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Wonder
Quadirikiri Cave
In short
The legendary Quadirikiri Cave is one of the largest and most interesting caves in Aruba.
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In detail
Hot and humid cave
Quadirikiri Cave consists of three large rooms and large passages between them. The first two cave rooms are illuminated by holes in the ceiling, but the final part is 35 m long, dark, and damp, and inhabited by hundreds of bats. The cave is adorned with stalactites and stalagmites – in the lighted rooms, these formations are overgrown with algae.
This cave is very hot and humid – favorable to insects and unpleasant to people.
Prehistoric drawings
One the ceiling and walls of the cave are ancient, red and red-brown drawings, left by Amerindians. Often it is written that these were drawn by Arawaks, but in fact, various people lived in Aruba – thus we are not sure who exactly made them.
Drawings show human-like beings – single and in pairs. There are also handprints and drawings of eyes.
These drawings most likely were painted by individuals under the influence of hallucinogenic products and thus receiving "divine inspiration".
Unfortunately part of these drawings have been ruined by vandals.
East of this cave is another, smaller one. This 30 m long cave is even richer with cave art.
Legend about lovers
According to a local legend, once there was a local chief who had a daughter. The daughter fell in love, but the father considered that her beloved one is not worthy of her.
Girl was stubborn and – she was locked in a cave until her emotions cool down and she refuses her beloved one. Her love was locked in another cave (Tunnel of Love) nearby.
It happened that they managed to meet in the cave and, of course, refused to change their mind. Both young people died in the cave – and, according to the legend, their spirits left the cave through the holes in the ceiling.
Linked articles
Wonders of Aruba
On this small island are located several interesting rock formations and caves with petroglyphs and drawings created by Amerindian people.
Caves
Every year there are reported exciting discoveries of new caves and discoveries of new qualities such as cave paintings in the ones known before. But there still is a feeling that our knowledge covers just a small part of all these monuments of nature.
Though, those which are known to us, offer a surprising diversity of unusual features and impressive sights.
Wonders of Caribbean
The Caribbean is a unique group of islands. These islands are somewhat similar – tropical islands surrounded by the blue Caribbean sea. At the same time, they are very diverse – from enormous Cuba to minuscule Saba, from dry Bonaire to jungle-covered mountains of Trinidad, and from the flat Bahamas to mountainous Dominica.
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Fodor’s In Focus Aruba
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