Río camuy cave park: Río Camuy Cave Park | Discover Puerto Rico
Rio Camuy Cave Park (Parque Nacional de las Cavernas del Río Camuy) — What To Know BEFORE You Go
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The Basics
Three crater-like sinkholes and one cave are open to the public at Rio Camuy Cave, the third largest underground river cavern system in the world. Easily accessible from San Juan, a park ranger–led tour of the caves offers insight into the geological history and ecosystem of the area and builds in time to listen as the Camuy River rushes past. You can also combine your visit to the cave with a stop at the Arecibo Observatory.
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Things to Know Before You Go
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Park entrance is limited and often capped by 10am; ensure your entry by booking ahead.
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The cave has a cement walkway with handrails, but it is usually wet and slippery so be sure to wear closed-toe shoes with a good tread.
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On-site amenities include a restroom, gift shop, and cafeteria.
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Camping is permitted in summer.
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Dress in layers, as the cave can get chilly, and bring an extra shirt in case yours gets wet.
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How to Get There
While a guided tour is the most stress-free way to visit the park, independent travelers can take a private car or taxi to access the site on their own. Fee-based parking is available. The park is roughly a 90-minute drive from San Juan, in the karst region of the north coast.
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Trip ideas
Visiting San Juan for the First Time? Here’s What to See and Do
From the food to the flora and fauna and everything in between, here’s how to make the most of your first trip to San Juan.
Don’t Miss These Must-Do Activities in San Juan
How to Spend 3 Days in San Juan
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Where to Find the Best Views in San Juan
Here’s where to go for the best views in San Juan, from the streets to the suburbs.
How to Spend 2 Days in San Juan
With two days to spend in the Puerto Rican capital, you’ll be able to tour the colonial old city, explore otherworldly bioluminescent bays, and head farther afield to experience Puerto Rico’s rain forests.
How to Spend 1 Day in San Juan
How to Spend a Rainy Day in San Juan
Don’t-Miss Dishes in San Juan
When to Get There
The park is open Wednesday through Sunday from 8am until 5pm, but note that parking closes strictly at 2:45pm, the last tickets are sold by 3pm, and the last tour is at 3:30pm. Entry to the popular site often capped by 10am, so it’s best to book in advance. The park sometimes closes during heavy rain due to potential flooding.
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Natural Attractions in Puerto Rico
The lush island of Puerto Rico isn’t short on natural appeal. After visiting the Rio Camuy Cave Park, pay a visit to the Cueva Ventana (Window Cave) in nearby Arecibo or head south to the Guánica Dry Forest.
Of course, El Yunque National Forest is another unmissable Puerto Rican natural attraction.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Q:
What are the nearest attractions to Rio Camuy Cave Park (Parque Nacional de las Cavernas del Río Camuy)?
A:
Attractions near Rio Camuy Cave Park (Parque Nacional de las Cavernas del Río Camuy):
- Ponce
- Cuevas Arenales Caves
- Bacardi Rum Factory (Casa Bacardi)
Q:
What else should I know about attractions in San Juan?
A:
As well as visiting the Rio Camuy Cave Park (Parque Nacional de las Cavernas del Río Camuy), check out these trip ideas to make the most of your visit:
- How to Spend 3 Days in San Juan
- How to Spend 2 Days in San Juan
- Things to Do in San Juan This Winter
More Tours in San Juan
- Art & Culture
- Audio Guides
- Classes & Workshops
- Food & Drink
- Likely To Sell Out
- Outdoor Activities
- Seasonal & Special Occasions
- Tickets & Passes
- Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises
- Travel & Transportation Services
- Unique Experiences
More attractions near San Juan
- Ponce
- Cuevas Arenales Caves
- Bacardi Rum Factory (Casa Bacardi)
- Castillo San Felipe del Morro
- San Juan National Historic Site (Sitio Histórico Nacional de San Juan)
- Museum of the Americas (Museo de las Américas)
- Old San Juan
- San Juan Cathedral (Catedral de San Juan Bautista)
- Chapel of Christ (Capilla del Cristo)
- Paseo de la Princesa
- La Fortaleza (The Fortress)
- Castillo San Cristobal
- Old San Juan Piers
- Fine Arts Miramar
- Luis A.
Ferré Performing Arts Center (Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré)
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- Hoover Dam
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- Las Vegas Strip
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Walking Tour Through Clear Cave at Rio Camuy Caves Park in Puerto Rico
I’ve made plenty of reference to my list of ‘must-see’ places I did not get to on my first visit and yes, the Camuy Caves were one of them. This is another ‘mega-post’ featuring lots of shots and a YouTube vid as well. I do have a few quibbles, but I loved it and plan to come back again.
The Cave Park is actually closer to Lares than Camuy on the coast. On my map, it sits on the border of what I call Isla North and Mountain Central regions.
