Being our first time in a cave, we were astounded. The cave was massive with huge galleries interconnected by narrow passages. It was completely dark with only the lanterns of the guides leading the way. The first chamber of the cave is home to the very interesting Guacharo who is very unique in behavior and features. This large bird has a wingspan of over a meter, a curved beak and long whiskers. They are nocturnal and only leave the cave at night in search for fruit. Guacharos use a bat-like echo-location system in order to maneuver. The strange shrieking noise of the birds (Alfred Hitchcock actually sent a team to Venezuela to capture the sounds of the Guacharos for “The Birds”) fills the first chamber and it is somewhat of a relief when you pass through the narrow passage into the second chamber known as El Silencio due to the absence of the loud birds. Although the birds got the cave named after them, it is also home to spiders, crabs, fish, frogs bats and some very bold rats who don’t mind chowing down on a tasty meal of dead Guacharo right in front of you. The cave is filled with amazing rock formations of which a few actually do resemble the names which have been given to them (the leaning tower of Pisa, the Piano, Moses etc.). Although we are certainly not experts in stalactites and stalagmites we thoroughly enjoyed this visit to the cave.

The only negative thing about the experience was the mass number of tourists that we had to share the cave with. There were only a few places along the way where we did not have groups in front and behind us. Despite this fact, the cave still maintained its majesty and was well worth the visit. If you are planning on a trip to the Cave of the Guacharos wear long pants and non-slippery sneakers/shoes as trampling through the bird and bat dropping can get VERY dirty and slippery. We did see one local manage the trip in heals but we imagine that she was fairly covered in guano by the time she emerged.

At the entrance/exit of the cave there is a small stream and some running taps that you can use to attempt to clean the droppings off of your shoes. Our hand sanitizer definitely came in handy.

Just across the road from the cave and about a 20 minute hike along a marked trail there is a beautiful high waterfall (La Paila) that is well worth the walk.

See all of our photos of Guacharo Cave