Morgan's Cave/Pirate Museum/Coconut Museum - Museum San Andres - Colombia

This unassuming freshwater cave, believed to once have been a hiding place for Captain Morgan's pirate loot, has been transformed into one of San Andrés’ main tourist attractions.


A visit starts with a trip to the small Pirate Museum where a Halloween-esque pirate displays a vast collection of fake skulls, fake guns, old treasure-chest-looking trunks, nylon pirate flags and plastic swords. Get your picture taken with the mannequin dressed in stereotypical pirate garb. In the back of the pirate museum you’ll find the “Coconut Museum,” easy to miss if you’re not looking for it. Next it’s on to the little art gallery, a squat building notable for the number of old rum bottles built into the walls. The paintings feature mostly seascapes; no parrots or cannons or skulls, unfortunately.

Once you’ve hit the museum and the art gallery, you get to see the 120-meter (394-ft) long cave itself. According to local legend, infamous privateer Sir Henry Morgan used the cave as a place to stash stolen loot. The place will be a bit of a disappointment if you are expecting to see skeletons or cannons scattered around, but it is a lovely natural cave full of fresh water. You can only descend a few feet into the cave before the water blocks your passage, and according to the pirate-guide it’s quite deep. There is an old cannon mounted on concrete nearby.
The whole complex is silly fun, and just a wink away from tongue-in-cheek. You won’t learn any more about real pirate lore than you would from a comic-book version of Treasure Island, but that’s the fun in it.

Location:

Av. Circunvalar Km. 8

Museum Types:
Historical museum, Museum for kids, Naval, Cultural, Art

Getting There
Morgan's Cave is usually included in island tours, or you can get there with public bus.

Travel Tips: There are a couple of shops near Morgan’s Cave where you can buy a snack or a drink (yes, you can get rum). The usual necklace vendors are there as well. One of the shops is decorated with hanging sea-turtle shells, old lanterns and a battered microscope.

Price Description: Entry: $3

Relative price: Budget

Open Hours from:Daily 9 a.m.

Open Hours to:Daily 5 p.m.

Currencies accepted
Colombian Peso

Contact Information:
Phone: 512-2316

About this Page

By Christopher Minster
I am a writer and editor at V!VA Travel guides here in Quito, where I specialize in adding quality content to the site and also in spooky things like...

Updated: 04 Aug 2011