Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hole
. Stalactites dangle from the roof of the bowl. And owls have nested on the sill as long
as residents can remember - the blue holes are well hidden, so ask a local for directions!
LUCAYAN NATIONAL PARK
With bottomless sea caves, acres of dense forest and one of the prettiest stretches of
beach on the island, this tiny (40 acre)
national park
( 242-352-5438;
www.bnt.bs/
parks_lucayan.php
;
admission $3; 8:30am-4:30pm) packs a big wallop.
If visiting by car, park in the parking lot on the north side of the highway, which divides
the park in two, then pay the entrance fee to the attendant before continuing on. On the
north side, trails lead from the parking lot onto a limestone plateau riddled with caves
that open to one of the longest known underwater cave system in the world, with over six
charted miles of tunnels. From here you can follow steps down to viewing platforms in
Ben's Cave
and
Burial Mound Cave
, which have formed blue holes. Colonies of bats
use Ben's Cave as a nursery in summer, where a unique class of opaque blind crustacean,
Speleonectes lucayensis -
resembles a swimming centipede - also resides. In 1986 four
skeletons of indigenous Lucayans were found in what appeared to be an ancient cemetery
on the floor of one cave.
Creek Trail
(330yd) and
Mangrove Swamp Trail
(480yd) form a loop on the southern
side of the park and pass through three signed shoreline ecosystems. The trails head first
through miniature woodlands with ming, cedar, mahogany and poisonwood, cinnecord,
cabbage palms and agaves, which produce towering yellow flowers favored by insects and
hummingbirds. Their low branches are festooned with orchids and bromeliads.
Between this area and the shore lie mangroves, where raccoons and land crabs roam un-
der the watchful eyes of ospreys, herons and waterfowl.
Gold Rock Creek
is the home to
snapper, barracuda, manta ray and crabs. Passages lead underground between the creek and
the Lucayan Caves so that ocean fish are often seen in the blue holes north of the road.
Trails are marked through the beachside whiteland coppice of giant poisonwood and pi-
geon plum trees, frequented by woodpeckers ('peckerwoods' in local parlance).
both trails spill out onto the secluded and beautiful white-rippled sands of
Gold Rock
Beach
, fringed by dunes fixed by coco plum, sea grape, spider lily and casuarina trees.
Named for the small rock that lies 200yd offshore, this is one of the island's most stunning
beaches.
Bring all water and food with you and don't forget your bug spray. The park is open daily
year-round, although Ben's Cave is closed in June and July to protect the birthing bats.
The best way to visit the park is by car, scooter, or organized tour.
Cave diving is allowed only by special permit under the supervision of UNEXSO (
Click
here
) in Port Lucaya.
