Visit the Cave of Wonders!

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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Attention troglodytes!

La Cueva de las Maravillas has been open to the public for a couple of months. It is situated just off the road between San Pedro and La Romana, at Cumayasa.

The attractions of the caves are the natural formations, and the cave paintings - left by the island's indigenous inhabitants, the Ta?no, who used the cave for their rituals.

I visited with my family a couple of weeks ago and was very impressed. The cave is well worth visiting. It is being managed by the Environment Ministry and the grounds and gardens are well-designed and well-kept. They have used plants native to the area, which is scrubby and semi-arid. There are good facilities - clean toilets. A museum, shop and cafeteria are being constructed.

The cave itself has been cleared - access had been unregulated in the past and visitors would break off the stalagmites and leave rubbish and graffiti. Now visits are strictly controlled, in small groups with a guide. The guide who accompanied us was very good, she seemed to know her stuff well as opposed to some guides who just learn their spiel parrot fashion and then cannot answer questions. She did tend to go a bit too fast though.

In the cave the walkways, steps and ramps make exploration easy, and the lighting, which uses sensors, is carefully monitored. There is even disabled access to some of the cave, by means of a lift and ramps.

The tour takes about one hour.

We found the staff on the site very helpful and friendly. Our only criticism was the full entrance fee charged for our two-year old son (who BTW was thrilled by the whole experience) which we thought put the cost of the attraction beyond the reach of many ordinary Dominican families.

Photography of any sort is banned, unless you seek special permission in advance.

The site is open to the public Tues-Sun 10:00am - 6:00pm

Admission is RD$100 or US$5 per person. Children pay full price.
School groups: RD$20 for each child and teacher

Tel 696 1797 for more information.

Chiri
 

MommC

On Vacation!
Mar 2, 2002
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dr1.com
Just a note......

There are now very visible signs in either direction (from San Pedro or La Romana) well in advance of the entrance road so it's now impossible to miss the turn!!;)
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
17,850
982
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Update

Visited the cave again on the weekend, it was excellent. There is now an under-12's entrance fee of RD$50. Adults still pay RD$100.

The lift is out of order.

Chiri
 

Formosano2000

New member
Mar 5, 2003
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Wondrous Caves, indeed

Chirimoya said:
Visited the cave again on the weekend, it was excellent. There is now an under-12's entrance fee of RD$50. Adults still pay RD$100.

The lift is out of order.

Chiri

On a whim, I took two visitors there yesterday afternoon and we were all impressed. Everything was tastefully designed and configured. The lighting in the caves were spectacular yet discreet, I expected to see ugly electrical wires but couldn't spot them. We were escorted by a knowledgable guide who knew her drill and a "policia ambiental" for "our protection". As we were the only group, we had the whole caves to ourselves.

The landscaping are well-manicured. And the entrace from the highway well signposted with 4 alerts 100 meters apart to make sure fast drivers don't speed past.

This is truly a first-class attraction. The RD$100 fee, while cheap for foreigners, may seems steep for local visitors.

Their official website:
http://www.cuevadelasmaravillas.com/
is still under construction but gives a tempting glimpse into what the caves look like.

Highly recommended !