Snorkling is very popular on Bonaire and did you know that it is also possible to snorkle in a cave? Bonaire has hundreds of caves, many small ones and also some very large ones. Most caves on Bonaire are formed through the years when soft limestone dissolves during rainfall and water hollows out the rocks more and more. Some of the caves have large chambers where it’s easy to stand and walk and there are chambers where drops of water fall down from on the ceiling and form the hanging stalactites and standing stalagmites. The bigger caves vary in depth and shape and there are ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ caves, those wet caves always have water in them, this is used by a variety of animals and there are even special species of animals like blind shrimp. In one of those wet caves you can make a nice snorkle!
Goat herders used some of the caves to stall their goats overnight so they wouldn’t walk away and some caves were ‘mined’ for guano, the bat poo. The main function of the cave system is to provide a place to live and breed for different species of animals like bats. These bats are very important for Bonaire, they pollinate a variety of trees and plants on the island which in turn provide food and a place to live for other animals. Bats also reduce the amount of mosquitos and there is even a bat species that eats fish!
Most caves on Bonaire are free to visit, although to be sure that you will find them, have a save descend, see all the interesting features of the cave and finally find your way out is recommended to visit the caves with a specialized guide. This guide tells you everything about the importance of the caves on Bonaire, the animals you can find and other details. Most guides have had a special training to take you through the caves and have all needed equipment like ropes, rope ladders, lights and more. Most trained guides on Bonaire have the same rates to visit the two big caves, this takes about 3 to 4 hours. One of those experienced and trained guides is Cave Tours Bonaire.
