NEED TO KNOW
LOCATION The cave is around 30 miles (50 km) east of Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic
DATING FROM Around AD 1000
DAYTIME TEMPERATURES: Jan: 75°F (24°C); Apr: 79°F (26°C); Jul: 81°F (27°C); Oct: 81°F (27°C)
Discovered in 1926, the Cueva de las Maravillas (“Cave of Miracles”) is a veritable subterranean art gallery. The walls of the single huge grotto, over 2,625 ft (800 m) long, are decorated with almost 500 quaintly stylized and perfectly preserved pictographs and petroglyphs, created by the Taino people around 1,000 years ago.
The cave is also home to an impressive quantity of stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and other unusual crystalline formations. With guided tours lasting an hour, it is well set up for visitors and is one of the few caves in the world accessible to wheelchairs.
Practical Information
Getting There and Around
Fly to Santo Domingo. From here, catch a taxi or bus to the caves, or take an internal flight to Cueva Las Maravillas airport at San Pedro de Macoris. The caves lie east of here, on the La Romana highway.
When to Go
November to April is dry season. The caves are open all year.