Indian Cave
Middle Caicos
Indian Cave is found off of the primary road that leads into Middle Caicos, and close to the popular beach and attraction of Mudjin Harbour. Indian Cave is a large and beautiful single gallery cave with many openings and skylights.
Like nearly all sinkholes and caves found in the Turks and Caicos, Indian Cave was created by what is called the Karst process: the slow action of slightly acidic rainwater dissolving the soft limestone as it drained to the water table.
Indian Cave will delight nature enthusiasts. Barn owls, bats, Cuban crows, yellow-crowned night herons, and anis often visit the area, and giant blue land crabs make their home in the soft damp floor of the cave. Along with many native plants, papaya trees, and the short-leaved fig grow at this formation.
Due to the ease of access and no entry fee, Indian Cave is definitely worth a quick visit.
History
Indian Cave has shown evidence of human habitation during pre-Columbus times, but it’s not really known if the cave was continually lived in or only used as a shelter during storms and for special purposes.
Archeological digs conducted here in the late 1990s have revealed many interesting findings. Along with some shards of ancient pottery, bones and fossils of quite a few animals were uncovered, including an extinct tortoise and giant iguana, small reptiles, owls, parrots, and hawks. The decay of the bones suggests that the tortoise was alive on Middle Caicos within the last few centuries.
Dangers
A type of plant with highly poisonous seeds, the Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius), is found near the entrance to the cave. Ingesting the hard bright red seeds can be fatal, so avoid this small vine and take extra care when visiting with children.
Indian Cave is a protected area. Please don’t deface the cave with inscriptions or graffiti.