Cueva de las Maravillas opened to the general public this weekend. The cave is the first of several that are being conditioned by the Ministry of Environment to protect and showcase the country?s underground heritage.
The Ministry of Environment painstakingly prepared a third of the cave for viewing by people of all ages, including those with special needs. Today visitors can delight in this underground spectacle of nearly 900 yards (800 meters) of labyrinths and lights that show off the legacy of the Taino Indians. Cueva de las Maravillas is located between La Romana and San Pedro de Macoris (Soco and Cumayasa rivers).
The cave was named for its wealth of rupestrian art (wonders). Over 400 pre-Columbian pictographs are located within, besides the huge number of stalactites and stalagmites. The air is very cool and moist and the large caverns are lit up with colorful floodlights that turn on as viewers enter each area.
The cave is especially attractive for day trips from Santo Domingo ? it?s a 40 minute drive. Visitors staying in Boca Chica, San Pedro and La Romana are also a half-hour away.
The Cave of the Wonders is open to viewers from 10 am to 6 pm. Tickets are RD$100 per person, with a RD$20 p/p charge for school groups.
For more information, group visits and other special guided visits, contact spelunker Domingo Abreu Collado at
domingoespele87@hotmail.com