Smoo Cave
Smoo Cave, Durness: Hours, Address, Smoo Cave Reviews: 4.5/5
Smoo Cave
4.5
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tours & experiences
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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Smoo Cave and nearby attractions
The area
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
5 within 5 kms

Smoo Cave Hotel
512
0.2 km££ - £££ • Bar • British • Pub

The White Heather Cafe, Bed & Breakfast
34
0.4 km£ • Cafe • British

Sango Sands Oasis Restaurant and Bar
449
1.3 km££ - £££ • Bar • British • Pub

Meet And Eat
73
2.6 km££ - £££ • International • British • Scottish

Cocoa Mountain
1,126
2.6 km££ - £££ • Dessert • Cafe
Attractions
15 within 10 kms

John Lennon Memorial Garden
94
0.5 kmGardens

Durness Beach
397
1.3 kmBeaches

Balnakeil Beach
296
3.1 kmBeaches

Rispond Beach
43
1 kmBeaches

Ben Stack
13
1 kmMountains

Ceannabeinne Township Trail
1
1.2 kmHistoric Sites

Balnakeil Bay
89
3.6 kmBodies of Water • Beaches

Durness Deep Time
22
2.6 kmNatural History Museums • Science Museums

Kyle Of Durness
2
1.7 kmBeaches
Balnakeil Church
2
1.7 kmChurches & Cathedrals
Contribute
Popular mentions
4.5
1,198 reviews
Excellent
630
Very good
427
Average
123
Poor
13
Terrible
5
Borjan B
Kilcock, Ireland4 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
Cave is very nice and staff is extra friendly and knowledgeable about cave, caving and everything else in the area. They also have decades long project of exploring and digging new passages, trying to get to supposed lower chamber but with no luck so far. Recommended stop at NC500.
Written 20 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Heidi H
Vienna, Austria64 contributions
May 2022
My second visit here. I loved taking a boat around the underground lake the first time. This time, though, there were no boat rides. :( Still a nice cave, but only half as interesting without the boats. There was no indication in the parking lot either that the attraction was basically closed. Had to climb down all those stairs first to find out that nobody was there.
Written 10 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Gene R J
Silver Spring, MD8,099 contributions
May 2022
We stopped here on our drive from Thurso to Ullapool. Since nearly everyone driving the NC 500 (A 836) stops here, parking is the 1st difficulty. If you are fortunate, the big 15 car lot next to the free toilets is the closet, otherwise there is a pay lot 100 m in one direction and a turn out 100 m in the other.
The access to the cave is fully railed in both directions with the west side a bit steeper than the east. We wanted to see the sea cave (130' wide by 49' high) that is the largest in the UK but declined on the hard hat exploration of the ~272’ freshwater cave that followed. Trails extend to the sea that are less crowded.
The access to the cave is fully railed in both directions with the west side a bit steeper than the east. We wanted to see the sea cave (130' wide by 49' high) that is the largest in the UK but declined on the hard hat exploration of the ~272’ freshwater cave that followed. Trails extend to the sea that are less crowded.
Written 20 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Anne S
Leeds, UK384 contributions
May 2022
There was no waterfall on the day we visited. We opted for the guided tour and they tried to make it as interesting as they could. The chaps running it are obviously passionate about the cave.
Written 12 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
rayrest
London, UK7,419 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
On the NC500 route and smoo cave is well signed and easy to find. Small free car park. Toilets in car park area. Steep steps down to the bottom. Three is a spectacular waterfall inside the cave.
Written 7 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Alexandra D
12 contributions
Apr 2022
Worth a visit and would recommend the tour of actually going inside the cave on the boat if you are able. Really interesting and the guys were full of knowledge. Was a bit of fun and a refreshing break from driving around the north coast 500!
Written 2 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
David W
Benidorm, Spain9 contributions
Apr 2022
Fantastic location even if you just walk down and back up, but do the cafe tour with Fraser in the dingy. My second time and a unique bargain at £10.
Written 30 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Claire B
Hamilton105 contributions
Apr 2022 • Friends
Adventurous short cave tour. You need to be pretty mobile to do this. You need to be able to climb a short ladder into a small inflatable boat. You will also get out the boat and walk along wobbly planks further into the cave. We enjoyed this but it may not be for you. The tour guides were great and looked after you well and gave an interesting history of the cave. Only 25 mins but worth the £10 fee.
