Caverna de Omia

Useful Information

Location:	Near Omia. (-6.463100, -77.391510)
Open:
Fee:
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	torch provided
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Caverna de Omia, Tel: +51-995-395-572, Tel: +51-968-409.393, WhatsApp: +51-928-031-473. 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

2011	show cave opened to the public.

Description

Caverna de Omia was named after nearby village Omia, which is also capital of the homonymous district. The show cave is located right out of town to the northeast. We have listed numerous sites in Peru, and this is the first show cave. We decided to classify it as a show cave, despite the fact, that there is no electric light and no comfortable trails. But there is the owner, César Mas Santillan, who also guides the visits. There is an entrance building, the cave is gated, visitors are equipped with lamps, and the path in the cave, though not paved, is more or less level. It has stairs and even railings. But the entrance section is quite low, the entrance door is only 1 m high, which is not really a problem, but some agility is required.

The cave has spectacular speleothems, and as always the fantasy names are far more important than their origin. Unfortunately it is quite common to touch the speleothems, and the guide shows elaborately how to do this. The Sillon Presidencial (Presidential Chair) in the Salón Dorado (Golden Hall) is a formation of two stalagmites with a smaller third one in the middle. This forms a sort of chair, and so visitors are photographed while sitting in this chair. And of course there is the obligatory cave organ, a formation with thin plates which omit different sounds when hit. Fortunately the guide only uses his fingers, not a drumstick or something similar which could damage the formation.