Rio Camuy Cave Park and Arecibo Observatory from San Juan

San Juan, Puerto Rico

A trip to Puerto Rico is not complete without descending into the depths of a million year old cave! Few cave systems in the world are as massive or dramatic as the Rio Camuy Cave Park. If that's not enough, wait until you see the Arecibo Observatory, the world's largest radar/radio telescope, nestled in the tropical mountains of northern Puerto Rico.

This tour takes you from San Juan to Northwestern Puerto Rico, part of the third largest underground river cavern system in the world. You'll enjoy a safe, guided tour of the marvels. From sinkholes and cathedral-like caverns to views of the mysterious river and its eons-old stalactites and stalagmites. Be sure to wear comfortable, non-slippery shoes! This tour also takes you to where you'll see the largest radar/radio telescope. Operated by Cornell University, the telescope probes the ionosphere, examines planets and monitors natural radio emissions from distant galaxies, pulsars and quasars.

The caves at Camuy are actually 45 million years old, but it took a few million years for nature to adorn their towering ceilings with crystalline stalactites, their walls with flowing stone tapestries and their floors with mushroom mounds of stalactites. Few cave systems in the world are as massive or dramatic as the Rio Camuy Cave Park; none have a thundering tropical river traversing countless miles of uncharted channels. Three crater-like sinkholes and one cave of the huge system in the park are open to the public and they are truly memorable experiences.

The Arecibo Observatory is nestled in the mountains of northern Puerto Rico, about 30 minutes from Arecibo and is the world's largest radar/radio telescope. Here, scientists from all over the world use a giant 1000 foot (305 meter) diameter dish to listen to the universe. You may view the huge telescope from an observation platform, where its austere metallic symmetry shimmers in dramatic contrast with the dense, green, tropical landscape.

USD $99.99

Review by: Beth K	March 2012
The Cave Park and Areceibo Observatory are both interesting and worth visiting - not top attractions for people with a short time in PR, but good sites nonetheless. Unfortunately, the day we visited the caverns, there was no electricity, so we went to Areceibo and lunch in reverse order. Our guide Roberto kept contact with the Camuy folks and learned that the power was back on by 3:30, so we got to go then. Roberto was an excellent and informative guide. We learned so much about the culture, history, politics, and economy of PR in additions to visiting the sights. He assisted us in many small ways and made the day very enjoyable. Kudos to Roberto.

Review by: Ratna G	January 2012
We had booked this trip $101 per person, thinking it covers our travel and the tickets to go to Rio Camuy Cave Park and Arecibo obsevatory._br/_ However, we were disappointed, when we had to pay for the tickets to both the places. overall we had to pay a lot per person i.e $130 per person. Not at all worthed for the huge price we had to pay. On top of that we were guided by a spanish speaking guide. Through out our trip to the caves, we had no clue what we were looking at!_br/_ Think twice before booking for this trip.

Review by: Abhishek B	December 2011
Our guide Robert from Castillo Tours was the best--knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful.

Review by: kevinpaul	October 2011
We had Tony as our driver. He was very knowledgeable and gave us some great history and stories on Puerto Rico. The cave and Arecibo were both something to see. I would highly recommend you ask for Tony.

Review by: Martin M	September 2011
Good I recommende ,

Review by: Marlo B	August 2011
I was so into taking photos at the cave that I didn't listen to the audio tour. This place is beautiful! Caution - slippery trail - listen to the tour guide. I did and still fell on my bottom. The road trip to the Arecibo Observatory was a tour within itself. You see more of the neighborhoods in PR. Again, I was more into taking pictures outside than reading facts at the various exhibits inside

Review by: David W	June 2011
You know all of those cave movies you have seen and you think "some day I will get to see something like that" ? This is that cave. You have to see it. It is amazing. The Arecibo Observatory is a hike up-hill. Be prepared. If you get car sick sit in the front seat of the tour van. Our guide was great.

Review by: JOSE S	May 2011
BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!

