Jenolan Caves
Jenolan Caves
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
About
Jenolan Caves are the largest, most spectacular and most famous caves in Australia. Explore the world's oldest caves - one of the most outstanding cave systems in the world. You are never too young or old to experience the amazing - award-winning tours, adventure caving and scenic bush walks. Glimpse Australian birds and animals in the wild, including kangaroos and platypus. Relax in our magnificent Chisolm's Restaurant, cafe or bar. We even offer accommodation - hotel, motel, cottage or backpacker lodge. Set in Blue Mountains World Heritage wilderness, Jenolan Caves are a national treasure, of awe-inspiring beauty and scale. Please note that our amazing caves are closed temporarily due to COVID-19 restrictions, however we are currently welcoming guests to our hotel, restaurant and cafe.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Jonathon L
    1 contribution
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wonderful staff, wish there were more.
    A truely amazing experience. The staff did especially well both guiding, car escorting and serving in the cafe. It's fairly clear however that they're understaffed and the current staff are attempting to keep customers happy. Hope they hire on more staff soon.
    Thank you for your kind comments.
    Written 5 April 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited March 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 19 March 2023
  • hOlidays-blue
    Singapore, Singapore8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Awesome place to visit!!
    Amazing and spectacular cave tour by our guide Nada! Thank you, Nada for sharing all the interesting stories and keeping all the kid’s entertained! Highly recommend and worth visiting! The car escorting and directing team is helpful and friendly too. Thank you.
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 12 April 2023
  • Triscina
    Gold Coast, Australia71 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The Beauty Of the Jenolin Caves.
    After driving through the beautiful countryside, we were stopped at the start of the Caves, to be taken down together following a car to get to the bottom of the road, with staff ready to direct us to parking spaces. I booked the Imperial and Orient cave tours which was not disappointing. Our guide Barry was very informative, with plenty of mind blowing information, and asked if we had questions during the tour. The caves were nothing short of spectacular. I was looking forward to seeing the Blue Lake, but unless under construction at the time, so the water had been drained and the platypus relocated until it was completed. I would highly recommend seeing the magnificence of these caves with several options to choose from based on interest and fitness levels.
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 14 April 2023
  • Ollie G
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth the visit! Highly recommend!!
    We recently visited and did the Chifley Cave tour, it was great with an amazing and enthusiastic tour guide who gave lots of information regarding the caves, including scientific explanations on formations, as well as stories about their discovery. I highly recommend this visit and loved the entire experience! The tour is also not rushed at all so you have plenty of time to take it all in, take photos and ask questions.
    Visited April 2023
    Written 19 April 2023
  • Hayley S
    17 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    So Glad We Did A Cave Tour
    Exploring the caves were not originally on our list and we are so glad we changed our mind. It was great, we booked the Lucas tour which was 2hrs and perfectly paced. Many steps but lots of breaks and the tour guide was so knowledgeable and welcoming. We had the best time and would do this again but on a more advanced tour maybe. Highly recommend to all.
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 29 April 2023
  • shereealbert1
    Ballina, Australia7 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Incredible!
    We did the Imperial cave tour and even though it was the least physically challenging tour we were still blown away by the beauty and history. Our guide Ian was in his 80's but phenomenal with his energy and knowledge and willingness to engage with tour participants. Couldn't have wished for a better guide!
    Visited May 2023
    Written 26 May 2023
  • Jun Acullador
    Pasig, Philippines725 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jenolan Caves
    AU’s magnificent cave system ❤️. I took the “Lucas” cave package. The tour was exhilarating and fun. Stalactites & stalagmites give an eery sense when lights focus on them. Tour guide is funny yet informative. The paved “trail” is convenient for old tourists to walk on. Like it much 👍
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 4 July 2023
  • Eni
    Brasov, Romania41 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Underground beauty
    The caves are amazing. It is really beautiful to see the wonders of nature underground and it was a good opportunity to discover the difference of dripstones from the cave systems that we have in Europe. Because of the component and structure and geological aspects, the stalagmites and stalactites look slightly different than in Europe. The overall experience was also good, and the tour guide was also very kind, but you should be aware if you want to go there that online a lot of tickets are already booked in advance. We wanted to visit at least 2 caves in one day that we were there, and online we could only book for the first chosen cave only one ticket that has been left (This was the Orient cave). Due to tight space in the cave, limited tickets are available online, but at site I asked if we could buy another ticket and they squeezed us in. For the second cave for which the tour started 2 hours later (Imperial Diamond Cave) we were able to book online. Honestly I do not know hot to get there by bus, we were lucky that my friend who lives in Australia gave her car to drive there, but 3 kms before the caves you need to stop and then wait for an escort vehicle to give you the green light to go up until the parking space as the road is one-way only. The same goes when coming down, you have to wait until they give you permission to descend from the cave. If you want to visit Blue Lake as well, just a short information, there is currently nothing to see there as heavy rainfalls destroyed the landscape and it is full of big rocks there, so the rainfall washed away everything, so they told us there is no point going there. Close to the caves there is a small gift shop and a cafeteria if you want to eat or drink a coffee in the meantime. Ticket price varies at least for the two caves that we visited we paid 60$ and 52$ per person, depending on the cave that you want to visit. Also, it might be useful for some people, this place is a national park, and dogs are not allowed at all.
    Visited June 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 18 July 2023
  • Canadagirl63
    Ottawa, Canada32 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fabulous Jenolan Caves experience!
    What an amazing experience! Our guide Pete was so passionate about the caves and was a great storyteller he really made the experience fabulous. We did the Grand Tour and saw the Orient and Temple of Baal caves. Worried a little bit when it was rated strenuous and not for the faint of hear - I would say it wasn't as difficult as we anticipated - a lot of stairs but many chances to stop and catch your breath. The caves are breathtaking and pictures do not do it justice. I think I would love to see the other caves after our Grand Tour experience. Highly recommend! The 1.5 hour drive from Katoomba and then back was definitely worth it!!
    Visited January 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 15 January 2024
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,936 reviews
Excellent
1,322
Very good
441
Average
94
Poor
48
Terrible
31

