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
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