But after its namesake, Camuy, I placed the Park in the Isla North category.
By the time you get to the Park, you’ll feel like you left the coast well behind.
Getting There
The weather finally broke on Friday so we made a mad dash over the mountains to visit this most wonderful site. I will not go into great detail about our convoluted road trip via Ponce, Adjuntas and Lares, but to say..
if they ever finish Highway 10, it will be a breeze.
From San Juan, it’s an easy trip out Hwy 2 West to Arecibo where you exit onto Hwy 129 South. Hwy 129 takes you all the way to the Park’s main entrance. There are lots of signs so it’s easy to spot.
This area of the island is referred to as ‘Karst Country’.
The landscape is covered in soft limestone hills blanketed by dense vegetation. Located on the North and West end of the island, the Karst plateau covers about a quarter of the entire island.
You can occasionally see the dark yellow to dirty-orange limestone where ever there is a gravel pit or quarry. The abundance of limestone makes for cheap concrete as it is a key ingredient.
Due to the soft nature of limestone, over time, water seeps into it and eventually cuts paths through it. These paths develop into underground rivers and eventually form caves. This takes tens of millions of years to happen.
The Rio Camuy is the 3rd largest
underground river on the planet.
The Camuy Cave Park covers 268 acres with 220 identified caves and 17 entrances. Only a fraction of this is open to the general public. What’s more, experts speculate there may be as many as 800 more undiscovered caves in the Karst Region.
A Spelunker’s dream come true.
By far, the most spectacular site is the Empalme Sinkhole and Clara Cave. The sinkhole is so big, they run an open trolley to the bottom where folks get off, followed by a guided tour of the absolutely huge Clara Cave.
Unfortunately, this was the only part of the Park we got to see. More about that later.
Details, Details…
We hit the Park about noon and were greeted by an older gentleman in a little security shack who spoke perfect English. He explained what we needed to do and handed us a pair of paper tickets we were to present to the cashier at the main building. We made a point of avoiding the weekend traffic and I’m glad we did. The Park is very popular with the locals. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The Camuy Cave Park has a set limit of 1,500 visitors per day. Ya snooze, ya looze.
We were numbers 298 and 299. We proceeded to the main building where we paid for our parking ($3) and tickets for the trolley ride into the park ($12 per adult and $7.50 for seniors over 60). There were 60 to 70 folks ahead of us, but since they send them out in groups of about 35, we only had to wait 40 minutes before it was our turn.
That gave me time to check out the grounds.
Besides the rest area, ticket booth and restrooms, there was a small gift shop and snack bar. The snack bar serves hamburgers, fries and pizza by the slice at very fair prices. They also have popsicles and frozen treats too. A long row of covered picnic tables sat opposite the snack bar. A separate building held a more formal restaurant, but I did not check it out. There is also a dedicated picnic area and a collection of trails to explore on your own.
Down by the main parking lot is a remnant of an old sugarcane train. Kind of hard to make out what it used to be.
The entire facility was covered by a dense canopy of very tall trees. It was a very serene and relaxed place even with all the activity. Several of these trees were in flower and bearing fruit. I thought they might be Malay Apple so I asked my pal, Sadhu of Govardhan Gardens about them. He confirmed they were indeed Malay Apple (Syzygium malaccense).
I managed to score 2 seeds off the ground before we left so I’ll see if I can get them to sprout.
The Camuy Cave Park is part of the PR Park System. It has its own Website, but it is entirely in Spanish and bogged down while trying to load a Flash driven slide show. Very typical of Puerto Rican Websites and definitely NOT user friendly. They should skip the music and sound as well. It only adds to the time it takes to load the site to a browser. I finally gave up waiting and moved onto other, less obnoxious sites on the subject.
The Rio Camuy Cave Park Trolley Tour
A Few Words About the Tour..
I need to qualify the fact that I did my homework before heading out and knew what I could expect in the way of a guided trolley tour.
All three of my PR travel guides (Insider’s Guide- Off the Beaten Path PR 5th ed., Fodor’s Puerto Rico 5th ed. and Let’s Go Puerto Rico on a Budget 2008) mention riding down to the Empalme Sinkhole and Clara Cave followed by a trolley run over to the Tres Pueblos Sinkhole with a view to the Rio Camuy. A tour that is supposed to take most of 2 hours. This was confirmed by what I had read on the Net as well. Most reviews also reference a 20 minute movie that is shown before you head out on the trolley ride.
For my $12 bucks..
I did not see the 20 minute intro movie. I only visited the Empalme Sinkhole with a tour through the Clara Cave and a view at the back of the Spiral Cave and sinkhole. We were not permitted beyond this point and had to turn around to head back through Clara Cave. Nor were we taken to any other venue within the Park. The whole trip lasted about 45 minutes.