Canadagirl63
Ottawa, Canada32 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Couples
What an amazing experience! Our guide Pete was so passionate about the caves and was a great storyteller he really made the experience fabulous. We did the Grand Tour and saw the Orient and Temple of Baal caves. Worried a little bit when it was rated strenuous and not for the faint of hear - I would say it wasn't as difficult as we anticipated - a lot of stairs but many chances to stop and catch your breath. The caves are breathtaking and pictures do not do it justice. I think I would love to see the other caves after our Grand Tour experience. Highly recommend! The 1.5 hour drive from Katoomba and then back was definitely worth it!!
Written 15 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

HPRao
Bangalore District, India242 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Family
We weren’t aware of the need to pre book tickets till the day of travel and were quite anxious till we got there. Thanks to Stu, who went the extra mile to check if we could be accommodated in one of the earliest tours. Really appreciate Stu’s proactive nature and customer centric approach.
Who ever intends to visit, the caves are really awesome. It’s a must do if ur in Sydney.
There are multiple tours and pls do prebook before you arrive. They have a contact number which is pretty helpful if you have doubts.
The parking can be a bit far, but they have a shuttle to the caves. The shuttle is not fully reliable though as we didn’t get one at 4pm to go back to the car park.
Strollers and prams are of no use and have to be left in the car. This made the walk back to the car a very strenuous experience for us with 2 kids.
The staff are super courteous and friendly.
Overall, a terrific experience.
Written 11 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Chris Lissard Seaward
Boulder, CO41 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
I was blown away by these caves. If you are even slightly interested or have not ever been in a deep amazing cave, you must go. We did the “Imperial” tour which was easy. I would not advise it for children under 4.
Written 18 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Shane B
Melbourne, Australia21 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Family
We took our 10yo and 7yo through the Lucas Cave tour. The caves were really impressive, the tour-guide was friendly and well-informed, and the actual tour was just the right mix of strenuous activity with good rest-stops. Our kids loved it and so did we!

Some points to note: When we went (Sep '23) not all the caves were open for tours, due to a few wild weather events. No-one's fault, and the website was upfront about it. The advice from the website to arrive early was GOOD advice. The road closures nearby meant a long(ish) detour was in place, and the last stretch of the drive was one-way-traffic-only so the escort vehicle system they have in place was greatly appreciated.

