The first ancient petroglyphs (rock carvings) found on the archipelago were discovered at this site in 1752. A 300m trail that winds around various cave dwellings (complete with sound effects!) once inhabited by Benahoare tribespeople is the heart of this ‘ecological park’, but the real attractions are the whorling, sworling, squiggling rock etchings, which date back to AD 150. There’s also a museum with reproductions and information regarding the history of the discovery.
There are four sets of engravings, and experts remain perplexed about their meaning, though they speculate that the etchings could have been religious symbols.
Bus 3 from Santa Cruz heads down this way four times daily (except weekends; €2, 25 minutes). The nearest bus stop is about 400m south of the Belmaco archaeological site.
