was only $25RD (about 50cents US) he consented. It was totally worth it! The boat was poled and rope pulled to the other side where we saw almost no other people. There is a small cave area still under the roof and then you break out into bright sunlight where there is a lagoon that formed when that section of the roof collapsed. There is a guide there with fish food who will answer all your questions (ours could even do it in English!) and let you feed the fish-for free (we did tip him). The lagoon is beautiful and we spent a good half hour there.
Although Tres Ojos isn’t a traditional caving experience it is well worth the trip. It is reasonably priced, even for budget conscious (read “tightwad”) parents. You do not need to hire a guide above ground as there are many employees inside the cave who can answer your questions. We met a lot of nice people, learned a bit more about the life of a cave and got those boys of ours outdoors!
Tres Ojos lies on the edge of the capitol city of Santo Domingo in the South. Harley and I had never been there before but found it on a map and thought we should check it out. We found the parking area and negotiated around a mob of guides offering to sell us a tour. Being the old pros that we are (read “cheap-skates”) we declined them all and bought our own tickets. We lined up and headed immediately down a steep staircase. The paths were paved and there were handrails so we felt secure. At the bottom the path split and wandered. You really don’t need a guide and can choose whichever path you like-they all meet back up and you can just wander through at your leisure.
The caves are called “Tres Ojos” (translated “three eyes”) because there are three main pools at the bottom. It is hard to say whether these were created when the roof fell in and debris filled the center of the cave or if they were all originally there when the cave had a ceiling. One of the pools is the “women’s pool” and was used by native women for bathing while the men used a separate pool. This would indicate that they were originally in the formation you find them now…but you never know! The color of the pools is stunning, especially when the light shines down into them. Although you are not allowed to swim in them now, the boys enjoyed watching a turtle swim around in one and the changing colors and shadows as the sun moved behind clouds.
Toward the back and bottom of the “cave” you come to a pool that is still under the intact roof. There is a pole barge there that will take you across to another part of the cave. When my “thrifty Scotsman” husband (read “penny pincher”) heard it was an additional cost he said no way. However, when we heard it was only $25RD (about 50cents US) he consented. It was totally worth it! The boat was poled and rope pulled to the other side where we saw almost no other people. There is a small cave area still under the roof and then you break out into bright sunlight where there is a lagoon that formed when that section of the roof collapsed. There is a guide there with fish food who will answer all your questions (ours could even do it in English!) and let you feed the fish-for free (we did tip him). The lagoon is beautiful and we spent a good half hour there.
Although Tres Ojos isn’t a traditional caving experience it is well worth the trip. It is reasonably priced, even for budget conscious (read “tightwad”) parents. You do not need to hire a guide above ground as there are many employees inside the cave who can answer your questions. We met a lot of nice people, learned a bit more about the life of a cave and got those boys of ours outdoors!
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Cueva de las Maravillas
Our next stop was to the Southwest part of the island to Cueva de las Maravillas. This roughly translates to Cave of Wonders or Cave of Marvels and boy is it! This cave is protected by the government and you are required to go with a guide. You pay for your guide at the guest area near the parking lot. Once you are ready to go you begin in the same area at a small “museum” room that gives you a brief history of the native Taino people and how they used the caves. It is informative and tastefully done but the best part might be the air conditioning! |
Entrance to Cueva de las Maravillas
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After that you head outside with your guide for a short (5 min) walk to the entrance to the cave. You begin your descent through a crack in the rocks, covered with hanging vines. Once inside, as your eyes adapt, you find yourself immediately in awe. The cavern opens up and out in front of you to a size that is unbelievable. As you follow your guide deeper into the cave you begin to realize why it was given its name.
This cave has nicely paved paths with very well done lighting. The lighting comes on when you enter an area and then turns off as you leave so that you are really focused on the area you are in. The formations are as you would expect but also unique and unusual. There are stalactites and stalagmites, ancient Taino paintings, and reflecting pools. The rules don’t allow for flash photography but we took some without a flash. The whole tour underground took about 45 minutes and was well worth it.
One of the best parts for our boys was actually after we exited the cave itself and came above ground again. They maintain a large area that is fenced in and filled with huge iguanas, some up to 4 or 5 feet long. Our guide let us hang out there for awhile and the boys loved watching the iguanas. They mostly lazed around in the sun but every once in awhile a few big old guys tussled a bit, giving the boys a thrill. Overall, a great cave visit!
