Reserva Natural Cueva del Indio — Attraction in Arecibo

I just went to the cave today and the man there was charging 10 dollars per person which is illegal because the beach front is free to the public. This place has breathtaking views but not worth 10 dollars per person. Before the cave was free and had wooden stairs that would allow you to go down to the cave and enjoy the petroglyphs. Now he wants you to pay 10 dollars and a guide takes you through a dangerous crevice in the wall.. seriously not everyone can do that so they pay to see nothing. That's a rip off. I'm Puerto rican and have been to this cave before and nevered paid. I got to go down through the stairs and enjoyed the cave. Today I had a big verbal confrontation with the thief that is charging 10 dollars so people can go to the cave and That's an illegal business. He has friends in the government and that's why they allowing him to scam tourists. Natural resources is doing nothing to stop this illegal operation because they all benefit from it. That permit he claims he has is illegal. He was being rude to some tourists that were there before me and that's when I vocally when off on him. They truly ripping people off. And this corrupt government does nothing to stop it. And also when we got to the. Cave there were about 4 or 5 persons looking for the guide that took them down to the cave through the crevice and left them down there. One young man another tourist from Philadelphia that was there, went to tell the guy that charges that the guide left people down in the cave. And the man that charges people 10 dollars told him that the guide left and he told him to use a video so they can get them out. That's totally irresponsible. One of the young girls that this young man helped out of the cave said she would never do that again and she doesn't recommend it either. How can you just leave and leave people down in that cave and sunset was falling too. And that's what people pay 10 dollars for??? As we were leaving a guy a young man went back to help those left in the cave. That's so irresponsible from this man to leave tourist down in a cave that they have no knowledge on how to get back out. And with bad weather approaching too. As I was leaving a group of tourists stop me to thank me for confronting this rude man. Something has to be done. Sadly until someone dies, nothing will be done with this illegal operation. This man has no one sign a waiver or insurance policy in case someone gets injured or falls to their death. He will pick up and disappear. So you really taking a risk for 10 dollars. I'm Puerto rican and been to many beautiful places here including this cave. This cave is a beautiful place but also very dangerous. It has many un marked holes that if you step wrongfully you stepping to an immediate death. There are no mark trails so is hard for people to find the cave. And there are no warnings for people with health problems .No warning of the dangers of climbing this sharp volcanic rocks and the height of the cliffs. If this was a legal operation he would post all this throughout the trail ,entrance and sights of the cave. But since is illegal he doesn't care. And neither does our corrupt government. Before it was free and safer when the wooden stairs were there. As a local Puerto rican am ashamed of what's happening there. After arguing with the guy we drove a minute down the road parked on the side of the road and went to the caves. Is a longer route to climb but has breathtaking views and there's a beach there too for the enjoyment of people. Once you're on the cliffs and cave area he can't tell you anything because of his illegal operation. I recommend people to do their homework before paying 10 dollars and if you have any physical or health issues don't do it. If you're scare of heights definitely is a no, no. As a Puerto rican who loves her island and cares about people. Go see the 7 arches and if you can make it to the cave you won't be able to see anything. Unless you go through a crevice in the wall. Stay safe and enjoy. But don't pay to see this...

What it’s really like in summer 2024

Here is the scoop. Some of these reviews are quite old, so I wanted to offer an update on the entrance fee and the parking, etc. There is a parking lot, which you can pull into, but then they have everything roped off so that you cannot access the cave from the parking lot without first being funneled into a ticketing area. The ticketing man has a big brochure with lots of photos, and he is charging $10 a person, not $10 a car, to go visit the cave and the arches. I don’t know if you would be able to access it in the evening (note that they close at 5 PM) and perhaps park your car somewhere and then climb under a rope, without paying the fee, but during the day you absolutely have to pay this fee. There is also a way to access the cave if you walk up from the beach. But if you are parking in the parking lot right next to the cave, you pay $10 per person. On another forum, they mentioned that there were a lot of break-ins lately in some of the cars near the beach, so it may be worth it to park in the lot which is monitored and pay the $10 cash each to access the caves and arches.

I will note that the man who was handing out the brochures and taking the ticket money spent about 20 minutes telling the couple before before us all about the cave, and then when we asked him the same information, he just gave us one sentence and told us to watch out for holes. So don’t know what was happening there. Perhaps he was just tired of giving out info!

The cave itself is wonderful. Some other outdated information notes that there is a ladder that you can use to access the interior of the cave, but that is no longer in place. In order to access the interior of the cave, you need to crawl through a very narrow passageway; those who are claustrophobic would not be able to do so! And then go down into the cave. We saw a few folks doing it, but most people did not. It is delightful to climb around on top of the cave and all around the cave. Some people talked about swimming in the cave and looking at the drawings in the cave, but if the only way to access it now is through that small crack in the wall, it’s going to be difficult for most people.

Our “ticket-guy” told us that he preferred the arches to the cave, and in some ways he is correct as the view is quite dramatic (It’s actually quite dramatic everywhere in this area, the views are just really beautiful). But in terms of drama, the arches are a little more impressive. To access the arches, you need to walk on a path through some bushes. It’s a bit hard to find, but if there are other people there, you can hear them on the other side. There are only so many small little footpaths, so if you turn down the wrong one, simply turn around and try another one. It’s not like it’s a massive maze with lots of little footpaths. You will find the arches if you keep looking.

Safety note: when you are visiting the Cave, look out for big holes. These are large enough to fall through and could be very dangerous!

Overall, a great stop on our journey from the east to the west, that allowed for some dramatic...

DON’T PAY $10/PERSON! IT’S FREE. Wear your shoes too 👟🥾

Drive forward a bit and find the sign in my picture. It’s free parking, free entrance. Parking is limited but I think there’s always a spot. Worse case, you spend $5 parking FOR THE WHOLE GROUP. Save the $$ for foods & drinks my friends.

⛰️ How to see everything (50 mins-1 hour) Then walk 2 minutes in the small pathway & you’ll see the pretty beach. If you want to see the cave, climb up the rock mountain on your left (see pics 4&5). See more beautiful cave: keep climbing up the mountain, then walk the small pathway with trees & leaf for 2 minutes. You’ll see a cool little outlook in pics 7. Keep going for 2 minutes on the road & rock to see another beautiful cabe in pic 8. You can see a bit of Indian marks on the rock too. (use your ohone to better see it) Then if you still have stamina, walk down the rock mountain & you’ll see my last pic. Also cool but not as cool as the other 2, so it’s your call. I stopped here, but my boyfriend keep going to the end & he saw the India mark more clearly, but it’ll be more dangerous so be careful. To exit, you can climb your way back OR take the shortcut to the main road. To do that, go down the rocky way, there’s a small road - one will get you back to that $10 rude guy, so don’t. The other will lead to a very grassy area. We turned on Google Map and walk our way to the main road direction. There’s no road and the grass is as tall as your hips - then you climb the fence to the road & walk back to your call. I think it’s better than climbing the rock back, but again, your call.

Hope this...