Review by: Joseph P	May 2011
good trip and guide was able to provide a great suggestion for some local cuisine on the way back

Review by: Eileen R	April 2011
Many thanks for another great tour. The guide was very informative without being boring. His driving skills were great and the van transport very comfortable. We really enjoyed all aspects of the tour and will continue to use Viator for any future tours while abroad.

Review by: Janice	April 2011
This is a fun and unique adventure. Be prepared for some uphill walking to the observatory.

Review by: Daniela N	February 2011
The visit to the Camuy Caves was definitely one of my highlights during the one week I spent in Puerto Rico. The location in the middle of the forest is mystical and the tour was really great, and there was plenty of time to take photos. The visit to the Arecibo Observatory was also interesting and there was sufficient time to attend a tour. _br/_ Unfortunately there was no real stop for lunch - we went from the Camuy Caves straight to Arecibo and then from there back to San Juan. It would have been better to have a 1 or 1.5 hour break somewhere in a nice restaurant, but instead we all went for a hot dog at the Observatory...

Review by: thomas a	February 2011
Had a good guide and a small group of six people. No cruise ship in town so no lines at the caves or observatory. Caves were nice, the observatory a bit dull if you had prior knowledge of the subjects and no interest in looking at the displays, joining a tour or watching the movie. Overall ok.

Review by: LINDA M	January 2011
Very interesting and Robert was great. I learned so much about Puerto Rico. He made the tours wonderful. Linda MacLeod

Review by: Gary O	January 2011
My daughter and I really enjoyed our time at both sites. The Cave system was really interesting and beautiful, the observatory was a bit lacking, i was hoping to be able to talk to folks about their current work and findings, but it was pretty much a see and go type thing...but still fun to go,

Review by: Kevin M	January 2011
This tour was very nice and pleasantly delightful.

Review by: Stephanie L	December 2010
Loved the Rio Camuy Cave Park and the Arecibo Observatory; however, too much time was spent at the observatory.

Review by: Damyron W	October 2010
The cave is a 5 star, but I found the Observatory a bit unnecessary. All in all the tour guide we had was awesome.

Review by: Frank L P	October 2010
Excellent tour would recommend it to anyone, should not be missed Our guide was informative, helpful and knew a great place too eat. Great job.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	June 2010
We enjoyed this awesome place !!!,

Review by: Shelley K, United States of America	May 2010
Great!

Review by: Hagar M	May 2010
Great!

Review by: Phil K, United States of America	April 2010
The tour guide was very nice and informative. He took us to a nice, affordable, delicious restaurant. He was very knowledgeable and told us the history of Puerto Rico.

Review by: ROBERT R	December 2009
Major rip off. I paid just to be driven around by a driver. He provided no knowledge of the sites and did not communicate the itininary plans to the group. Although, there was a disclosure that we may have to pay for enterence fees, I did not think I was just paying for the ride. Other than that, the cave was very interesting. Save your money and go on your own!

Review by: Jason R, United States of America	November 2009
Our tour guide was absolutely fantastic.

Review by: Anonymous	November 2009
The caves are pretty cool, worth a visit if you have time to spare. There wasn't a huge amount to see at the observatory but it's worth spending a short time there. Our tour guide could have been alot better. She seemed more interested in being on her phone while driving the bus for most of the trip there. The local company could have been more organised as their phone was broken so we had huge problems contacting them before the tour.

Review by: Gerald S, United States of America	October 2009
We had a wonderful day. Our driver was a gem.

Review by: Peggy W, United States of America	September 2009
Absolutely worth the time and money. The tour guide picked us up on time and was very friendly and happy to share details of the island and history of Puerto Rico. When we got to the caves, we were the last group at 9:30am due to the heavy rain scheduled to move in. Caves were beautiful, but not as large as I expected. There is very little that is open to the public. What is there though is spectacular. On to the obervatory. I really don't see why the tour guide can't drive to the top of the hill. You are let off at the bottom then walk up a hill to take 100 or so steps then climb a pretty steep paved hill to get to the entrance. Seems like they could easily take you to the top. Overall, very pleasant experience and professional guide. Thanks!

