Trip to Crystal Cave in Ecuador

Trip to Crystal Cave Completed

We are back from the cave.  Very hard journey.  Took three hours or a more walking up and down mud road into mountains.  Got there as muddy as could be.  I would suggest that you take mule as roads are knee deep in mud.  Very hard to walk in.

We finally got to cave site late in evening.  Our guide is Jorge Zambrano who speaks English very well. He is friends with the people who own the land the cave is on.  The owners have turned other people away from viewing the cave, but since they know Jorge they allowed us in and treated us very nicely. 

We had to spend the night at the cave site as we arrived too late to make the trip back before dark. I suggest starting no later than eight in the morning if you wish to make it out by dark.  Bring food and lots of water as you will not want to drink out of the creek.  

One must be prepared to be wet and dirty as it rained all day we were there and again all night long when we were there.  You on the other-hand, could wait to the dry season begins in April or so.  Try to make it out from the site on the same day you arrive as there is no water, electricity, or bathrooms at the site.

Now, the people that own the land are very poor, so we gave them gifts as they treated us well.  I asked the mother what she would like for her very very poor kitchen.  She replied and asked for twelve bowels to eat out of.  Then she said they would get electricity in March of this year and she would like to have a blender to juice fruit with.

I must say that they were very good people and treated us kindly.  They prepared two meals of rice and peanuts for us and other things like platanna, which they do grow themselves.  They use wood for a fire and cook on an open box stove with a rack to place pots on.  We must all treat them with the same kindness they showed us.  When I was wet, cold, thirsty, hungry, and without a place to sleep, they gave up a room for the three in our party for us to sleep in, as well they did all they could to assist us.

God Bless them.

As to the cave.  It is amazing!  There are two caves side by side and they go back into the hill some distance.  You will need lots of light.  At times you must crawl on the ground as the cave has now filled in with several feet of sediment.  There are bats, but they do not bother you, however, you will lay in and craw on the ground below them...

This cave is in need of full study as it is not natural in my opinion but has been built with much labour and work over many years.  There are seams in the walls which appears at first glance to be construction of some sort.  There is more to explore if you have rope to go further into the cave.

Oh yes, bring at least one change of clothes as you will be wet and cold when you are ready to leave. Extra socks and water shoes will be good to have.  Do your best to make the trip in one day so you do not have to spend the night.

Here is a link to some of the pictures I took on the expedition to the cave

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B8Vn5BTBJdeYbndnYmh5QkExdlk&usp=sharing