And if I could provide one piece of feedback/advice for the tour operator... when the Lucas Tour gets to the Cathedral they have a great feature there (I won't spoil it) but when they turn off the safety lighting it gets absolutely pitch black dark... which is awesome and adds to the experience... except of course for the handful of people who immediately switch their phone cameras onto video mode or hit the torch function... which really killed the vibe. I don't think they were scared of the dark or anything, they just didn't realise that the darkness was intentional and part of the feature. Maybe tour guides could make an announcement and let people know that the pitch black is coming up, that it is deliberate, and doesn't last very long, and ask people to turn their phones off so they can actually experience the deep-inside-a-cave pitch black darkness that is impossible to experience anywhere else!
Written 2 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ari
Sydney, Australia9 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Couples
The orient cave tour with Steve was really great. He was knowledgeable, passionate and very enthusiastic. The complete opposite to our Imperial tour with Morsey the next day who was un-enthusiastic, seemed slightly hungover & low energy. Even from his first introduction you could see he really didn't want to be there. We had booked 3 tours in total which cost over $300 for 2 people, but after our morning experience we asked who would be taking our next tour, and decided to get a refund when discovering it was Morsey again. Shame to miss out on the beautiful Lucas cave but not worth spending the money for a guide that is low energy, it really brings down the experience. The Caves themselves are brilliant, Ive been going since I was a kid, but hopefully you get the right guide!
Written 25 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Slavende
197 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Solo
Great guides, amazing experience. In particular Jamie’s guided tour of the Lucas cave was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and entertaining. A great day out
Written 24 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Eni
Brasov, Romania41 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Friends
The caves are amazing. It is really beautiful to see the wonders of nature underground and it was a good opportunity to discover the difference of dripstones from the cave systems that we have in Europe. Because of the component and structure and geological aspects, the stalagmites and stalactites look slightly different than in Europe. The overall experience was also good, and the tour guide was also very kind, but you should be aware if you want to go there that online a lot of tickets are already booked in advance. We wanted to visit at least 2 caves in one day that we were there, and online we could only book for the first chosen cave only one ticket that has been left (This was the Orient cave). Due to tight space in the cave, limited tickets are available online, but at site I asked if we could buy another ticket and they squeezed us in. For the second cave for which the tour started 2 hours later (Imperial Diamond Cave) we were able to book online. Honestly I do not know hot to get there by bus, we were lucky that my friend who lives in Australia gave her car to drive there, but 3 kms before the caves you need to stop and then wait for an escort vehicle to give you the green light to go up until the parking space as the road is one-way only. The same goes when coming down, you have to wait until they give you permission to descend from the cave. If you want to visit Blue Lake as well, just a short information, there is currently nothing to see there as heavy rainfalls destroyed the landscape and it is full of big rocks there, so the rainfall washed away everything, so they told us there is no point going there. Close to the caves there is a small gift shop and a cafeteria if you want to eat or drink a coffee in the meantime. Ticket price varies at least for the two caves that we visited we paid 60$ and 52$ per person, depending on the cave that you want to visit. Also, it might be useful for some people, this place is a national park, and dogs are not allowed at all.
Written 18 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CocoaPod
Wellington, New Zealand9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023
Fantastic tour, that was informative, safe and memorable. Our guide was approachable, friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended!!!
Written 11 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jun Acullador
Pasig, Philippines725 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Friends
AU’s magnificent cave system ❤️. I took the “Lucas” cave package. The tour was exhilarating and fun. Stalactites & stalagmites give an eery sense when lights focus on them. Tour guide is funny yet informative. The paved “trail” is convenient for old tourists to walk on. Like it much 👍
Written 5 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

shereealbert1
Ballina, Australia7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023
We did the Imperial cave tour and even though it was the least physically challenging tour we were still blown away by the beauty and history. Our guide Ian was in his 80's but phenomenal with his energy and knowledge and willingness to engage with tour participants. Couldn't have wished for a better guide!
Written 27 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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JENOLAN CAVES: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Jenolan Caves