Exploring the Caves

	Roots Hang in Indian Cave Thu 11:05 AM May 24, 2001 21°49’54”N 71°48’37”W

The interior of Indian Cave is filled with sunshine and tree roots, both of which cascade from openings in the roof.

	Watch Your Step Thu 11:24 AM May 24, 2001 21°49’33”N 71°47’27”W

Earnest Forbes leads us through Conch Bar Caves. They are the largest above-water cave system in the Caribbean and meander through the ridge of hills east of Conch Bar. Most of the passages are large enough for easy walking. Water fills the bottoms of some chambers. The lower levels connect to the ocean and you may hear gurgling sounds and the tides flow in and out.

	Conch Bar Cave Upper Level Thu 03:40 PM Dec 23, 1999

The front passages of Conch Bar Cave parallel the ridge line and have many openings. At one of the openings, you can scramble up a rope to the Upper Chamber. From there, another climb up the tree roots leads you to the top of the ridge with a view of the Atlantic Ocean.

	Indian Cave Fri 03:12 PM Dec 24, 1999

Indian Cave is an open and airy chamber west of Conch Bar. Several skylights open in the domed roof and the roots of trees hang all the way to the cave floor. If you approach quietly, you might get to see the large white owl that hides in the cave.

	Cave with a View Thu 07:20 AM Feb 3, 2000

Hidden on the face of a cliff below Conch Bar is evidence of how the island formed. Indian Cave and Village Cave, as well as countless others both known and unknown, lie under ridges that parallel the north coast of the island. The cliffs of the northwest coast are the remains of another ridgeline. One might suspect that the cavelike openings at Hidden Beach and near the Juniper Hole were once underground caves opened by the encroaching sea. On this cliff, these columns, joined pairs of stalactites and stalagmites, proves this is so.

	Mango Tree Hole Thu 10:44 AM May 31, 2001 21°47’22”N 71°41’28”W

Mango Tree Hole is a sink hole a half mile southeast of Lorimers. Over a hundred years ago, a belonger woman planted tree mango trees in the rich soil that fills the hole. Today their thick canopy forms a miniature rainforest with a deep layer of leaf litter.

	Banana Tree Hole Thu 10:29 AM May 31, 2001 21°47’23”N 71°41’26”W

Banana Tree Hole is a dark opening in the solid limestone surface near Lorimers. The floor, 15 feet down, is covered with ferns. The cave is also known as Charles Rigby Hole for the local man that used to plant bananas in the rich soil in the cave.

A stone wall surrounds the cave. The wall was built 200 years ago to keep grazing cattle from falling in.

	A Young Stalagmite Fri 10:26 AM May 25, 2001 21°50’10”N 71°48’53”W

The moist tropical climate of Middle Caicos keeps the caves of the island active and growing. These steps were built in 1998 to connect a narrow passage in the cliff tops at Blue Horizon to a beachfront cave below. The constant drip of water is already building a stalagmite.