The Cave Of Death: Why Costa Rica’s Cueva de la Muerte Kills All That Enters?

A small opening of the Earth engulfs and kills about all that enters, hidden deep in the volcanic mountains of Costa Rica. It looks almost like a normal cave and has leaves scattered around the entrance and there is only one danger sign that warns people to keep out.

“Danger! No trespassing beyond this point,” says a sign outside Costa Rica’s Cave of Death – or ‘Cueva de la Muerte’ in the local Spanish.

This is located at the Recreo Verde tourist complex in the district of Venecia. The cave, according to locals in the Alajuela Province, have given the Cueva De La Muerte, or the cave of death because the cramped space is a ruthless killer.

The cave is six-foot-deep and ten-foot-long but does not contain any beast or poisonous plants, snakes, or spiders that causes whatever enters the cave to die inside.

Researchers say that there is toxic air inside the cave which sucks the life out of those who enter it. Scientists have warned of toxic air in caves across the world in 2022. YouTuber and explorer Guy van Rentergem said that the cave emits 30 kgs of CO2 per hour.

“This is a very small cave, but it’s unusual in that there’s a substantial seep of carbon dioxide gas coming,” he said.

A traveller captured a photo of a bird that died in the small space. “The CO2 layer is essentially unreadable by small animals, or even humans for that matter. So small animals enter the cave and asphyxiate, usually within a few moments,” the YouTuber Rentergem further added.

The cave is situated near the Poas Volcano and on the campus of the Recreo Verde Hotel and Spa. Tour guides carefully approach the cave and perform demonstrations with fire torches.

Fire needs oxygen to burn and the lack of oxygen extinguishes the blaze in a split second.

The cave is also deceiving in nature because oxygen is present at the small enclave’s top layer. However, closer to the ground no creature can properly breathe and would perish.

The hotel authorities say that the dense amounts of carbon dioxide surface are there because of an unusual alignment from the San Miguel geological fault.