CAVING

Background: Since 1996 UAYCEF has been running regularly scheduled trips to Puerto Rico, with most taking place the first or second week of March. These trips are typically scheduled for five days, with an option to stay an additional four days, and begin with all party members meeting at San Juan Airport on a Friday evening. To date there have been ten trips, with participation by 58 cavers; several of which have gone 3 to 4 times.

  Lodging: Known as the "Casita" by trip regulars, this cozy cottage is located on top of a mountain along a foot path which leads down to the scenic Tanama river. The place has 2 rooms, three beds, a bathroom with a shower, and a small kitchen. Although there is no electricity, there is running water. There is also room to set up several tents behind it. An alturnative site used with greater and greater frequency over the last few years is a Boy Scout Camp, equipped with showers, hot and cold running water, electricity and well ventilated cabins.

Transportation: All trip participants share equally in the cost of renting a vehicle for the duration of the trip. This vehicle, which is usually a SUV or a van, is picked up at San Juan Airport after all participants meet of Friday evening. It is then returned late Wednesday afternoon prior to everyone catching his or her departing flights. In the case of those staying an additional four days, they must work out a similar arrangement in which they equally share the rental charges.

 Caves & Skill Level: An assortment of caves, of varying difficulty level are visited. Many of the caves visited allow for less experienced horizontal cavers to travel one route, while more experienced vertical cavers have the option of other more challenging routes. The possibility also exits on many occasions of splitting the group up, with each group going to different caves. Thus, past trip participants have had the opportunity to visited such easy horizontal caves as Window cave, but also more challenging ones such as Wind cave, which has two consecutive drops, followed by a five to six hour in-cave river trip (wet suit required).

Click here for a preview of the sort of things you will see on one of our Puerto Rico trips.

 Itinerary: After all participants meet at the San Juan Airport Friday evening, and the rental vehicle is picked up, the group drives westward to the above mentioned "Casita", about two hours away. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday are spent visiting anywhere from one to three caves a day. Tuesday will be devoted to doing a Tanama River trip. On Wednesday, after driving eastward back across the island, about one hour past San Juan, the group will spend the day hiking in the Rain Forrest. Following the hike everyone heads to San Juan Airport to catch his or her flights.

Food and Provisions: - Although all participants are free to keep food at the "Casita" (cooler will be provided upon request in advance of departure), most rely on nearby restaurants for breakfast and dinner, with lunches being taken in a cave. Participants who chose to keep food at the "Casita" need to keep in mind that the group seldom returns there till after 9PM on any given night. This is due to the fact that the rental vehicle will make a restaurant run prior to driving to the remote area where the "Casita" is located at the end of the day.

How to Apply: - Trip applications and waivers can be found at the below site.

http://www.geocities.com/cnico.geo/tripsignup.html

Costs: - Participants are responsible for their airfare, and the sharing of gas, tolls, guide fees and vehicle rental fees. In addition, there is also a suggested donation of $25 to UAYCEF, for the purposes of covering administrative and service costs.

 Click here for information about one of the most extraordinary cave guides used by our Puerto Rico expeditionary groups.

Please contact Chris Nicola (Contact Us) for any additional information (ex. group size, availability, dates, average cost figures, etc.).

PLEASE NOTE: As a Non-For-Profit incorporated organization, a portion of all donations are put towards the funding of UAYCEF's student exchange program and to the protection and preservation of various caves around the world.