Cueva Zumbo

This is probably our favorite cave out of the 60 or more we have visited. It is a Doctor Seuss landscape of sculpted rock with a running river and long passages of clear water...stone curly Q's of rock that you have to balance and climb on...the most exciting and probably strenuous cave we have done. The walk to get to it is 45 minutes or so of not-too-hilly terrain on a real trail. There is a short rappel to get in to it and then there is the descent (and return climb) down and under and over rock. It is exciting stuff! Here is a sample of what the majority of the stony landscape looks like...One thing that is hard to show in a point-and-shoot photo is the scale of things. Here you can get a small idea by noticing Tom (in the purple) in the background and Julie in front working their way through the maze. There is plenty of water in this cave and a lot of swimming. It is clear and really cold even in a wetsuit. When you come back you move slower and the cold really gets to me.

Jeff is taking the upper route (left) and Diana is making her way through in the water. Even for taller people it is sometimes a real stretch to go from side to side and being a shorter type person I don't have the arm span or leg span to use the same route as the guys. This cave is totally three dimensional. This gives you an idea of the scale of things. Jeff is making his way up.

Here is some climbing. A lot of the slots or keyholes or crevices we have to go in require passing packs through first and that is part of why it is so demanding. My pack is lightweight, but I end up passing heavier packs over my head and up - it is difficult. Sometimes on the way back we can't figure out how we did it. Over or under? We have to investigate both ways. Here's Diana taking the lower route through the water.

The main passage ends in a sump (rock wall we can't pass because there is no airspace but the water continues on). We carried our harnesses and ascending gear the whole time (heavy) so we could climb up and pass the sump. Here Jeff is coming down on the way out. Jeff is standing on a little rock pillar stretching one arm up and contemplating what to hold on to next! There are all kinds of fantastic, sculpted, bowl-like areas that are like jacuzzis or bathtubs. There are patterns in the rock that look surreal and upside down. The cave captures the imagination and shows the power of water. This is not something to be done in the wet season (good thing this "wet season" is dry)!

There are all kinds of fantastic, sculpted, bowl-like areas that are like Jacuzzis or bathtubs. There are patterns in the rock that look surreal and upside down. This cave captures the imagination and shows the power of water. This is not something to be done in the wet season (good thing this "wet season" is dry)!