El Nicho Waterfall & Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Reserva Ecológica Pico San Juan, El Nicho. 800 m walk on trail from Parking El Nicho. (22.0234642, -80.1334192)
Open:	no restrictions. [2023]
Fee:	free. [2023]
Classification:	Karst cave Tufa Deposits
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	El Nicho Waterfall & Cave, Reserva Ecológica Pico San Juan, El Nicho.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

El Nicho Waterfall & Cave is a short walk which starts at Parking El Nicho and leads to bathing lakes and waterfalls. The trail ends at the El Nicho Cave, which is an easy to visit semi-wild cave. The cave is level and has no difficulties, nevertheless good walking shoes and a lamp are required. The cave has a huge entrance chamber with typically dry rimstone pools.

The waterfalls are also quite interesting, because of the high amount of dissolved limestone in the water they show quite impressive tufa formations. The limestone precipitates when the carbon dioxide leaves the water due to higher temperature, high surface area of the droplets in the waterfall, and plants which consume the carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. The results are limestone crusts, which cover the moss and lichen, and when they are covered they die and decompose. The result is sweet-water limestone with a very high porosity which is called tufa.