It seems to me that if you don’t get the whole show, the ticket price should be discounted accordingly. We paid full price for half a show.
Don’t get me wrong. It was a great experience! One I want to repeat, if only to take in what I missed this trip out.
Inside the Caves
The Clara Cave is simply astonishing!
It is very difficult to imply just how huge this cave is from a static photo. The panoramic image of the cave interior shows a few folks contrasted against the guardrail. They are very tiny. Please note that the images are much ‘lighter’ than the actual experience. Once your eyes become accustomed to the dim light, it is most magnificent.
The path itself is very easy to walk and well lit.
Special attention was made to steep areas or places where there might be standing water. This is a cave so standing water is impossible to avoid. Safety issues were well addressed.
I would still suggest wearing sensible shoes since the walkway is textured concrete. It was also very humid inside the cave.
We were issued head phones and a little digital device with a pre-recorded tour in English (or Spanish) before we boarded the trolley.
These were coordinated with small numbered signs within the cave. Because my focus was on trying to get good shots of the cave interior, I gave up on listening to it. Keeping up with a camera on a tripod and setting off my flash kept me pretty busy. I am glad I brought my tripod. Otherwise I would not have got the shots I did. Exposures at ISO 400 were in the 20 to 30 second range. The caves are strategically lit, but hidden from the main view. The lighting was very well thought out.
I trailed behind the tour group for most of the walk.
Caves like this are home to many creatures –
spiders, scorpions and bats to name a few.
There was one spider the guide pointed out, but it retreated into it’s den as soon as we started hovering around it. Bats only come out at night so we did not see any of them either. Back in the ‘old days’, they used to collect the Bat guano for export. It contains high concentrations of Potassium Nitrate used to make Black Powder and fertilizer. Not so much anymore. Back at the main staging area, I did see a Coqui frog, but it disappeared before I could switch to my macro lens. They are very small.
The Empalme Sinkhole is a beautifully maintained spot, as is the entire grounds of the Camuy Cave Park. A lot of planning went into the development of this site.
If you have already seen the blue cobble stone streets of Old San Juan and El Morro, then by all means, come check out the Caves. Ask at the front desk of your hotel or check out the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, just off the docks. They will help you find a tour guide going that way.
If you prefer to book your tour in advance, book your tour here.
Had my $12 got me the 20 minute movie and other places within the Park (mentioned elsewhere), I would have given it 5 Skulls, otherwise the experience only rates 4. $12 plus $3 for parking is a little high for what we got. That said, I will be back for more images.
The Rio Camuy Cave Park IS a must see.
°HOTEL HACIENDA AGROTURISTICO VISTA HERMOSA CAMUY 2* (Puerto Rico) — from 7195 RUB
Excellent
Hotel Hacienda Agroturistico Vista Hermosa — Camuy
18.35869,
-66.82611
Camuy,
Puerto-Rico
7195Rub
24 photo
24 photo
24 photo
24 photo
24,0002 address
Carrete 486 KM 16 Interior, Barrio QuEBRADA, Barrio QuEBRADA
Camuy,
puerto rico,
00627,
Puerto Rico
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Description
Less than a 10-minute drive from the Arecibo Observatory, Hacienda Agroturistico Vista Hermosa is a 2-star hotel offering luggage storage, parking and a designated place for smoking.
Location
It is located at a distance of 3.9 km from the National Park of the Caves del Rio Camuy. Alternatively, Aguadilla is a 30-minute drive from the hotel.
Rooms
Rooms at this hotel are equipped with free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TV with satellite channels and individual climate control. Each of them has a private bathroom.
Meals
Continental breakfast is served.
A full breakfast is served each morning in the hotel’s dining room for US$8 per person per night.
Leisure and business
A sunbathing deck and a sunbathing terrace are offered at the hotel.
Internet
Internet access is not available.
Parking
Free private parking is available on site.
Number of rooms: 10.
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Amenities
Most Popular Amenities
Internet
Free parking
Luggage storage
24-hour service
24-hour security
Meals/Beverages
Outdoor Dining
Welcome Cocktail
Coffee Shop
Picnic Tables
Pool
Small deep pool
Laundry
TV
Flat screen TV
General
- Free parking
- Luggage storage
- 24 hour service
- Food/Beverages
- Pool
- Laundry
- TV
Sports and fitness
- Billiards
- Mini golf
Services
- Laundry
- Guide services/ Ticketing
- Welcome cocktail
Dining
- Outdoor dining
- Picnic tables
For children
- Cribs
- Children’s pool
Leisure
- Small deep pool
- Karaoke
- Sun deck
- Garden
- Barbecue accessories
- Lounge / Cinema
- Public bath
- Pool with a view
- Shallow pool
Room view
- Garden view
Amenities in the room
- Air conditioning
- Rest area
- Patio
- Terrace
- Garden furniture
- Trouser press
Bathroom
- Free toiletries
Media
- Flat screen TV
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Important information
Check-infrom 16:00-23:00FREECheck-outuntil 12:00FREE
Extra bedsThere are no extra beds available in a room.
