Sunday, August 15, 2010

Harrisons Cave Barbados an Underground Marvell




It is called the eighth wonder of the world and is the leading attraction in Barbados.

Harrison’s Cave is named after Thomas Harrison, who owned a large amount of land in the area in the early 1700s. In 1733.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, several expeditions ventured into Harrison’s Cave but it is said that none of them would have gotten very far. This is because the natural entrances to Harrison’s Cave were hard to get to, and once inside the cave they would have met with many challenges the cave’s. It is for these reasons it is said that the cave remained an unexplored mystery until 1970.

In 1974 by Ole Sorensen, an engineer and cave adventurer from Denmark visited the island and during the coarse of his trip explored and mapped out the tunnels of the cave. He was assisted by Tony Mason and Allison Thornhill, two young men from Barbados.

The Barbados government started developing Harrison’s Cave after 1974 as a show cave and attraction. Shafts and tunnels were excavated to enable trams for visitors to tour the cave with ease. The cave was opened to the public in 1981.

Harrison’s Cave is a massive stream cave system. In a stream cave, the majority of the passage is dry but there is flowing water throughout the cave. The cave is at least 2.3 kilometres long. The interior temperature is an average 27 degrees Celsius


Its largest cavern is the Great Hal, it measures 15 metres/ 50 feet high. on one of my many visits a guide told me that a famous violinist played inside of the cave on a visit to Barbados she told me that the music was so amazing that they could have stayed inside the cave all day listing to it.

It is an active cave as it carries water. The stalagmites in the cave are growing by less than the thickness of a piece of paper each year — but that’s very fast in geological terms!



A visit to the cave is something I highly recommend. I tell all visitors the world above we live in is one form of beauty. The world under the ocean another and the world under the earth in places like Harrison's Cave yet another. Each one is spectacular and not to be missed. Thanks to the Barbados Government Harrison's cave is comfortable and easily toured. in fact it is the most suitable attraction for visitors who are confined to a Wheel Chair. This is made possible by a special tram purchased by the cave to ensure all of their visitors all well taken care of.


Harrisons cave is a wondrous magical place full of stalactites and stalagmites, streams, waterfalls and reflection lakes. It has been the sight of many weddings and proposals. It posses the type of beauty that can not be replicated or captured in any form. To truly experience the cave one must visit the cave and take a tour through its winding caverns.

Tours of Harrisons Cave are available through many Barbados tour companies including our own Glory Tours. For a 5% discount on our tours we invite you to use the promotional code bajantourgirl











Provided with the compliments of your friends at Glory Tours. The #1 Provider of Sightseeing Tours in Barbados http://glorytours.org/

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