The Ultimate Cueva Del Indio Travel Guide
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La Cueva del Indio is a mysterious and intriguing cave that served as a meeting place for the indigenous people of Puerto Rico called the taínos. What makes this cave incredibly unique is that it is completely covered in petroglyphs that the taínos carved into the rock during their tribal meetings, rituals and ceremonies. In fact, with about 80 carvings, la Cueva del Indio is said to be the cave with the most petroglyphs near a coastal zone in the whole island!
Arecibo Coastline in direction to La Cueva del Indio
Located just a short one hour drive from San Juan, la Cueva del Indio is perfectly located to be part of your day trip to the municipality of Arecibo, OR it could serve as a stop in your trip to the west side of the island. If you are using Google Maps, make sure that the Cueva del Indio you are driving to is located in Arecibo since there are other lesser known caves with the same name. If you are taking the shortest route to the cave, it will most likely take you to a scenic road right next to the ocean that passes through the municipality of Barceloneta and into Arecibo. Once you drive by the incredibly large Christopher Columbus statue to to your left, make sure to keep an eye out to your right for signs that lead you to designated parking spots for la Cueva del Indio.
Christopher Colombus statue near La Cueva del Indio in Arecibo
PARKING & ACCESS
If you want to visit Cueva del Indio, you can either park in one of these designated lots located in private property and pay a $10 per person fee to access the cave or you could park your car somewhere near the main road and walk up to la Cueva del Indio through the beach. HOWEVER, I want to be completely frank and warn you that this area has become somewhat notorious for having people break into cars and stealing personal belongings, SO if you want to avoid potentially having a bad time during your trip, consider paying the $10 per person and park your car in one of these private lots. After you leave your car and pay to access the trials, make sure to walk up the left trail that leads you to the oceanic rock instead of going through the trail to your right that will lead you to a beach.
DISCOVERING LA CUEVA DEL INDIO
Because of its location next to the ocean, this limestone rock has over time been battered by the wind and water, creating many incredibly sharp edges that can potentially be dangerous if you trip and fall. For this reason I highly recommend anyone visiting la Cueva del Indio to avoid wearing flip flops or sandals and instead go for some type of closed toe shoe like sneakers or boots that have good grip and completely protects your feet when climbing up the rock. Also, be extremely cautious with the unmarked wholes that lead to very dangerous multiple feet falls into caves and the ocean.
Overhead view of the entrance to La Cueva del Indio
Nearing the top of the rock you will find a large opening and some steps leading you to the entrance of the cave. Now, before you do anything else I want you to look back at the steps you just climbed down and think to yourself, does this look natural? Is this a shape that the rock would naturally take? Well, the answer is definitely no! Not many people know this, but the reason that these steps exist and that this opening is geometrically shaped is because the Spanish settlers carved this rock to create water filters out of it. When my good friend Francisco Amundaray who is a certified tour guide told me about this my mind was completely blow, because I had visited once before and it had never crossed my mind that these steps were not natural, but once you realize it, it becomes so obvious that you think to yourself why you did not question it before.
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Crevice used to enter La Cueva del Indio
Now, after realizing this mind blowing fact, you'll want to see what you came here to see, the taíno petroglyphs! To do this you'll need to climb down into the cave where they are located. Before there used to be a wooden ladder that you could use to access the cave, but it was removed a couple of years ago because of safety concerns. However, there is another hidden way you can use reach the inside of the cave. As of today, the only way to access the cave is to go down through this sketchy and narrow crevice in the rock. I highly advise anyone who is not physically and mentally fit to avoid climbing down this crevice since it can be potentially dangerous if you slip and fall. However, those who feel brave and confident to go down will be greeted with walls completely covered with these ancient carvings that some say can date back up to the thirteenth century. While down here, make sure to take some time to examine all the little details inside the cave and try to make out what these carvings represented for the ancient taínos. Connect to their ancient culture and transport yourself to their tribal rituals and ceremonies. Also, if you'd like, you could also take a dip in the small pool formed by the ocean water that has entered the cave.
One of the 7 arches in the coastline of Arecibo
After you spend some time inside la Cueva del Indio you want to carefully head back up through the crevice, go back up the rocky stairs and start walking east on the rock towards what is the first of seven consecutive naturally formed rock arches located right on the coastline of Arecibo. If you carefully look down into the turquoise blue ocean, you can admire the full force of the waves crashing against the colossal rock. The scenery from this area is so unique and beautiful that it has been used to film several Hollywood movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Runner Runner, Treasure Island and A Perfect Getaway. From here you can also see the huge Christopher Columbus called Birth of a New World which stands at 360 feet tall, making it taller than the Statue of Liberty. If you want to visit the statue, you're out of luck. The project to develop the area near the statue has been indefinitely halted because of contract disputes between the sculptor and the land owner. After taking in all of this natural beauty you might want to continue walking down the trail to the beach where you can take a dip and relax from your adventure.
BONUS TIP
And finally, I want to reward everyone who has stuck around till the end with the bonus tips! If you are looking for delicious places to eat after your adventure you're in luck because Arecibo has many delicious restaurants and cafes. If you want to brag a casual drink right in front of the ocean you can stop by Arrecife 681 or Bocata Smokehouse. If you're looking for something a little bit more fancy you can visit Salitre Meson Costero. If you want to grab a drink near the historic city center of Arecibo make sure to visit La Buena Vida and Al Lado. And for some amazing coffee you need to stop by Bermudas. And the best part is, all of these places are located within a 15 minute drive from La Cueva del Indio.
And that’s it! I hope you found this travel guide helpful. Make sure to check out my YouTube channel, Brik’s Travel Guides, to see the full video of this and other Puerto Rico travel guides.
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