Caverna Olla Quemada

Burnt Pot Cave


Useful Information

Location: At the Savegre river, San José province, Central C.R., close to the Pacific shoreline. South of the small town of Piedras Blancas de Brujo.
(9.481968, -83.934114)
Open:
Fee:
Classification: SpeleologyKarst Cave
Light: bring torch
Dimension: L=346 m, VR=57 m.
Guided tours:
Photography: allowed
Accessibility: no
Bibliography: Andrés Ulloa, Carlos Goicoechea (2013): Geotourism potential of underground sites in Costa Rica, Tourism and Karst Areas. 6. 43-56. ReasearchGate
Address: Q Tuanis Aventurarse CR, Cell: +506-8930-7356. E-mail: E-mail:
Tico Trekking, Quepos, Puerto Quepos, Costa Rica, Tel: +506-7035-2874, Cell: +506-858-63934. E-mail:
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

1985 discovered by locals.
12-SEP-1987 re-discovered and explored by some members of the Costa Rican Speleological Association (AEC).
2009 visited by Keith Christenson of the NSS.
2010 surveyed by GEA.

Description

Caverna Olla Quemada (Burnt Pot Cave) is a wild cave which is used for cave trekking tours by locals. The tour follows the main passage and does not include vertical sections. While the tour is not very difficult, it is rather strenuous to reach the cave. It is located in the middle of the forest and is reached by a walk or on horses. From the nearby village a steep trail leads uphill to the cave entrance.

The cave has little formations, except in the Hall of Columns. But it shows a wealth of cave animals, including bats which produced a lot of guano. There are also many insects like spiders and crickets.

The cave is one stop on a three-day hike called Sukia Route, named after the legendary shaman or sorcerer in the region of Santa María de Dota, who took care of the mountains.