The Tamana Cave system is located in the Central Range of Trinidad. In order to get to the area most people travelling from the West and North Western areas of Trinidad head to the town of Sangre Grande (Big Blood) and south of the are to access the Tamana elevated region. This area (known as the Central Range) is considered the Central 'mountain' region of the island even though the highest elevation is just 1,009 feet. The area runs from the South West to the North East of the island. This area is different from the Northern Range of Mountains because the area was once a coral reef that was pushed up because of geological activity. This area is primarily limestone with a network of caves that have been home for a variety of bat species and other creatures.
Just to think of a bat cave should be just that, a thought, and not some place to visit. However, for the naturalist it is a 'must see' place of interest. Forget the guano on the floor produced by over one million bats and other creatures that call the cave system their home. Various species very large roaches and other insects live in this area. Seeing the area in daylight could be interesting for someone like me but people who venture to the Tamana caves are interested in seeing inside the caves and what happens when night fall arrives.
Close to one and a half million bats shreak and exit the caves as nighfall arrives to head out for their nightly feeding activities. Trinidad has about 67 species of bats and in the Tamana caves there are about eleven different species that inhabit this cave system. It has been reported that there are fruit eating bats (I know they love sapodilla), nectar and even vampire bats (they seek out animals for their blood treat).
During the rainy season the area could become a difficult trek with lots of slippery path ways and sapate mud (this mud sticks to your shoes and is very slippery). The dry season should make the hike a more tolerable adventure for those who love to adventure in these areas.
I have never entered any cave and probably will never venture into one. However, those who have entered this area reported sheats of guano on the ground with a memorable stench. Above their heads are bats clinging to the ceiling, flying insects and a variety of bugs. Those who remain outside are wowed by the bats leaving the caves by the hundreds. This is the moment that those who adventure into the area look forward to witnessing. Some have described it as "fear and wonder". I would tend to lean toward the fear aspect and wonder why would someone want to be in an area with bats zooming past them. I guess it is the adventure and wonder of it all that intrigues someone to venture into bat-world!
The following information was sourced from Wikipedia and can be accessed from this link: Tamana Caves.
"Tamana caves (or Tamana cave) is a cave system located on the northern slope of Mount Tamana in eastern Trinidad. Mount Tamana is a 307-metre flat topped hill of Miocene Guaracara Limestone of the Tamana Formation in the eastern Central Range.
Julian Kenny described the main cave as consisting of 18 separate sections. He documented two chimneys and a "walk-in chamber". The walk-in chamber connected to a "boulder chamber" that was heavily used by bats, and to a crawl hole which connected to the remainder of the cave system. Beyond the crawl hole was a subterranean stream and a passage which connected to the chimney area. Beyond that the passages descended further, ending in what Kenny called the "New Deep" and the "Far Deep", areas which had not been explored at the time of his publication.
Kenny reported that eleven bat species permanently roosted in the cave, while a twelfth species roosted occasionally in an adjacent dry cave. Certain species were restricted to specific areas of the cave, while others were scattered throughout." End Wikipedia Article.
A photo of Mount Tamana can be seen at this link : Nature Trekking in Trinidad and Tobago
The photo of the bats is linked to the source article (just hover the cursor over picture or link to the article here): Trinidad is an Adventure
