In it is one of the most spectacular caves in the world due to its length and dimensions, which has a large number of salons. Hear the squawking of approximately 10,000 guácharos that live in the limestone rocks that at nightfall leave the cave in search of food.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Historical review
The economic growth of the eastern region, among whose most important manifestations stand out: the expansion of agricultural activity, the improvement of the road network and the considerable increase in tourism, caused a series of pressures and impacts on the natural environment, which affected in the area of Caripe and in the Cueva del Guacharo and its area of influence.
The aforementioned, the conviction that the area deserved a protection regime of greater scope than that offered by the Alejandro de Humboldt Natural Monument (Cueva del Guácharo) and the need to ensure the dynamism of the geological and biological processes that take place in the cave, encouraged the Ad-Honorem Commission for the Cueva del Guácharo (created in 1966) to propose, with the support of the Municipal Council of Caripe, the creation of El Guacharo National Park, a proposal that was very well received by the National Executive .
The Park was created by Decree No. 943 dated May 27, 1975, comprising an approximate area of 15,500 hectares of mountainous land located in the jurisdiction of the Acosta and Caripe Districts of the Monagas and Ribero State of Sucre State.
The transcendence of the official measure was reflected in the recitals of the Decree: That the mountainous massif of interest, besides being the birthplace of rivers vital for the development of the populations located in its vicinity, contains a valuable scenic resource and constitutes a important recreational factor for the population. That in addition the portion denominated like hill of the Cave or the Mountain has special significance since under it the Alejandro de Humboldt Natural Monument (Cueva del Guácharo) extends, requiring such fact that said mountainous area is protected in an integral way, since it would protect this natural wonder, the pride of Venezuelans.
Decrees
| Reason | No. and Date | |||||
| Creation: | 943 dated 05/27/1975 / GO 30.704 dated 05/28/1975. | to download | ||||
| Extension: | 639 dated 07/12/1989 / GO 4.158 dated 1/25/1990. | to download |
Altimetry
900-1,400
Weather
Temperate, tropical height.
Temperature
16º C – 24º C
Precipitation (mm)
1,200 mm – 1,400 mm.
state
Monagas and Sucre
| State | Superfice (Ha) | % | ||||
| Monagas | 16,194 | 26 | ||||
| Sucre | 46,506 | 74 | ||||
| Total Area (Ha) | 62,700 |
Public consultation
Yes
Date of the t
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
Geological and Geomorphological Information
Geomorphologically the landscape of the area is mountainous, its origin goes back to Tertiary uprisings. The predominant rocks belong to the Cretaceous, mostly fossiliferous limestones, which include sandstone lenses and shales of different thicknesses. Rocky outcrops and shallow soils abound. It is located in the Massif of Caripe formed by limestone rocks subjected to the erosive action of groundwater, originating a series of karst landscapes of caverns, sinkholes and other forms characteristic of this landscape. As a source of water, it is very important and from here rivers like the Cariaco, the Guarapiche, the Caripe and the Quebrada de Cerro Negro that passes in front of the cave are born. Water courses are born as the Carinicuao River that supplies the underground aqueduct of the island of Margarita.
Vegetation
The topography of the park allows the formation of a varied and rich vegetation. In the lower part premontane wet forest predominates. Between 500-800 and 1,200 meters above sea level, a vegetation of semi-deciduous forests grows, the tree ferns abound, and species such as the Copey Clusia sp., The maximum Ficus alder and the mountain manzanita Picramnia pentandra stand out.
Flora
There are several endemic species of the Turimiqere massif that are found in this park, among others: anthurium caripensi- araceae, Centropogon monagensis-camapanulaceae, and the species Neea amplifolia- Nyctginaceae, which constitutes a new report for Venezuela.
Fauna
The fauna of the park is diverse, among the mammals are the monkey araguato Alouatta seniculus, the capuchin monkey Cebus nigrivittatus, the baquiro Taytau Tajacu, the tiger or jaguar Panthera Onca, puma or American lion Felis concolor tigrillo Leopardus wiedii, water dogPteronura brasiliensis.
THE GUACHARO
It is the inhabitant par excellence of the Cave. Besides living in Venezuela, it is found in other countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
They are troglophilous beings, that is to say, they live and reproduce in caves, but they can also live outdoors as long as the environment is dark, protected and humid.
WEATHER CONDITIONS
The Caves of the Guácharo are conformed by atmospheres: zone of penumbra, is located from the entrance until penetrates the natural light; intermediate zone, area of total darkness in which the temperature and humidity vary according to the external environment; deep zone, with constant temperature and humidity.
The temperature is constant and is usually located at 19 degrees Celsius in the penumbra area and in the middle. The relative humidity shows few variations and the average is 100%. The wind speed at the entrance of the cave, El Paso del Silencio and El Viento is between 1 and 6 kilometers per hour.
TOURIST ROUTE
The Cueva del Guácharo has a road for tourists of 1,500 meters in length. The route begins at a mouth 23 meters high by 28 meters wide that is located on the south wall of the hill.
HALL OF HUMBOLDT.
It has 759 meters in length. From the roof of this part fall large stalactites that have been baptized by their visitors with different names according to their forms.
At 180 meters of the route is the First Pedregal, a mass of blocks that partially obstructs the gallery. The second Pedregal is found after the formation called Las Patas del Elefante. In this area there is a stalagmite of great proportions called El Castillo. It is followed by the Third Pedregal, in which the road is divided into two: the one that goes east (Los Monjes, Las Velas del Calvario and El Mataquero) and the one that takes visitors to Paso del Silencio.
GALLERY OF SILENCE.
It is formed by a wide crack in the right part of the Humboldt Hall. Its name is due to the arrangement of stones on both sides of the gallery that creates an obstruction of the sound waves. In this area you can not hear the flapping of the guácharos, only the faint sound of a nearby stream.
GALLERY OF THE RIVER.
This gallery has clayey walls and the roof is covered by crystalline stalactites and stalagmite mantles. On the side of the road, which is crossed by the river, you can see characteristic fish from the cave.
BEAUTIFUL ROOM.
It has three vaults in the shape of the leaves of a clover. Each one has a special name and characteristics: Rolando, named after the general of the same name who hid there in the early 1900s; Hall of the Bells, so named because the curtains that when beaten gently produce a sound similar to that of the bells; and finally, there is the Dog Room.
If the tourist continues on the road you will find bright stalactites of various shades that can be seen on the roof of the Sublime Hall; and finally the natural formations that resemble female breasts in the Room of the Breasts.
LOCATION
Schedule
They are not established.
Location from the Nearest City
The El Guácharo National Park is located at the eastern end of the Serranía del Turimiquire, occupying part of the municipalities of Caripe, Acosta, Piar and Bolívar of the Monagas and Rivero State of Sucre State.
How to get
By land through the Caracas-Barcelona-Maturín-Caripe and Cumaná-Caripe routes. By air to the airports of Cumaná or Maturín.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations for the Visitor
Use the established routes, respect the signs, follow the suggestions of the park rangers.
Forbidden activities
Hunting, lighting fires, extracting species of flora and fauna, consuming alcoholic beverages, taking photographs and filming for commercial purposes without proper permission, throwing or abandoning waste and solid waste product of their activities.
Permissions
To camp you must request permission to Inparques.