"El Guácharo" Cave

Venezuela, Venezuela

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El Guácharo (Cueva del Guácharo) is a large limestone cave in eastern Venezuela known for housing thousands of nocturnal oilbirds (guácharos) that nest inside and fly out at dusk to feed on fruit, giving the cave its name.

The cavern—over 10 km long with vast chambers, stalactites and underground streams—was Venezuela’s first natural monument (declared 1949) and later became the center of a national park protecting surrounding cloud forest and diverse wildlife. Inside the cave the temperature stays cool (around 19 °C) with very high humidity, and visitors are usually limited to the entrance sections and guided trails while deeper galleries remain restricted to protect the bird colonies and fragile formations.

The park around the cave supports rich biodiversity, including many bird species, mammals like ocelots and anteaters, and threatened species such as the Orinoco crocodile in nearby waterways. Many tour descriptions note a strong, distinctive cave smell from the bird colony, slippery paths, and highlights like large named chambers (for example the Humboldt Hall), with visitor tours typically lasting about an hour.