El Guacharo National Park, National park in Monagas and Sucre, Venezuela
El Guacharo National Park is a protected area in Monagas and Sucre states, covering 62,700 hectares in two separate units and including the famous Guacharo Cave along with tropical mountain forests. The terrain includes limestone formations, underground rivers, and hiking trails that wind through the Caripe Mountain System.
Alexander von Humboldt visited the cave on September 18, 1799, and conducted the first scientific studies of the birds and geology. The Venezuelan government declared the area a national park in 1949 to protect the cave and surrounding forests.
The Chaima used a name for this cave that referred to the birds and believed the place marked a passage between the world of the living and the spirit realm. This belief kept them from venturing deep into the passages, protecting the underground system and its inhabitants for centuries.
Visitors can join guided cave tours, which usually start in the morning, along with hikes and birdwatching in the forests. The best times to observe the guacharos are at evening dusk when the birds leave the cave and in the early morning when they return.
The cave extends 10.5 kilometers (6.5 miles) through sedimentary rock formed 130 million years ago and houses around 10,000 nocturnal guacharo birds. These birds use echolocation to navigate in complete darkness and feed exclusively on oil palm fruits they gather outside the cave at night.
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