Location: Huila and Caqueta Provinces Map
Area: 90.78 km²
Cueva de los Guácharos is a natural underground system situated in Huila and Caqueta Provinces of Colombia. Cueva de los Guácharos is protected by Cueva de los Guácharos National Park that covers a total area of 90.78 km². This geological formation was named after goacharos nocturnal bird (Steatornis caripensis) also known as oilbird that usually spend days hiding in the cave and leaves to hunt by night. You can see them leave the tunnel at the dusk and return at dawn.
The Cueva de los Guácharos park protects the
sub-humid forested biotopes, between 1200-2300 meters above sea
level and andean, between 2300-3800 m of altitude (tropical humid
broad-leaved forest biome) and the humid wasteland biotope,
(tropical grassland and chaparral mountain biome), located above
3500-3800 m. The vast and quasi-intact areas of Andean oak (Quercus
humboldtii Bonpl., Fagaceae) and Colombobalanus excelsa Lozano,
Fagaceae, a new species of oak, described in the park in 1979, are
one of the fundamental riches of Cueva de los Guácharos.
The
park owes its name to the Guácharo (Steatornis caripensis, order
Caprimulgiformes, Steatornithidae family), frugivorous, nocturnal
bird that inhabits caves and cavities. Its name is onomatopoeic, it
is derived from Quechua huach and means to scream or cry, for its
characteristic song. This same species gives its name to another
natural park: El Guácharo, located in the eastern interior mountain
range, northeast of Monagas state, Venezuela.
Colonization for agriculture and livestock;
sawmill, firewood, poaching, pasture management and cultivars with
fire, clear cut.
Sowing and processing of coca and poppy.
The
lack of maintenance and preservation of the access corridor, where
horseshoe roads and footpaths are mixed, are a constant threat due
to the risk of falling and slipping. There are no shade sites for
rest or natural hydration points. The transit inside the caverns is
not suitable for people without sufficient training and strength
that allows them to use poorly designed cat stairs, without
protection or pass, with a risk of falling from heights above 20
meters.