This cave has nicely paved paths with very well done lighting. The lighting comes on when you enter an area and then turns off as you leave so that you are really focused on the area you are in. The formations are as you would expect but also unique and unusual. There are stalactites and stalagmites, ancient Taino paintings, and reflecting pools. The rules don’t allow for flash photography but we took some without a flash. The whole tour underground took about 45 minutes and was well worth it.
One of the best parts for our boys was actually after we exited the cave itself and came above ground again. They maintain a large area that is fenced in and filled with huge iguanas, some up to 4 or 5 feet long. Our guide let us hang out there for awhile and the boys loved watching the iguanas. They mostly lazed around in the sun but every once in awhile a few big old guys tussled a bit, giving the boys a thrill. Overall, a great cave visit!
Laguna Dudu
Laguna Dudu is in the North of the country, East of Cabarete. When we went it was very affordable, about $100 pesos per person (about $2.50 US). There are multiple attractions on the property, including the lagoon it is named for. After you pay the entrance fee and receive a wrist band you head along a path through a field to the lagoon. It is a true sinkhole so you have to walk down a flight of stone steps on one side to reach the water down lower. There is a platform at the bottom of the stairs with room to leave your clothes and towel while you swim. At the center of the lagoon you can’t see the bottom and there are some cool (creepy?) submerged trees reaching up from the depths. You will also see various fish swimming around the base of the platform.
Most people jump in from the platform and swim around in that area. When we were there they had a rope swing near the platform so you could swing over the water and then drop with a boisterous splash, surprising your brothers! There were also people jumping from the 40+ foot cliff directly opposite the platform area. My kids wanted to check that out so they climbed up the stairs and walked around the top edge. Two of them came back the way they went out but one decided to jump. The water is certainly deep enough but it takes a lot of courage. There also was a zipline across the top but the riding mechanism was out across the water and we couldn’t access it. All of this is use at your own risk and there are no lifeguards on duty.
If you take time to wander around the property you will also find a small cave system and another small lagoon that SCUBA divers sometimes dive in. There is an underground passage that leads to the ocean! The water in this area was even colder than the lagoon so we didn’t spend much time there. We did explore the cave system a bit after going to our car to get headlamps since this cave is completely undeveloped. The boys poked around a bit, saw some bats, and generally had fun trying to scare each other. This cave system isn’t very extensive so we probably spent 15-20 minutes there.
This area is a fun area to explore, not very expensive, and near many tourist beaches but offers something a little different. It doesn’t have the “wow” factor of some of the other caves but does include the “get your hands wet” fun of swimming that you don’t have at the other caves. We think it is worth a visit, especially if you are visiting some of the North Coast beaches.
So there you have it! Some great and safe caving in the Dominican Republic!
Laguna Dudu is in the North of the country, East of Cabarete. When we went it was very affordable, about $100 pesos per person (about $2.50 US). There are multiple attractions on the property, including the lagoon it is named for. After you pay the entrance fee and receive a wrist band you head along a path through a field to the lagoon. It is a true sinkhole so you have to walk down a flight of stone steps on one side to reach the water down lower. There is a platform at the bottom of the stairs with room to leave your clothes and towel while you swim. At the center of the lagoon you can’t see the bottom and there are some cool (creepy?) submerged trees reaching up from the depths. You will also see various fish swimming around the base of the platform.
Most people jump in from the platform and swim around in that area. When we were there they had a rope swing near the platform so you could swing over the water and then drop with a boisterous splash, surprising your brothers! There were also people jumping from the 40+ foot cliff directly opposite the platform area. My kids wanted to check that out so they climbed up the stairs and walked around the top edge. Two of them came back the way they went out but one decided to jump. The water is certainly deep enough but it takes a lot of courage. There also was a zipline across the top but the riding mechanism was out across the water and we couldn’t access it. All of this is use at your own risk and there are no lifeguards on duty.
If you take time to wander around the property you will also find a small cave system and another small lagoon that SCUBA divers sometimes dive in. There is an underground passage that leads to the ocean! The water in this area was even colder than the lagoon so we didn’t spend much time there. We did explore the cave system a bit after going to our car to get headlamps since this cave is completely undeveloped. The boys poked around a bit, saw some bats, and generally had fun trying to scare each other. This cave system isn’t very extensive so we probably spent 15-20 minutes there.
This area is a fun area to explore, not very expensive, and near many tourist beaches but offers something a little different. It doesn’t have the “wow” factor of some of the other caves but does include the “get your hands wet” fun of swimming that you don’t have at the other caves. We think it is worth a visit, especially if you are visiting some of the North Coast beaches.
So there you have it! Some great and safe caving in the Dominican Republic!
