Caverna do Maroaga

Caverna Refúgio do Maroaga - Caverna Maroaga - Gruta da Judéia

Useful Information

Location:	South of Maroaga, AM-240. (-2.0506543767569463, -59.97069807912053)
Open:	All year daily 8-15:30. [2020]
Fee:	Adults BRL 20. Minimum 5 adults, maximum 10. [2020]
Classification:	Erosional Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Caverna do Maroaga
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

The Caverna do Maroaga is one of two exceptional sandstone caves. the other one is nearby Gruta da Judéia. They are located in the Área de Proteção Ambiental (APA) Caverna do Maroaga (Cao do Maroaga Environmental Protection Area). The caves are located in a forest and reached on a 600 m long trail. A guide is mandatory because the place is within an environmental protection area. A guide can be hired at the Presidente Figueiredo Tourist Assistance Center (CTA) or at the entrance to the place. The walk to both caves and back take about two hours.

The name of the cave is actually caverna Refúgio do Maruaga. According to legend it was named after an Indian warrior from the Waimiri-Atroari tribe, who used the place as a refuge in the 1960s and 1970s. At this time Maruaga was the title given to the chiefs in the indigenous language.

The cave formed in one of the oldest geological formations on the northern flank of the Brazilian Amazon. The sandstones belong to the grupo trombetas.

The area has numerous waterfalls, many of them are on the list of tourist sites, together with the two caves. The wet season is between February and June, and at this time the waterfalls have much water. In the rest of the year they become dry and some vanish completely. The official point of view is that the wet season is the best, because Brazilians tend to bath always and everywhere. If you are interested in the caves, the dry season is probably better, because one of the waterfalls is right in front of each cave.

The second cave Gruta da Judéia is reached on a 15 minutes walk from the first. Part of the trail is under water or the trail simply uses one of the numerous brooks because there is no vegetation. Brazilians walk barefoot, fragile westerners should be careful with Leptospirosis and other diseases. Especially the water in the cave is dangerous because of the bat guano.