If you don't want to do the tour you can just walk into the first part of the cave, this is still a walk down a lot of steps. If you can't do steps then you can look down into the cave from the bridge on the over side of the road.
If you don't want to do the tour you can just walk into the first part of the cave, this is still a walk down a lot of steps. If you can't do steps then you can look down into the cave from the bridge on the over side of the road.
Written 29 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Kenny W
Yorkshire, UK8 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
Didn’t go into the proper cave section as we had the dogs but was nice to have a walk down too- have a look out to the sea and explore what part of the cave we could. This is a very interesting place to look at even if we couldn’t go all the way in but you could watch others inside and stand on a sort of viewing platform
Written 27 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Garry A
Halifax, UK123 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
You’ll visit because it there but if you have any sort of disability forget it.
It’s really just a cold damp hole.
It does have history and the locals are proud of it. It just want our cup of tea
It’s really just a cold damp hole.
It does have history and the locals are proud of it. It just want our cup of tea
Written 23 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
We recently took a coach tour holiday which was supposed to include a stop at Smoo Cave with time enough to get out and explore. When we reached the turn off for the cave our driver suddenly said there is no longer parking available for coaches and the local authority have stopped coaches going there or from parking up at the top of the hill and allowing passengers time to walk down to the caves. Does anyone know the truth of this??? Have the local authority really changed policy on Smoo Cave and if they have, how long ago were these changes made thanks
Rebecca
Alexandria, UK54 contributions
I'm unsure, we travelled by campervan. There is limited parking but there were plenty of motor homes parked up as well as campervans and cars. No signs we saw said no coaches etc. Sorry for not being much help.
EAP8181
Northampton, UK74 contributions
Is it claustrophobic?
MCC
South West England, UK223 contributions
The caves are wide open and shallow in depth, should present claustrophobia unless you are severely affected. There is an optional tour by boat of the underground river and lake which should be avoided.
I can't find any information about pricing for the Smoo Cave - The website gives absolutely 0 information about anything practical like that. Does any one know the entrances fees and if young children can go in? Thank you.
skipythebushkangaroo
Sydney, Australia11 contributions
Have a look on my website for all the latest info. Just Google smoocavetours.
1984Juanita
Poortugaal, The Netherlands61 contributions
Planning to visit in May, can you buy tickets on the spot for the boat tour?
I read that you need to contact the tourgide in the morning to see if the tours are on for that day, is this correct?
Trudy
4 contributions
Hi, we didn't book, we didn't even know about the boat until we got down there.
Is there a viewing platform that can be accessed instead of going down the steps to the cave
Debra G
Ibstock, UK185 contributions
Take your time to walk down the steps and enjoy the scenery below if you are able, the steps are not steep, and as described above, it is free to this helps 😀 enjoy
Tiftyaberdeen
Aberdeen, UK25 contributions
Can well behaved dog get on boat in smoo cave?
cavalierpuplove
St. Augustine, FL99 contributions
I would say no. It's an inflatable boat and there is climbing with a rope involved and slippery rocks. Plus, the ladder to get into the boat would be difficult for a dog as it's a straight ladder. I wouldn't attempt it, but that said, it doesn't hurt to ask them.
Is there parking beside caves?
Jonathan A
Walsall, UK93 contributions
Yes there is. Not large, so may be full sometimes in the summer, but well worth a visit. Do go right in to the waterfall, but if you do, expect to get wet.
Can I take my dog into Smoo Cave?
Charlie_Cosh
Asuncion, Paraguay158 contributions
Yes you can though they may be a little nervous of the cave has you go deeper into it.
Frequently Asked Questions about Smoo Cave
- Smoo Cave is open:
- Sun - Sat 11:00 - 16:00
- We recommend booking Smoo Cave tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 3 Smoo Cave tours on Tripadvisor
- Hotels near Smoo Cave:
- (0.25 km) Smoo Cave Hotel
- (0.26 km) Smoo Lodge
- (0.26 km) Morven B&B
- (0.28 km) Durness Smoo Youth Hostel
- (0.73 km) Bae Seren B&B
- Restaurants near Smoo Cave:
- (0.25 km) Smoo Cave Hotel
- (0.36 km) The White Heather Cafe, Bed & Breakfast
- (1.32 km) Sango Sands Oasis Restaurant and Bar
- (2.61 km) Cocoa Mountain
- (2.60 km) Meet And Eat