Jenolan Caves

These caves are absolutely beautiful, and the hike through them is pretty easy (just a little tight at times), while offering an adventure-filled day just a short drive from Sydney. Our bus wound it's way around the mountains to the caves, with many stunning vistas along the way. We met up at the large mouth to the cave opening. We saw several colorful birds around the outside of the cave and some wallabies too! Our guide gave us some information about the history of the caves and then our hike into the caves began. If you're not an experienced hiker, no need to worry. The tour through the cave is along a boardwalk with a hand rail for most of the areas where that there is a steep incline or rocky terrain. We entered in and wound our way through several passages and stops within the Lucas Cave - including the underground river, the cathedral chamber/cove where choirs come to sing, and a stop where we all turned off our phones or flashlights and got to experience pure darkness that drove many cave explorers mad back in the day! Our guide also showed us many rock formations that cave hikers used to find their way within the cave's many routes. In the choir cove, the guide turned out all the guide lights and showed us that they have a light show installed within the cave as well, which was very neat to see. We hiked our way out and around the beautiful Blue Lake, before heading back to Sydney. A quick day-long trip to see mountains, caves, and a little bit of wildlife!

#68 for 2021 The Aboriginals were the first visitors to the Jenolan Caves using the healing pools found deep inside long before the Europeans discovered it in the 1840s. Dated to be about 340 million years old the Jenolan Caves are the most ancient open caves in the world spanning more than 25 miles multileveled with over 300 entrance points following the subterranean section of the Jenolan River. I am so interested in caves because they are like a secret world full of mystery, wonder and excitement. With 16 caves to explore, Jenolan offers all kinds of adventures for every different level of cave exploring for all ages young and old. The most popular cave is the Lucas cave. Since we were here for a few hours and could only choose 1 that was the unanimous vote by our group. The tour takes about 1.5 hours. Our tour group was large and the guide did a good job keeping everyone together to prevent straggling and further damage. The high lights for me is the underwater river, stalactites and stalagmites with their interesting names (I can't remember any of them now) and the brilliant colors. I was able to take some fantastic pictures and enjoyed it all. Parts of the hike can be difficult for those not in the best of health. However, I can say many of us were kind to wait for those back in the pack giving kind words of encouragement. Our guide was very informative providing interesting tid bits of information and answering all questions asked. She explained the geology of the formation and what the cave means to different groups of people. She also said the acoustics are so good, better than any where else in the world man made or natural. Some people have had events in the main chamber for celebration including weddings. For the heavy peek season it may be better to make reservations. We were able to get up there and pick a time slot when to go. You choose the cave, if it is open, and the time. Meet your guide at a particular location close to the entrance of the cave and begin your tour. This particular tour was about $35.00 Aussie. You may have to wait for a little while before your tour begins. This was a good time for us to get a bite to eat because the drive up is over an hour. Driving through many country roads was quite enjoyable actually. So green and cool with lots to see, stop and do. But I digress. If you didn't bring any food you have a few choices. Chisolm's Restaurant was closed for us. This was designed in 1871 for the wealthy land owners. If you want to dine like you in the bling here's your chance to bling out. If you just want a drink you can hang at Jeremiah's Bar & Lounge. This was closed to us too. Maybe it was too early in the day. Jeremiah is Jeremiah Wilson the first official Jenolan Cave guide considered a good looking, red haired Irish not just a cave explorer but a notorious ladies' man. I wonder if being a cave man has an impact on that kind of life style? What was open? Caves Cafe is where we were able to get small plates at a moderate prices. As a suggestion you might be better off bringing your own brown paper bag lunch. Save you money for some better eats in the towns close by. I was amazed to see the number of creatures about. A beggar red parrot. Sorry I had no food. A large swimming lizard trying to decide how threatening I would be. And a wombat crossing the road without any care in the world who everyone was or why they were taking pictures. I think he just wanted to get to the other side. He did allow me to take many pictures. So photogenic too. There are a few short hiking trails you could explore. Some have aggressive ascents. Check with park staff for weather conditions and health risks before beginning any hike. Part of our group tried to do this but turn back after winds got fierce. You could do what I did. Go up high enough to get a few down perspective shots of the surrounding are. Very picturesque actually. Visiting the Jenolan Caves in the Blue Mountains is an absolute treasure. I would love to go back to explore other caves. Maybe in the pitch dark. Nah. Maybe not.

Lots of caverns to explore. Better be quick. I hear they are closing in a few months to repair the road coming in and add to the caves. Might be a couple years before they reopen. Visited Baal cavern. Easy walk with some steep stairs. Well worth the climbing.

