Don't Touch the Bat Guano!

The Parque De las Cavernas Del Rio Camuy is the long Spanish name of the Rio Camuy Caves.  If you are into caves, then you will love this one.  But you should consider it even if you're not into caves at all as the entire system is unique, large, beautiful, still alive, and populated by at least a half million bats in the main sections of the Caves open to the public.

Stalactites with bat guano varying in shades from brown
to black and everything in between.

It's true, no matter what you touch in this living system of caverns it probably has bat guano on it.  So if you lean in too close, or touch what you shouldn't you will go home with your very own souvenir you were not expecting to have.  

Now lets get to the basics of what you need to know to see this little gem hidden in the mountains of north central Puerto Rico.  As usual, there are excursion companies that will package this all up for you and pick you up/drop you off as well as add at least one other stop for you to see.  All for the rock bottom price of around $75 and up (depending on season, number in group etc.) or you can rent a vehicle and see it for yourself.  We of course being bottom line people chose to do it ourselves.  

It was not difficult, the road was well marked with large signage and the distance from San Juan to the Rio Camuy Caves was an easy drive of about 1 1/2 hours of scenic beauty.  Cost for entry was $15 and tours are conducted in either English or Spanish.  On the day we visited there were hundreds of school children also expecting to tour.  However, the staff made sure we were escorted sans giggling, talkative middle schoolers which was very nice of them to be so considerate.  

We were told to be careful and hold the handrail as the path was slippery.  True to form, I was the first to go slip sliding down the path without falling and my friend Carol was the 2nd person in our group to do the same.  Appropriate shoes and caution are important in the caves.  Also people with Asthma should consider bringing a rescue inhaler as the humidity level is almost 100% and that might cause problems.

If you look carefully again this stalagmite is
covered in Bat guano causing it to go from
what would have been a white/creamy color
to this brown/black creation.

Which leads me to the additional caveats in touring the Rio Camuy Caves:  number of visitors per day is limited and the last tour is at 3:30 so that means you must get there early or you might not see them. Tickets are purchased based on the number you are given when you arrive, once the limit is reached you can not purchase a ticket to tour the caves.  Also the caves are popular with both locals and tourists and the school system in Puerto Rico runs camps all summer long for the children which means school field trip groups.  One last caveat is weather.  The caves are closed when it rains.  We were able to finish our tour as the rain was light and didn't last long on the day we visited, but since these caves are the result of the 3rd largest underground river system, flash floods in the caves are possible.  There is a gift shop (expensive and has most of what you find elsewhere), a restaurant (also expensive and so-so food) if you have to spend money.  The only restrooms are located where you purchase your tickets and the tours last 1-2 hours averaging 1 1/2 hours total depending on size, number of questions.  

The Rio Camuy while it was raining, from my vantage point
about 200 or more feet below.  

The fattest Stalagmite I have ever seen.  Sure it was tall,
but big around was where it took the cake.  

A view out of one of the caverns at Rio Camuy Caves.  

Outside of Cueva Clara.  Again we were inside
waiting to see if the rain would stop or we would
stop touring the caves and be taken up.  

Cueva Clara is the main cavern that you tour.  Once you
get to the end of Clara you turn around and see the entrance
from the other end of the cavern.  This is what it looks
like.  Blew me away.  Especially since it's simply a sink
hole.

The upside down tree.  Yes, there is
a tree growing upside down inside of
Clara as that is where it can get light.
Growing off the side of a stalactite.

This wall is where the bat fly toward when they come out at
dusk.  The black on the wall is guano.