Los Tres Ojos

The name means three eyes, though there are in fact four lakes here: a limestone cavern system whose roof partly collapsed long ago, leaving open shafts through which daylight and vegetation drop into chambers below. Stairs cut into the rock lead down past hanging roots to still water of a deep blue-green, each lake different, one sulphurous, one fresh, one brackish. The fourth, La Zaramagullón, is open to the sky and reached by a raft pulled hand over hand along a rope through a tunnel. The Taíno used the caves before the Spanish arrived, and the setting is dramatic enough that several films have been shot in it.

History

The site formed centuries ago when caves collapsed along tectonic fractures, leaving a bowl-shaped depression that filled with water, and indigenous people first used the cave for religious and fertility rites. Its three main lakes are the Lago de Azufre, discovered in 1916, La Nevera and El Lago de las Damas; a stair cut in the rock leads to the first cave, and a boat crosses the second lake to reach a fourth, Los Zaramagullones, which is not counted among the three "eyes" because it opens to the sky (Wikipedia, Los Tres Ojos National Park).

Highlights

• The four lakes - each with different water, from fresh to sulphurous.
• The rope raft - hand-pulled through a tunnel to the open fourth lake.
• The collapse shafts - daylight and hanging roots falling into the chambers.
• The rock stairs - cut down through the limestone to the water.

When to go

November to April is drier. Mornings are quieter, before the coach groups and cruise excursions arrive. The visit takes about an hour, or ninety minutes with the raft. It is cool underground, which makes it a good midday option.

Practical notes

Swimming is not allowed, which disappoints people expecting a cenote. Guides at the entrance are informal and the fee is negotiated, with pressure to hire one. The stairs are steep, wet and slippery with no proper handrail in places. The surrounding park is scruffy and the district warrants ordinary caution.

Nearby

The Columbus Lighthouse is five minutes; the Zona Colonial is across the river.

Key facts