The Guácharo Cave National Park (Parque Nacional Cueva del Guácharo), has
as its centerpiece a large limestone cave, which is home to thousands of
oilbirds (guácharos in Spanish; scientific name Steatornis caripensis). This
frugivorous, nocturnal species was discovered by Alexander Von Humboldt and
named by him after the town of Caripe.
Oilbirds are fruit-eating birds that live within the first section of
the cave; they leave at night in search of food. The Spanish name guácharo is
onomatopoeic, and comes from an old Castilian word for one who shrieks or
cries, because of their characteristic sound.
They are brown with black and white spots, have a long tail and bristles
around their beak. They measure around 48 cm in length, including the tail. The
guácharos produce an organic layer in the cave called guano, formed by
excrement and vomited seeds, which provide the basic nutrients for the cave's
ecosystem.
The Cave of "Guácharo" is located in the states of Monagas and
Sucre, 4 Km. away from the town of Caripe. You can arrive at this park
following the road of Caripe, from Maturín, Cumaná or Carúpano.
The Cave of "Guácharo"
represents the biggest cavern in the country, with a surface of 15.500
hectares. It was initially decreed Natural Monument in 1947 with the German
scientist's name Alejandro Von Humboldt. This famous scientist visited the cave
in 1799 for scientific motivations.
Later on, this cave was decreed National Park in 1975 when the
protection area was enlarged with the purpose of preserving its ecosystem and
to guarantee the biological processes of the cavern.
Its name is due to bird species that lives in its interior, specifically
in the first chamber of the cave and is called "Guacharo” or "Bird of
the caverns". It is a bird that feeds itself on fruits and it is
characterized to emit an acute squawk with which it is oriented, using a system
similar to the sonar.
The cave is located in a national park called "Cave of the Guacharo National Park''. The most important event that
happens daily in the cave is when the great flocks of birds leave the cave in
search of food in afternoon hours, making their peculiar squawk that can be
listened to a great distances. Visitors are able to view the birds leaving the
cave.
The cave has
an extension of 10,2 km divided in 2 sectors:
Tourist Zone: with 1,2 km of extension.
In this zone the chambers or domes that form the cavern can be appreciated.
The first section is called Hall of Humboldt. It has 759 meters in length.
From the roof of this part fall large stalactites that have been baptized by
their visitors with different names according to their forms.
At 180 meters of the route we find the First Pedregal, a mass of blocks that partially obstructs the
gallery. The Second Pedregal is
found after the formation called Las
Patas del Elefante. In this area there is a stalagmite of great proportions
called El Castillo. It is followed
by the Third Pedregal, in which the
road is divided into two: the one that goes east (Los Monjes, Las Velas del Calvario and El Mataquero) and the one
that takes visitors to Paso del Silencio.
The second
section is The Gallery of Silence that includes the rest of the tourist
route sub divided by several smaller galleries.
The third section is Gallery of the River.
This gallery has clayey walls and the roof is covered by crystalline
stalactites and stalagmite mantles. On the side of the road, which is crossed
by the river, you can see characteristic fish from the cave.
The fourth
section is the Beautiful Room. It has three vaults in the
shape of the leaves of a clover. Each one has a special name and
characteristics: Rolando, named
after the general of the same name who hid there in the early 1900s; Hall of the Bells, so named because the
curtains that when beaten gently produce a sound similar to that of the bells;
and then, there is the Dog Room.
And
finally the most popular is the Gallery
of the Breasts that it's at the end of the route. Here we find stalagmites
that are in formation curiously resembling one woman breast.
Scientific Zone:
with 9 Km of extension. To this zone it is only possible access with "special
permissions from authorities of park, because this is zone for scientific study
purpose. The use of special equipment and expertise in exploration is required.
In accordance with recommendation of park authorities, best visiting
dates are between months of December until April, since in these months the
rain absence causes that the underground streams and rivers are passable.
Nevertheless, throughout the year is open to the public.
I hope that you can visit it someday; natural majesty found there is unique.
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