Barbados – Harrison's Cave (with bonus monkeys)
Cruise port: Barbados – Harrison’s Cave
I like caves. I’ve ziplined in a cave. I’ve tubed through a cave. And just walked/rode through many caves, including ones with fossils, artifacts, cave paintings, and even an organ. The magnificent creations formed by stalagmites and stalactites and all the other mineral formations are truly endless.
If you are on a Caribbean cruise and are stopping on Barbados, you can visit a cave if you are like me and love spelunking. When you visit Harrison’s Cave you will watch a video about the caves, how they were discovered, etc, and then be given a hard hat and hairnet to wear under it. Finally, you will get on a tram that will take you through the cave system.
The tram stops a couple times for you to get off and take pictures at the larger areas. The tram also stops a couple times for a few seconds for people to take pictures at other sights along the way.
Pro-tip: The tour guide will say they’ll stop on the way back (so people on the other side of the tram can get pictures) but this, at least in our case, was a big, big lie.
Because it’s so dark, you need to hold still to take pictures and on the way back the tram often only slowed down a bit at the interesting areas, and certainly did not stop for anything near the length we did for the way down, so do your best to get a picture on the way down of anything you are interested in.
Stalactites form on the ceiling and drip down forming stalagmites on the ground. If the two grow together then it’s called a column. The shapes these form as they slowly grow over the centuries are numerous. From curtain shapes to icicles, to jellyfish, the shapes are wondrously creative.
We were lucky enough to also see monkeys outside the interpretation center. So keep an eye out while you’re by the cave entrance. There is also a nice walk behind the center with signs about the plants and history of the area.
Another thing to do in on Barbados is to see the changing of the guards. Here’s my video:
Happy travels!
