La Gruta Del Duende

The Goblin's Grotto

Useful Information

Location:	175 km from the center of Puebla. (20.009119, -97.512883)
Open:	All year Mon 9-15, Tue-Fri 9-18, Sat 9-19, Sun 9-14. [2022]
Fee:	Recorrido Opción 1: Adults MXP 250. Recorrido 3 km: Adults MXP 350. Rappel + Recorrido: Adults MXP 500. Paquete Nisse: Adults MXP 700. [2022]
Classification:	Karst cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	L=2,800 m, VR=128 m.
Guided tours:	Paquete Nisse: D=6 h.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	La Gruta Del Duende, Cuetzalan del Progreso, Puebla, Tel: +52-221-363-5922. 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

Description

La Gruta Del Duende (The Goblin's Grotto) is sometimes called a nature reserve, sometimes a holiday park, and sometimes a show cave. Actually it's something inbetween. There is an impressive piece of karst which is quite exceptional for its weird limestone pavement. It's not yet a stone forest, but it's not your typical limestone pavement, the karren and widened cracks form gorges, the rocks are separated by meters of gaps. The result is quite impressive, and it is easy to understand why the locals thought there was a goblin. There is even a statue of a cartoon goblin, sculpted from a limestone rock.

Most visitors are not aware about the exceptional limestone landscape, except probably from the aesthetic view. The visitors come to this place for cave trekking tours. The Gruta Del Duende offers a sort of cave trekking with treasure hunt. Participants get a map of the cave with nine stations, and they have to check them all. In each of them they will find different objects that Naui, the guardian of the grotto, has lost. Also, they have to solve a series of riddles. It's a bit like an escape room. And all while you are in a cave without light, which requires two abseils and some climbing. At the end of the tour, the participant who has solved the most riddles will be the one chosen by Naui to go in search of the hidden treasure. He will discover the deepest secrets that the grotto holds.

This is definitely not a show cave, but at least it is less difficult than others. There is actually some development, there is a staircase from the surface into the level of the cave passages, so it is not mandatory to abseil. There seem to be different tours, but they change frequently and you will have to check their website for recent offers. The Paquete Nisse for example includes the abseil down Claraboya Xalostok shaft into the cave, Then a river passage and finally a dry passage is visited. At the end the group walks 2 km to the Las Brisas Waterfall for a swim.