The Caves of the Dominican Republic: Prehistoric Beauty
The Dominican Republic has the most extensive cave system in the Caribbean. Not
only are these caves fun to explore, but many of them also contain artwork
painted and etched on the cave walls by the indigenous Taino Indians, dating
back 1,000 to 3,000 years. The Dominican Republic has preserved many of these
natural and man-made wonders in national parks. Intrepid visitors can explore
independently or take one of the many cave tours offered throughout the country.
Eastern region
Cueva de las Maravillas
La Cueva de las Maravillas has been open to the public since 2003. It is just off the road between San Pedro and La Romana, at Cumayasa. The cave’s attractions are its natural formations and Taino cave paintings. It’s managed by an independent board that works closely with the Ministry of Environment and the grounds and gardens are well designed and maintained. They have used plants native to the area, which is scrubby and semi-arid. There are good facilities - clean toilets, museum, shop and cafeteria.
Visits to Cueva de las Maravillas are strictly controlled, in small groups with a guide. 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 parts of the cave by means of ramp. There is also an elevator but do not count on this to be in service. The tour takes about one hour. Photography of any sort is banned, unless you seek specs. permission in advance. The site is open to the public Tues-Sun 10:00am - 6:00pm, and admission is about US$3. Tel.. 696 - 1797 for more information.
Cuevas ‘Fun Fun’ in Hato Mayor
The Fun Fun cave in the eastern part of the country is accessible for visitors to the Dominican Republic’s south and east coast resorts. Formerly known as La Cueva del Diablo, or Devil’s Cave, Fun Fun is said to be one of the largest in the world, and is certainly the Caribbean region’s longest cave. It has over seven kilometers of tunnels, underground rivers and spectacular rock formations, and is reached on horseback and on foot from Rancho Capote. Access to this cave is through a private property. There is little signage to get to the cave, so visitors need to secure a cave expert as a guide, or take one of the tours that are offered. This is not a cave that can be visited by oneself.
The Capital
If you are staying in or around Santo Domingo, the easiest way to go caving in the Dominican Republic is to visit the sprawling city park, Mirador del Este. The park is riddled with caves, most of which are really limestone sinkholes, created eons ago. The most famous, and one of the most accessible is “Los Tres Ojos”. This large cave, filled with stalactites and stalagmites is reached by taking a long staircase carved into the side of the cave. Three lagoons of varying depths grace the caverns, and daredevil divers sometimes plunge into the deepest one to the amazement of the crowd. Well-maintained walkways make exploring easy. The park is open daily and admission is around US $1.
El Pomier
Some archeologists consider that the caves of El Pomier, near Santo Domingo, just outside San Cristobal, are to the West Indies what the pyramids are to Egypt. Some 54 caves dot the landscape here and contain thousands of pictographs (pictures or symbols representing words) and hundreds of petroglyphs (drawings or etchings on rock). Most of the drawings tell a story and feature humans, animals, and strange monsters, perhaps gods. Though they haven’t all been dated, the pictographs and petroglyphs here are thought to be the work of the Taino Indians, who lived here over 1000 years ago. Now protected and fitted out for easy visitor access by the Dominican government, these caves are thought to be a sacred site for the Tainos, where they used to celebrate their ceremonies and rites of passage.
Eastern region
Cueva de las Maravillas
La Cueva de las Maravillas has been open to the public since 2003. It is just off the road between San Pedro and La Romana, at Cumayasa. The cave’s attractions are its natural formations and Taino cave paintings. It’s managed by an independent board that works closely with the Ministry of Environment and the grounds and gardens are well designed and maintained. They have used plants native to the area, which is scrubby and semi-arid. There are good facilities - clean toilets, museum, shop and cafeteria.
Visits to Cueva de las Maravillas are strictly controlled, in small groups with a guide. 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 parts of the cave by means of ramp. There is also an elevator but do not count on this to be in service. The tour takes about one hour. Photography of any sort is banned, unless you seek specs. permission in advance. The site is open to the public Tues-Sun 10:00am - 6:00pm, and admission is about US$3. Tel.. 696 - 1797 for more information.
Cuevas ‘Fun Fun’ in Hato Mayor
The Fun Fun cave in the eastern part of the country is accessible for visitors to the Dominican Republic’s south and east coast resorts. Formerly known as La Cueva del Diablo, or Devil’s Cave, Fun Fun is said to be one of the largest in the world, and is certainly the Caribbean region’s longest cave. It has over seven kilometers of tunnels, underground rivers and spectacular rock formations, and is reached on horseback and on foot from Rancho Capote. Access to this cave is through a private property. There is little signage to get to the cave, so visitors need to secure a cave expert as a guide, or take one of the tours that are offered. This is not a cave that can be visited by oneself.
The Capital
If you are staying in or around Santo Domingo, the easiest way to go caving in the Dominican Republic is to visit the sprawling city park, Mirador del Este. The park is riddled with caves, most of which are really limestone sinkholes, created eons ago. The most famous, and one of the most accessible is “Los Tres Ojos”. This large cave, filled with stalactites and stalagmites is reached by taking a long staircase carved into the side of the cave. Three lagoons of varying depths grace the caverns, and daredevil divers sometimes plunge into the deepest one to the amazement of the crowd. Well-maintained walkways make exploring easy. The park is open daily and admission is around US $1.
El Pomier
Some archeologists consider that the caves of El Pomier, near Santo Domingo, just outside San Cristobal, are to the West Indies what the pyramids are to Egypt. Some 54 caves dot the landscape here and contain thousands of pictographs (pictures or symbols representing words) and hundreds of petroglyphs (drawings or etchings on rock). Most of the drawings tell a story and feature humans, animals, and strange monsters, perhaps gods. Though they haven’t all been dated, the pictographs and petroglyphs here are thought to be the work of the Taino Indians, who lived here over 1000 years ago. Now protected and fitted out for easy visitor access by the Dominican government, these caves are thought to be a sacred site for the Tainos, where they used to celebrate their ceremonies and rites of passage.
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