Destination Guide: The Animal Flower Cave in St Lucy
by Karen Rollins Apr 18, 2022
Barbados’ Animal Flower Cave is located at the most northerly point of the country in the parish of St Lucy.
It’s the island’s lone accessible sea cave and offers spectacular views of the coast above ground, and an eye level perspective of the Atlantic Ocean’s pounding surf when you venture down the steps, into the cave itself.
The structure was first discovered from the sea in 1750 by Reverend Griffith Hughes, a Welsh naturalist explorer and author, and is often described by visitors as “a natural world wonder”.
The floor of the cave consists of coral which is estimated to be up to 500,000 years old and the ‘younger’ coral section above the floor is about 126,000 years old. The walls of the cave feature fascinating formations which have been coloured green and brown by oxidation of iron and copper.
The name ‘Animal Flower Cave’ comes from the sea anemones found in the cave’s pools. The ‘flowers’ appear seasonally and consist of tentacles that can, in the larger variety of species, stings and paralyses a passing fish.
Visitors can swim in the natural, deep rock pools where the water is transparent and absolutely still, and looks deceptively shallow.
The coral steps leading into the cave were built around 1912 and were created through what was once a small blow-hole in the roof. When the cave is occasionally full of sea water, and the pool chamber cannot be reached, the water shoots out from the rooftop, reminiscent of a huge whale.
The cave currently stands about six feet above the high tide water mark, even though it was formed at sea level, because Barbados is rising about one inch per 1000 years. This evolution gives some indication as to its age.
The cave is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 9.30am-4.30pm (waves permitting) at a cost of $25 (BBD) for adults and $10 (BBD) for children under 12. Guided tours are also available at set times.
