Puerto Rico is an island with many different faces. It is both urban and country, modern and historical, laid-back and hurried, built-up and natural. If you visit Arecibo and La Cueva del Indio (Cave of the Indian), you will see it all – modern, country, nature and history – all in one day. To get there, you take Highway 22, past the Barceloneta Outlet mall. From this modern highway, turn onto some country roads and see rural Puerto Rico along the northern coast. At the caves, you will be transported back in time. The Taino Indians held tribal meetings in this area and made numerous carvings in the walls of these natural limestone caves. The petroglyphs are said to have been made during ceremonial activities. These petroglyphs pre-date Columbus’ arrival to Puerto Rico in 1493, and were probably made many centuries earlier.

Here was our trip: We pulled in at the sign on the side of the road that says El Coayuco "Cueva del Indio", and paid $2.00 to park on some guy’s lawn (His name was Richard, but he has since died). Currently they have added a little bar, with bathrooms and more parking. The owner will tell you about the place and how to get there, and will offer to walk us down to the petroglyphs and show us where they were (a “donation” is welcome for tours). We thought going with someone who knew how and where to go made the experience better, since he knew the easiest and “safest” ways to go. Richard walked us along the rocks to the cave, where he pointed out the carvings and explained the why, when and how the Tainos made them. This cave is open to the sky, so you can see into it. Every once in a while, someone from PR Department of Natural Resources comes out to clean off the rocks and outline the carvings, so they are easier to see. When we went they were visible, just not as clear as possible.

It is a bit treacherous. To get to the caves, you need to walk across exposed limestone, which is sharp – take care not to fall! You should wear sturdy shoes – sneakers or something – not flip-flops or high heels. You will be looking over a ledge, down about 25 feet into the cave – be mindful of your footing. If you are agile and want to, you can use the rickety ladder to go down into the cave.

La Cueva del Indio is said to contain the largest number of petroglyphs found along the coastal zone. In 1992, the Planning Board of Puerto Rico designated Cueva del Indio as a Natural Reserve. Since then, the cave is managed by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER). They try to maintain it for conservation purposes. Unfortunately, there has been some vandalism of these beautiful historical carvings. "Rafe" decided he needed to make his mark here along with the Taino carvings. But, thankfully, even after all these years, the petroglyphs had withstood the natural and human forces, and are still around today for us to enjoy.

You can also walk all around on the rocks to see the views and watch the beautiful Atlantic waves crash on the beaches. There are just wonderful views in this area. There are huge cliffs, arches, caves and even a natural bridge. There were big waves that day, so it was just beautiful.

I had read in a few travel books and have been told by locals about how the area is not really "safe" and that your car may be broken into if you park on the road. Having read this, we were a little unsure of going. But we felt totally comfortable parking at this residence/El Coayuco snack bar, and especially having a local go with us. If we go again, we would definitely pay the money to park at this area. But if you talk with the gas station owner, he may be willing to will watch your car if you park there. There are bathrooms at the El Coayuco bar and at the gas station across the street.

There is no "admission" price per se. This is not a "park" or anything like that. It’s just a cave on the edge of the sea. If you want to park in this El Coayuco area, or access the area by crossing this property, the owners will charge you $2.00 to park, or 50¢ per person to walk in.

Since it’s not a formal "park", there are no set hours that it’s open. I’d suggest going during daylight hours, otherwise you won’t be able to see anything!

Allow about 30 minutes to see the cave, petroglyphs and surrounding areas.

Take Route 22 and exit at Route 10 North (toward the ocean). Turn left, and then a quick right to get onto Road 681 (you’ll see signs for 681). Follow Road 681 until KM 7.8 or so. There is a sign on the left in the wooded area that says caves or Cueva del Indio and El Coayuco. Pull into the dirt driveway and park. At the bar, someone will come out to take your $2.00.

Travel time from the San Juan area is about 90 minutes one way.