Los Tuneles

Tuneles Naturales del Guaviare

Useful Information

Location:	Reserva Túneles Naturales, San José Del Guaviare, Guaviare. From San José Del Guaviare Highway 75 south, after 2.4 km turn right, signposted. Follow the road for 10 km. Trail on the right 2 km (30 minutes) walk to the caves. (2.496572, -72.686329)
Open:	no restrictions. [2022]
Fee:	free. [2022]
Classification:	Sandstone Cave Karst Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Reserva Túneles Naturales, San José Del Guaviare, Guaviare, Tel: +57-311-2010201.
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

Los Tuneles is located on the Guiana Shield, these rocks are some of the oldest in the world. The caves are located in crystalline, metamorphic rocks which are normally not soluble. The area is grassland, which tells us that there is continually a lot of rain. And it is close to the equator, so the temperatures are quite high. Under these conditions even insoluble quartzite is dissolved, the result is so-called pseudokarst. In this case there are numerous karst features on the surface, the rocks have karren or lapies, there are almost stone forest like pinnacles.

The site is famous for its caves, which are not very large, but there is a network of interconnected horizonal tunnels. The floor is level and sandy and easy to walk on. The tunnels are high enough to walk upright. As a result the caves are very easy to visit. The caves are not stunning or huge, they are small and do not even show any speleothems, but the geology is really exceptional. These caves are unique, we actually do not know of any similar site.

The small Reserva Túneles Naturales is located 10 km southwest of San José Del Guaviare. From the small parking lot is a 2 km walk through quite exceptional rock formation, with karren and tafoni. There are numerous doline-like solutional forms in the rock surface. You can go on your own, but it is recommended to hire a guide in San José Del Guaviare. There are several other sites, natural pools, waterfalls, and gorges which are also worth a visit.

The most spectacular rock formations are called Ciudad de Piedra (Stone City). The La Lindosa mountain range starts at the caves and extend to the southwest. There is another parking lot 3.5 km down the road and another trail into the rocks. From here numerous trails through the gorges between the rock formations allow a nice one-hour walk through the formations. There are also numerous small caves.