Windsor Caves

Windsor is one of the longest cave systems in Jamaica, running for kilometres under the limestone at the northern edge of Cockpit Country, with the Martha Brae river flowing through part of it. Inside are large chambers, formations and a resident bat population estimated in the hundreds of thousands across several species. The event worth timing is the evening exodus: at dusk the bats begin to leave, and for around half an hour they pour out of the entrance in a continuous ribbon, close enough overhead to hear the wings. A research station near the entrance has been studying the system for decades and is a good place to ask about conditions.

What you actually see

• The bat exodus - hundreds of thousands leaving at dusk in a continuous stream.
• The main chamber - large formations a short way inside.
• The underground river - the Martha Brae running through part of the system.
• The research station - long-running scientific work at the entrance.

When to go

December to April is drier and the road passable; in the wet season the cave floods and access is closed. The exodus begins around dusk, so arrive in the late afternoon. Local guides from the settlement take visitors in and should not be bypassed.

Honest expectations

The road in is very rough and long, and hire cars struggle. Beyond the first chamber the caving is technical and wet with real hazards, and the guides available vary in equipment and experience; a torch and helmet are the minimum. Bat guano makes the air unpleasant and there is a genuine, if small, histoplasmosis risk from breathing dust in the chambers.

Nearby

Cockpit Country begins here; Falmouth is an hour north.