We like to discover and write about little-known places to visit and things to do here in Puerto Rico. Cueva Ventana is one of those places. There was not a lot of information available about it, though once we figured it out, it was very easy to get to. And the view is fantastic!

I end up doing a bunch of research when searching for some of the more unusual things to do around the island. Some places are more difficult to find information about than others. I’m usually able to find bits and pieces of information scattered across many different sources. Only once I put the whole puzzle together are we able to actually figure out how to find the place we’re looking for.

Finding Cueva Ventana was like that. It seems to be one of those secret places that only locals and tour guides know about. And now I will tell everyone about the local secret. I thought this was a really cool place! Cueva Ventana translates into Window Cave, and one look at the photo explains why they call it that.

Cueva Ventana is located in Arecibo, close to the Arecibo/Utuado border, just off of Route 10. It is amazingly easy to get to once you know how. Actually, there are 2 caves here that one can enter — and they are right next to each other.

We went recently with my brother John and his wife Chris. It was a fun trip.

Trip Preparation

First off, we knew we needed to do some planning. Flashlights or headlamps are a must. Even though both caves are open on both ends, the middle is dark (especially Cueva Ventana). The hike to the mouths of the caves is about 10-15 minutes, mostly up-hill and partly in full sun — so bottles of water for everyone is a must. The caves are inhabited by bats, so there is a lot of guano dripping inside the cave — so antibacterial wipes are also good to have, to wipe your hands when you are done! Because the caves are in the karst region of the island, the cave floors are wet and slippery from the water leaching through the limestone — so shoes with some good grip are required. Once we had all that stuff, we were ready to go.

The Trip

The path leading to the caves is located on Route 10 at KM 75, right next to a Texaco gas station. We chose a parking spot on the side of the Texaco. To the right of the Texaco, there’s a dirt/rock path that leads up-hill. The trail leading to the caves has a chain across it to keep motorized vehicles off of the path. We took that trail up to the right. Beyond the chain, the path will divide 2 times — we kept to the right the first time and to the left the second time.

As we continued following the trail, we eventually noticed a large tree on the left whose roots are going down into a cave opening. We entered the cave through this back entrance, but it is more difficult than using the main entrance. I REALLY suggest by-passing this entrance and following the trail. The trail will curve around and it will end up at the openings to two caves. We went into both.

Cueva Ventana is the cave on the left, with the concrete steps going down into it. This cave has a bunch of very pretty formations — stalagmites and stalactites. It has a number of smaller caves, tunnels and hiding spots. It also has bats! But the goal is the window. We kept going through — and then we saw the light at the end. What a great view! We went out as far as we felt comfortable. One must be careful, it is a long way down and there is nothing to stop you from falling (except your own common sense to stay away from the edge). There is such a magnificent view of the green fields and river below.

The cave on the right is smaller and shorter. There is a large cavern inside, but to get down into it, we had to climb down a pretty slippery path. Be careful. We actually went in the back entrance (by the tree with the roots) which required some scaling down a 8-foot wall, just holding onto some tree roots. Chris thought is was really kinda scary! It was also a neat cave, but Chris was not pleased with the slippery path. One must use their best judgement when visiting these caves.

Since both caves are open on both ends, they were the warmest and windiest caves I have ever been in. And they didn’t smell bad either (considering the number of bats living there)! I found this to be an easy (and free) place to go and see caves. Since this place is located up in the mountains, unlike the underground Camuy Rio Caves that close if there is rain (since it floods), I bet this place would stay high and dry. One can visit both this cave and Camuy Rio Caves in the same day if they wanted since they are located in the same general area.

I have to say, the whole place (trails and caves) were really pretty clean. There was some graffiti and even some fake Taino petroglyphs, that are pretty recent, inside the caves. But all in all, very nice. I was amazed that no one charges for this since it seems pretty popular. Someone maintains the paths and must own the land. So thank you to the owner- (I assume walking on the property is ok, but I really don’t know!) And, please everyone, keep it clean and don’t abuse this beautiful place.

Stuff You Need to Know

I think this adventure requires a moderate fitness level, due to the walk up and the slippery footings in the cave. One must have a decent flashlight or headlamp — the inside of Cueva Ventana is pitch black. The ground was dirt and relatively flat, but getting down into the caves was a bit tricky.

Get there early. We arrived at 9:30am and we were alone for a while, and then the tours started showing up. When we drove back past the Texaco station 4 hours later, it was packed with cars and 2 large tour buses. It seemed to be mostly locals visiting, so if one goes during the week, I bet there will be many less people at almost any time of the day.

But one really good reason to go on a weekend is one can go about 10 minutes down the road and enjoy an afternoon at Lago dos Bocas. This lake offers a boat trip and restaurants, which we did and it turned out to be a great day.

Oh, and if you’re into geocaching — there is one inside Cueva Ventana!

From the San Juan area, take Route 22 West to Route 10 South (exit 75B). Take Route 10 to KM75. There is a Texaco gas station on the east side of the road. The trail head is to the right (south) of the Texaco station. Nice and easy to find!

Travel time from Rio Grande on a Sunday morning was about 1.5 hours.

If you have a GPS unit handy, here are some coordinates that will help you out

Cueva Ventana Parking on Route 10: (18.374716, -66.692229)
Back Entrance to Top Cave: (18.371177, -66.692249)
Main Entrance to Top Cave & Steps Leading Down to Cueva Ventana: (18.371535, -66.691550)

You can locate Cueva Ventana on our Interactive Island Map