Hato Caves — Attraction in Curaçao

Kueba di Hato is a cave near the airport. It is interesting to see, although it is poor compared to other cave systems in other countries. With the modern advances in digital photography, the prohibition of not being allowed to take photos but from a static place and for a few seconds seems absurd. The cameras of the Galaxy 7 onwards, for example, are very capable of taking incredible photos without the need for flash.

I doubt that the place served as a refuge for escaped slaves except at the beginning perhaps, since, if that were the case, the "shones" (landowners) would have searched for them there ... I have also heard that the water that runs internally in the small waterfall, is fed by an elevated tank located a little further up the hill ...

Admission is at USD 7 unless you have booked a tour from your cruise or hotel, in which case the visit can go up to USD 40. You will visit 3 cameras and if you go with children, it will certainly be a special experience for them. You will still find remains of the art of the ancient Arawaks settlers on the site. Kueba di Hato es una cueva cercana al aeropuerto. Es interesante de ver, aunque es pobre comparada a otros sistemas de cuevas en otros países. Con los avances modernos en fotografía digital, parece absurda la prohibición de que no te dejen tomar fotos sino desde un lugar estático y por unos pocos segundos. Las cámaras de los Galaxy 7 en adelante, por ejemplo, son muy capaces de tomar tremendas fotos sin necesidad de flash.

Pongo en duda que el lugar haya servido como refugio de esclavos escapados excepto en un inicio quizás, ya que, de haber sido el caso, los “shones” (hacendados) los hubieran buscado allí… He oído, igualmente, que el agua que corre internamente en la pequeña cascada, es alimentada por una por un tanque elevado ubicado un poco más arriba en el cerro…

La entrada está en USD 7 a menos que hayas contratado un tour desde tu crucero u hotel, en cuyo caso la visita te puede salir hasta en USD 40. Visitarás 3 cámaras y si vas con niños, ciertamente será una experiencia especial para ellos. Todavía se conservan restos del arte de los antiguos pobladores Arawaks...

Hato Caves was a great first stop on our vacation, since it's a unique spot near the airport. We weren't renting a car, so we decided to walk. Their website claimed it was a 12-minute walk, which wasn't the case from the main (west) entrance, but might have been if we'd taken the other (east) entrance instead. With only backpacks and a we-walk-everywhere attitude, we thought it was doable, but we wouldn't recommend it with rolling suitcases. Once we arrived, the staff at the caves were super nice. In addition to selling us tickets for the tour, they patiently answered our questions about their hours and let us leave our luggage behind the bar during our tour, and they didn't lock up and leave until we assured them that we had a driver coming to meet us. (The bar closes when the last tour leaves at 3pm, but the staff waits until 3:30 or 4pm to lock up, so people can enjoy the grounds after their 30-40 minute cave tour.). The caves themselves were smallish but pretty, though sadly photos were only allowed in one spot (the "window chamber", with natural light from a hole in the roof). In other rooms, we enjoyed seeing the cool limestone formations, algae-stained rocks, freshwater pools, and long-nose fruit bats. We had a great guide (Daisy), who pointed out all of those features and more - like soot-stained chambers showing that escaped slaves once hid there - in Spanish, English and Dutch. At one point, he turned off the lights so we could see how pitch-black most chambers are in their natural state. After the tour, we enjoyed birdwatching on their Indian Trail (though we were apparently too distracted to see any pre-colonial artifacts). At US$10pp, it felt like a good...

You will need to drive a little bit from the ship port to get this location. We took a Celebrity ship excursion, so everything was included. Hato Caves doesn't seem like much when you arrive until you walk through the archway.

It is a small cave system, so the tour isn't long - about 20 minutes. To get to the cave, you will need to take some steep stairs. The view at the top though is worth the climb. Just be aware of this, but the cave is HOT since it is above sea level. They had plenty of fans throughout, so it wasn't too bad. The guide was wonderful as not only did you learn about the cave system, but also some of the history of the island. They do limit where and when you can take pictures. Don't be too disappointed as when you can take the photos, they are in great locations. You can check out mine to give you an example of what you will see.

Oh, if you are scared of BATS, then you may want to skip the tour. They have a colony of fruit bats that live in the cave. You can see them occasionally flying around inside. There is an Indian Trail to walk and a Cactus Garden to admire. Because we were on a tour, we didn't get the chance to see it.

They have a small shop where you can get some things like food and drink. It was a really hot day when we came, so we got some water. They have plenty of places to sit and some photo ops right near there. I was also surprised by the local wildlife. I saw several native birds and a lizard. I wish I got my phone out faster as I...