Quadirikiri Cave

Aruba’s terrain is significantly different from other islands to the north in the Caribbean Sea; it is largely desert and parts of it are supported by a limestone base. Limestone is also what forms Aruba’s Quadiriki Caves, located in Arikok National Park, just inland from the east coast in the southern third of the Dutch-owned island.

The Quadiriki Caves makes for excellent spelunking for people who are uncomfortable in enclosed spaces. Two of the three main caves are very long, spacious, and fairly well lit due to holes in the limestone canopy above. The third is a more typically scary” cave, dark, damp and with copious bats. The gallery of stalactites and stalagmites is impressive.

The name Quadiriki is Arawak in original; all of these caves contain examples of Amer-Indian petroglyphs. Their stories are accordingly spun of native legend. Tour the caves and see if you feel the mystery of the ages; what might have escaped through those natural holes in the limestone ceiling?