Pets Pets are allowed on request.
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Rooms and Availability
Budget Double Room
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Mountain view
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Shower
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Air conditioner
Room details
Superior family room
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Max:
4 guests
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Pool view
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Air conditioner
org/LocationFeatureSpecification»>Shower
Detailed room
Family room
2 photos
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Max:
4 guests
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City view
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Shower
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Air conditioner
Details of the room
Location
Carretera 486 Km 16 Interior, Barrio Quebrada,
Camuy,
puerto rico,
00627,
Puerto Rico
- Famous places of the city
- Nearby
Park
Rio Kamui Cave Park
1.
9
km
Tres Pueblos sinkhole
2.2
km
Km 19.0
National Park Cavernas del Rio Camuy
3.1
km
Hatillo 00669
Cueva Espiral
2.2
km
Unnamed Road,
Camuy Zip Line
2.2
km
Camuy River Caverns Park
Rio Camuy
3.1
km
Park
Rio Camui Cave Park
3.5
km
Iglesia Betana
2.8
km
Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal Bo. Bayaney
4.0
km
Museum
Cuevas De Camuy
4.3
km
Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal MI. Bo Aibonito de Hatillo
4.3
km
Iglesia Cristo Rey
4.3
km
Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal Aibonito de Hatillo
4.3
km
Carr. 635 km. 12 Bo. Aibonito
Hacienda Mis Sueños
5.4
km
Park
Rio Kamui Cave Park
1.2
km
Transport
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Need a transfer?
You can book your transfer after you have completed your booking at the hotel.
Reviews
8.2
Excellent
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to stay at Hotel Hacienda Agroturistico Vista Hermosa?
A room at the Hotel Hacienda Agroturistico Vista Hermosa starts at $120.
Address
Carretera 486 Km 16 Interior, Barrio Quebrada,
Camuy,
puerto rico,
00627,
Puerto Rico
Show map
Important information
Check-infrom 16:00-23:00FREECheck-outuntil 12:00FREE
Extra bedsThere are no extra beds available in a room.
Pets Pets are allowed on request.
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Transport
+ More- Hide
Need a transfer?
You can book your transfer after you have completed your booking at the hotel.
Tip: Consider free cancellation options.
This will allow you to remain flexible should you need to cancel your trip due to the spread of COVID-19.
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Children’s pool
Air conditioner
Pets
allowed Pets
Hotel Hacial Hacialistico Vista Hermosa with the emergency of the 9th K. The hotel has 10 rooms available.
It is located 20 km from Arecibo Lighthouse & Historical Park. A 35 minute drive will take you to Cabo Rojo.
The rooms are equipped with Wi-Fi, a cupboard and a sofa. Each has a bath, shower and toiletries.
Guests can enjoy a continental breakfast in the morning.Aguadilla airport can be reached in 45 minutes by car.A private swimming pool is on site.
- Local attractions
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Cave Park Rio Kamui
3.
5 km -
IGLESIA DILESI Bayaney
4 km
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Cavernas del Río Camuy National Park
1.2 km
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Cave Park Rio Kamui
1 km
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Iglesia Betana
2.8 km
- 9000 ° B
5 km Iglesia Cristo Rey
4.3 km
9000 000 000 000 000 000 000 2 000 000 000 000 2 000 000 000 2 000 000 2 000 000 2 000 000 ° C.
2.2 km
- Airports
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Aguadilla
53 km
905
6
FAQ
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Hacienda Agroturistico Vista Hermosa provides free parking.
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On average, Hacienda Agroturistico Vista Hermosa offers rooms for US$120. For more information, please contact the hotel representatives.
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Hacienda Agroturistico Vista Hermosa offers a choice of Superior Family Room, Budget Double Room and Standard Family Queen Room.
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55 km separates Aguadilla Airport from Hacienda Agroturistico Vista Hermosa.
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Hacienda Agroturistico Vista Hermosa offers a garden and a terrace.
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Yes, pets are allowed at the Hotel Hacienda Agroturistico Vista Hermosa.
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The hotel offers free cancellation. Find out more from Hacienda Agroturistico Vista Hermosa representatives.
Check the conditions of your booking
For bookings made after April 6, 2020, we recommend that you evaluate the risk associated with coronavirus (COVID-19) and the measures taken by the authorities to combat it. If you select a non-refundable rate, you will not be able to receive a refund if your booking is cancelled. Your cancellation request will be processed by the hotel in accordance with your rate conditions and consumer protection laws. If in doubt, we recommend booking a free cancellation option. If your plans change, you can cancel your booking without penalty during the free cancellation period.