COSTA RICA TOURIST CAVES

This information was put together by the Grupo Espeleologico Anthros (GEA) for all people interested in visiting caves in Costa Rica. Cave tourism in Costa Rica is very young even though caves have been explored for more than 40 years in the country by local people and by cavers; 234 caves integrate the National Cave Registry (RKN) which is own and managed by GEA, a non profit organization that explores, studies and protect caves in Costa Rica and Central America.

SIMA “TERCIOPELO” or “CAVERNA TERCIOPELO”:

Located at BARRA HONDA NATIONAL PARK, Province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Park size is 2,295 hectares (5.600 acres, or 875 Miles2). It was created in 1974.

Cave measures:

The cave was discovered by a spelunking group (GE.CMCR), on February 23, 1969.

Entrance pit (-19m.) to “Terciopelo Cave”. The metal ladder was installed by GEA in 2002. Photo: ASVO.

Getting there: From San José, take the Inter-American Highway (CA-1) going north, till just past the turn for Las Juntas de Abangares. Turn left on CR-18 towards San Joaquin, and then follow the signs to the new Tempisque bridge. Continue SW for 10 Kms, then turn right towards the villages of Barra Honda and Santa Ana, and follow the signs to the Park.
Open 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Entrance fee is $ 7.00.

Hiking trails: The main trail leads through mostly secondary forest to the top of Cerro Barra Honda (1,450 feet, 442 meters), with spectacular views of the Tempisque Valley and the Gulf of Nicoya.

Lodging/Camping: There are four rustic cabins, with bunks for six or eight each. There is a camping area next to the Ranger Station.

Weather: Hot and dry from December through April, then hot and humid the rest of the year. Habitats: Tropical lowland, dry secondary forest, pastures, limestone caves.
Cave attractions: “soda straws, pearls, roses, needles, cave grapes, curtains, terraces, stalactites, stalagmites” and other calcareous formations of the more than 50 limestone caverns are the main attraction at Barra Honda National Park. The caves are all in relatively good condition, because their vertical entrances are difficult to negotiate. You need climbing gear (provided), a guide, and permission from the Park Service (in advance).The caves range from a few feet to over 375 feet (125 meters) deep.

Cave formations at Room 1.
Photo: Gustavo Quesada, GEA.

CAVERNA “GABINARRACA” or “CAVERNA VENADO”:

The Gabinarraca Cave, commonly known as “Venado Cave” is situated in a private property owned by the Solís Sánchez family. Two hour long tours are given every day, from 7AM to 4PM. Fee is about $ 4.40 per person (Guide, flashlight, and a bath after), plus the separate rental of rubber boots. NO pictures are allowed to be taken inside the cave.

This cave seems to have been known by local indians, but was re-discovered around 1932. Exploration by professionals began in 1968, by GE.CMCR, and are still in progress, conducted now by Grupo Espeleologico Anthros (GEA: www.anthros.org). It has also been explored in the past by the National Speleological Society (NSS) and the Société Suisse d’Spéleológie (SSS, Switzerland).

Location: 2 Km west of the small town of Venado, Province of Alajuela, Northern Costa Rica. To get to it, take Highway CA-1 till San Ramón, and just across this town take the road to Fortuna (CR-702), and then on to Tanque and the road to San Rafael de Guatuso. A sign will tell you when to turn left to Venado (about 180 Kms total distance). The area is classified as tropical (very) wet forest. Temperatures range from 20 to 31° C; average rainfall runs between 3500 to 4000 Mm. per year.

Cave measures:

Rimstone dams at the end of the dry section of Gabinarraca Cave at a place named by locals as the “Altar”. Photo: Gustavo Quesada, GEA.

It has both a “dry” and a “wet” section. Tours take tourists thru most of the dry section and part of the section with a creek that comes into and out of the cave. Owners will provide and ask you to use a surgical mask, to avoid possible complications. Temperature inside the cave is a permanent 22° C, but being wet most of the time makes people feel colder.

Longer tours are offered to experienced cavers. Camping is allowed in the property. They offer upon request a meal service. Also, good dining is available at Venado town, just 2 Kms. away (7AM till 5PM).
This cave is just one of 27 caves so far discovered and explored by GEA in this region. The belief is that a few of them are hidrologically inter-connected. Tests will soon be run to clear-up this matter.

The deepest cave in the area reaches a depth of -77m. (-252’). They all open in limestone-rocks that are of Miocene-age, that is to say some 25 million years old. Fairly recent, geologically speaking, so one can say that this caves are still being shaped by nature. During the rainy season some care must be taken, because the subterranean creek swells and can cut people-off for hours.

