Four kilometers south of Venado (Spanish for ‘deer’) along a good dirt road, the caves are an adventurous excursion into an eight-chamber limestone labyrinth that extends for almost 3km. A bilingual guide leads small groups on two-hour tours through the darkness, squeezing through narrow passes, pointing out the most interesting rock formations and encountering bats and bugs.
The cavern system, composed of soft, malleable limestone, was carved over the millennia by a series of underground rivers. The caves were discovered by chance in 1945 when a farmer fell through a hole in the ground and found himself in an underground chamber surrounded by stalactites and stalagmites.
You'll be provided with rubber boots, headlamps and helmets, as well as a shower afterwards. You’ll definitely want to bring a change of clothes. There’s a small onsite soda, and a few restaurants in Venado, but no lodging.
This popular rainy-day attraction can be organized as a day trip from La Fortuna for US$50 to US$80 per person (including transportation and lunch). Alternatively, visit with your own car; the caves are well signed from Hwy 4. We don’t recommend coming by bus; the ‘early’ bus from Ciudad Quesada drops you off a steep 4km slog from the cave entrance at about 2pm, too late to make the last admission into the caves. A taxi from San Rafael de Guatuso will cost about US$30 to US$40.
