Cueva de la Lechazas

This cave lies in a chain of mountains near the town of Tingo Maria. The mountains are known as La Bella Durmiente or Sleeping Beauty, because it seems to be the profile of a beautiful young woman laying on her back. The cave is located at the end of a narrow ravine, where a stream flows creating small beaches and ponds surrounded by an exotic vegetation. The cave is described as gigantic with fours chambers, up to 40 m high and some massive speleothems, and it is a visit to remember. In one of the pools, there is a natural formation in the shape of a beautiful woman. There is a legend associated with this cave dedicated to Diosa del Agua [The God of Water]. The cave is well known for its Histoplasmosis, but they do not tell you this on the guided tours. The cave is home to a large colony of birds which known as the guacharos or santanas, which look like owls. Swallows, parrots and bats also inhabit the cave.

Text by Tony Oldham (2002). With kind permission.