Cave main passage along the internal river, in “Gabinarraca Cave”. Note the well defined stratification, and the higher previous level, before down-cutting. Photo: Ferdinando Didonna, GEA

CUEVA DE DAMAS (CAVES OF DAMAS)

Location:
This cave is located about 9 Kms. NE of the town of Damas. Another way to locate it is 16 Kms. Northwest of Quepos, (which is 58 Kms. south of Jaco Beach). It’s 9 Kms. North off highway CR-34, at 45 m. above sea level. The name of the county is Garabito, belonging to Puntarenas province, Costa Rica.

Cave measures:

It has 3 entrances.

Damas Cave map, done on October, 2006 by GEA.

History:
Supposedly it was visited by the local indians. It came to be known to us around the year 1925.
In the year 1960, Eng. Mario Sáenz A. did a first line-map of it, using just a chain and compass (no features shown). It was only till October, 2006 when cavers of GRUPO ESPELEOLÓGICO ANTHROS (GEA) and a member of the NSS surveyed the cave and latter made a nice Grade 5 map, with the figures expressed in the previous lines.

Description:
The cave of Damas owes its name to the Damas river, which runs just outside the cave, on the NW flank. There is no running water inside, but it has some sections with lots of mud and pools. This cave is horizontal and fairly easy, but it has a few squeezes, which are rather narrow.
It is inhabited by thousands of bats; one species captured belongs to Saccopterix sp. There are lots of troglobite spiders, crickets, cockroaches and other insects living in the cave.

Geology:
Limestone rocks, of the Medium Eocene period. The rock is massive and compact, of a light-yellow color inside, colored light-brown and brown on the outside, due to dirt and mud.

Facilities:
Till the end of 2006, the cave was shown to organized spelunking tours, offered by the owners of the small private reserve (880 acres). The day trip to the cave included horseback riding and other activities, like trail-hiking and bird-watching.

River pools outside allow for a refreshing bath. There are hot springs nearby.

Presently, it seems the current owners, some Americans, try to sell it. For Sale By Owner - Costa Rica

Others: There is a nearby 125 meter long suspension bridge, 45 meters high, and also chances to rappel at a canyon waterfall.  One fall is 45 meters and another is 55 meters high. This are run by local tour operators.

Cave passages, Damas Cave. Photo: Keith Christenson, NSS.

CAVERNA LA GRAN GALERÍA or (Grand Gallery Cave)
RKN: CR-114

Localization:
Located on the SW. flank of the Fila de Cal, Ciudad Neily section. More exactly, East of the little town of San Rafael Sur (Alto El Descanso area), 45 m. to the North from the road to Bajo de Indios. The location map is Canoas-3641-IV (IGN 1:50.000).
Politically, it belongs to Puntarenas province, Corredores county and Ciudad Neily district.

Cave measures:

The entrance lies at the bottom of a cliff, inside a 70 by 100 m. semi-doline. It measures 15 m. high by 33 m. wide and divides into 3 access points.

Cave entrance, Gran Galería Cave. Photo: Gustavo Quesada, GEA

Cave bearings are E. to W. for about 35 m. and then N. to S. for about 50 m. A first class Grade 5 map was made by the NSS in 1990.

The cave was known locally, but was re-discovered by Gordon McCracken and Carlos Goicoechea (1989). It can be also accessed by a 26 m. rappel from the top of the cliff.

  
Cave formation, Gran Galeria Cave. Photos: Gustavo Quesada, GEA

Others:
The farm where it opens used to be owned by Jorge Vidal (Alias “Chiricano”), but he sold a few years ago to a man whose name is Alvin. He built a large house near by, and is preparing the cave to offer it as a show-cave. For the time being, he has a nice trail opened to the entrance.
This cave was used around 1991 as a shot-setting for a French sponsored movie. It is very nicely decorated, both on walls and ceiling. Nowadays there’s no water inside the cave, but it is speculated that it served as an insurgence for the nearby Quebrada Seca in the past.

Geology:
The rock is limestone (Karst cave), and belongs to the now re-named Fila de Cal Formation (previously Brito-Limestone Formation). It belongs to the Tertiary age, Eocene to Paleocene periods (between 60 and 70 million years old rocks).
The color of the rock is from white to beige, it’s massive and dense, foraminiferal, and it has extensive faulting and fracturing (no Info about stratification).

Map Caverna Gran Galeria, done on October, 2006 by NSS.

*Report prepared by Carlos Goicoechea, for Grupo Espeleológico Anthros (www.anthros.org).
*Photos by Gustavo Quesada (GEA), Ferdinando Didonna (GEA) and Keith Christenson (NSS).

For more information about caves and caving in Costa Rica, please contact info@anthros.org