Cueva Clara de Empalme

Cueva Clara - Cueva de Empalme - Cueva de Camuy

Useful Information

Location:	Km 19.0, PR-129, Lares, 00669. Northwestern Puerto Rico, 2 hours west of San Juan, near Lares, on Route 129, km 9.8. (18.345178, -66.819831)
Open:	All year Wed-Sun, Hol 9-17. [2022]
Fee:	Adults USD 18, Children (4-12) USD 13, Children (0-3) free, Seniors (65+) USD 9. Cars USD 4, Buses USD 5, Bikes USD 2. [2022]
Classification:	Karst cave River cave
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	L=1,000 m, D=90 min, Max=30. V=140,000/a [2000] V=150,000/a [2009]
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	partly
Bibliography:
Address:	Parque Las Cavernas del Río Camuy, Km 19.0, PR-129, Lares, 00669, Tel: +1-787-898-8508. E-mail: Administración de Terrenos, PO Box 3767, San Juan, Tel: +1-787-898-3100, Tel: +1-787-898-3136.
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

1986	beginning of development as a show cave.
JAN-2008	a visitor died from falling rock, Clara Cave closed to the public.
JAN-2009	Clara Cave reopened.
OCT-2017	closed due to Hurricane Maria.
24-MAR-2021	park re-opened.

Description

photography — Entrance to Cueva Clara, as seen from inside, Rio Camuy, Puerto Rico. Public Domain.

Cueva Clara de Empalme or often simply called Cueva Clara is the main show cave at the Parque Las Cavernas del Rio Camuy. Actually it is not an independent cave, but a single chamber of this cave system, which is developed for the public. This is the only show cave tour at the park, but there are other tours like self-guided walks to the sinkholes. The so-called Spanish Tour also uses this part of the cave. The tour starts with a short movie about the cave and cave security, followed by a tram or trolley ride into the entrance of the cave. The huge chamber is 210 m in length and 65 m high. Visitors get audioguides in English and Español - Spanish .

The cave is entered through the main chamber Cueva Clara. Then the trail follows a passage which is up to 50 m high and 60 m wide. A huge karstfenster is a result of a partly collapse of the ceiling, on sunny days the sun rays shine into the cave. Another sight is the largest stalagmite of Puerto Rico. Finally, you reach Sumidero de Empalme (Empalme Sinkhole), a 135 m deep collapse doline.

The cave tour was closed for more than a year during 2008, because of an accident. A rockfall from the face of the cliff above the huge portal hit a visitor and killed her. As a result the cave was closed immediately and then the cliff face was secured. As this is the main tour, the only attractions which remained where the sinkholes. This caused annoyance among visitors, as there was no possibility to visit a cave. However, the cliff is secure now and the cave was reopened.

But in 2017 Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico quite hard. This time the whole park was closed for four years. It seems there were numerous changes applied during this renovations. Beneath the installation of zip lines and similar stuff, it seems the trolley ride to the cave entrance is now only for elderly and disabled. Normal visitors have to walk 1.5 km from the visitor center to the cave entrance. The following description is from before the hurricane, we are not sure how much was changed,

Cueva Clara is very popular, and it is quite tricky to visit the cave, so some explanation seems necessary. The park collects a parking fee, the ticket has a number which is required to purchase the cave ticket. After parking go to the Boleteria (Ticketing Center) with the parking ticket and buy your tickets. They are selling tickets with waiting numbers, and the numbers are called by loudspeaker. They will call number ranges, and you have to check if your number is in the range. What makes the system tricky, is that they sometimes reset the numbers, so they are not necessarily increasing. To avoid a long wait you should arrive before 10.