Review by: Anonymous	September 2009
Absolutely worth the time and money. The tour guide picked us up on time and was very friendly and happy to share details of the island and history of Puerto Rico. When we got to the caves, we were the last group at 9:30am due to the heavy rain scheduled to move in. Caves were beautiful, but not as large as I expected. There is very little that is open to the public. What is there though is spectacular. On to the obervatory. I really don't see why the tour guide can't drive to the top of the hill. You are let off at the bottom then walk up a hill to take 100 or so steps then climb a pretty steep paved hill to get to the entrance. Seems like they could easily take you to the top. Overall, very pleasant experience and professional guide. Thanks!

Review by: Donald H, United States of America	August 2009
We had one of the best guides that we have ever had! He was very knowledgeable about the caves and the Observatory. What added to the trip was him answering our other questions about Puerto Rico and the fun things like where to get good seafood, and other must see attractions in Puerto Rico. We went on three other trips in Puerto Rico and he was the best!

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	August 2009
We had a great time on this tour! The driver picked up our family up at our hotel and along with four other people and we were off to the caves. We paid for admission to the caves and the driver made sure that we were on an English speaking tour. We boarded a tram and descended downward to the cave entrance with beautiful vegetation and scenery on the way down. The park guide toured us through the cave. We had plenty of time to look around and stop off at the gift shop. When we were finished we met at the van. Then off to lunch at a spot that was a local favorite of the driver. I would have never known to pick this spot! We had a relaxing lunch with our party all sitting together and learned a lot about Puerto Rico from the driver. On to the Arecibo Observatory we purchased our own tickets and entered the museum area. We had plenty of time to look at the exhibits, saw a movie, and then got a closer view of the telescope. When we were finished we met back at the van and made our way home. I am glad we took the tour, I would not have wanted to drive the twisting, winding, narrow, unfamiliar roads! A nice experience!

Review by: Penny V, United States of America	July 2009
I enjoyed this tour very much. We had an excellent guide. I was a little put off at everything that we had to pay for, including the admission to both the caves and the observatory. I think the money I paid just to be transported to the sites was excessive.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	December 2007
We had the best tour guide! After our trip to the caves he took us to a really great lunch place, this restaurant has the best mafongos.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	December 2007
We cannot drive, so we looked for a tour company to take us there. After we did a lot of survey, we found this website provides the best price. As we knew, the tours to the cave park in Puerto Rico are similar, but the prices differ from company to company. Basically, the driver took us to the park and bought our tickets. The tour was guided by a ranger in cave park. Therefore, we don't think there would be a difference if you go there by yourself or with a tour company. It is a cool thing to see caves there. The trip to the observatory is also a good experience however, we hope we could have stayed longer to read through the exhibitions there. Our driver was very nice and talkative. He showed us the scenery on the way to there, told us some information about Puerto Rico and loved to answer any questions about Puerto Rico. The only thing I think can make this tour better is that the driver could have called us when he knew he would be late, since the traffic in San Juan was crowded.

Review by: Sharon F, United States of America	August 2007
This is a must-see when visiting Puerto Rico.

Review by: Huong B, United States of America	August 2007
It's definitely worth going on a tour with Viator but not particularly worthwhile going to the Arecibo Observatory. The Rio Camuy Cave is worth seeing though. The ranger who conducted the tour of the cave was very informative and knowledgeable. The van showed up at our hotel on time, and our driver was extremely friendly and did his best to make our trip enjoyable.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2007
Great trip and very efficient, but I wouldn't have minded being able to spend just a little bit more time at each site. We had a friendly driver who knew how to get things done.

Review by: Damian F, United States of America	May 2007
We had a blast. The caves were breathtaking. The tour guide was a cool guy, and he offered a lot of information about Puerto Rico along the way. The observatory was a bit boring compared to the caves. All in all, it was worth taking the trip!

Review by: Mirtha L, United States of America	December 2006
Saved us from a long drive on unfamiliar roads. The caves were astounding. I didn't know the Caribbean had caves so large.

Review by: Emmett R, United States of America	October 2006
A great trip from San Juan. The underground river caverns are good to see, we had a very enjoyable time on this.