VENADO CAVES
This tour leaves from La Fortuna at 8: 00 a.m. for one-hour transfer to the Venado Village (1).The caves were formed during the Miocene period, 15 or 20 million years ago. For many years they were under sea level and due to tectonic movements they surfaced.
The Guatuzos aborigines discovered the caves. Limestone rocks, stalactites, stalagmites and corals, form most of the caves. The whimsical stone formations are formed by the underground river.The length of the tour into the caves is 1 ½ hour, during this time we will find marine fossils, and also bats, spiders and crickets.
Because we will have to walk through the river and waterfalls from the upper part of the cave, we recommend our customers to take light clothes, hiking shoes and extra clothes to be able to change when they finish the exploration of the caves.The equipment for the tour will be provided. and it includes:
- Flashlights
- Helmets
- Cords
- Rubber Boots (optional)
Within the caves one can find five thousand year old rock formations, such as the "papaya" which is a vertical formation formed by the union of two different rock types; the name is derived from it's shape, which you guessed it, looks just like a papaya. The rock face within the cave grows approximately 3 cm every 10 years. At the same time, there exists in the caves the formation of coral, which if touched will retard the growth process. Covering approximately 2 1/2 km (1.5 miles) in length, the caves contain 10 separate quarters (salas in Spanish), however, the area limited for tourism use is only 600 meters (1,800 ft). Throughout the caves water in continually flows along the floor of the caves, at times a few feet high.