Such a gorgeous place that's 3 hours away from Sydney! My husband and I decided to stay overnight in Katoomba so we'd have more time to visit both the Jenolan Caves and Three Sisters since they're only one hour apart. You have to book the tour in advance online because on certain months the tours will all be gone. My husband and I chose to visit the Lucas cave and Imperial cave because we were able to visit both in the same day, and, between the two caves, we were able to see many different things like the river, rock formations, fossils, and chambers. One downside is that if a tour is fully booked, it can get crowded in the caves especially in certain areas that bottle neck. But don't let that discourage you! The caves are still absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. Just make sure to wear the proper clothing and footwear since the caves get cold. There are other caves you can visit as well, but some caves will require all day to traverse and prior knowledge with climbing and caving.

I was hesitant when I saw how much the tours cost ($40ish), but we did it anyway. We booked the Imperial Diamond tour and we all loved it! It was an easy amount of walking for those who aren't super active, but included an optional 10-minute (or less) detour down 66 stairs to the beautiful, crystal clear, and super-still underground lake. The cave had many beautiful aspects to it, like crystal stalagmites and strips hanging from the ceiling that looked like bacon. :) Our tour guide was really great, talking about both the history and the science of the cave, and giving us a quick experience of the absolute darkness of the cave without the lights on. The 90 minute tour was definitely worth the $45 dollars.

If you like physical geography and caves and rocks and minerals, then you will love Jenolan Caves. Keep in mind it is not that near Blue Mountains as in it is not a 15-20 minutes drive away. It took us over an hour to maybe 90 minutes to get there as the road gets winding at some parts and so it is best to keep to the speed limit. If you are prone to motion sickness, take some pills for it (I took Travel Calm on the journey back and I was fine). The altitude changes as the road goes downward gradually so you will not realize it till later. The last 20 minutes of the drive I was hit by motion sickness because of the road plus change in altitude. We booked our tour tickets over the phone two days before and we just need to head to the office to pick up the tickets. If you download the Blue Mountains app, there might be some discount on Jenolan Cave. We missed out on that as we made the booking earlier and the credit card was already charged. We booked the Diamond Cave tour which includes the Imperial Cave with an option to visit the Jenolan Underground River. It was so pretty to see the helictites, stalactites, stalagmites, shawls and wave crystal. The guide was also very knowledgeable and could tell us many stories about the cave. If you are able and not afraid of height or darkness, do take the 66 steps down to see the river. The water in the river is so clear and pristine and just be in awe, knowing the water in there is millions of years old and and has been around for eons. It is amazing how they have preserve and make the caves safe for visitors to explore. It is cool inside the cave but not freezing cold. Bring a light jacket if you are afraid of the cold. Your clothes may get cave dirt as you may need to bend low to get around. This is definitely an experience.

So cool! We came here on a Thursday as part of a greater tour of the Blue Mountain area. It was a long and windy drive so we were glad to have someone else who was familiar with the area doing the hard part for us. I didn't see any individual groups that drove themselves but maybe that was due to it being a weekday. I'm not sure what the logistics would entail for that but their website is very useful and probably has a section covering that information. The caves were awesome! We went on a tour of the Lucas Cave. They really put a lot of thought into the tour as different areas were lit up to showcase what was being presented. It wasn't super well lit but it is a cave so it would've been a bit strange if it had been. I anticipated worrying about watching my step the whole time as we were traversing stairs, bridges, etc. It was never an issue. In fact, no one seemed to have any problem. The initial ascent is definitely the hardest part (a lot of stairs) but it wasn't particularly difficult and you don't need to be in good shape to do it. Our tour guide had been working in the caves for years and had some interesting stories to share. Overall it was a great experience and I'd highly recommend the tour. 5 stars.

Excited? You bet. Challenged? You got that right. Thrilled? Well, I'was. I was awed and amazed with the awesome and Jaw-dropping view of the inside of the caves. A glimpse of heaven. All the crawling, climbing, and descending was a bit challenging, harder than you might think. It definitely unleashed my adrenaline. I took few deep breaths, and my heart was pounding, my palms were sweaty and my breathing felt heavy. Indeed that sent a little thrill through me. Very thrilling and memorable treat for those in the know, not to be missed. Five Yelps.

Managed to get here on the last day of exploration in Sydney. Decided to rent a car and drive down here. Was a 2 hours drive from Parramatta. By the way, don't use the map link and address on Yelp if not you will have to hike up for 45 minutes. Wanted to do the Diamond cave tour but unfortunately we were too late but we managed to explore Lucas cave (one of the best ones I suppose - according to the little descriptions on the brochures or the big signs). The tour was pretty good. The steps are walkable - was a bit tedious at the beginning as it has more steps. During my tour, there are a few kids that joined us and they kinda survived the narrow and uphill as well as downhill climbs. I enjoyed the different sound and light effects and the explanations about the limestone caves and the crystals by the tour leader. Price wise it was a little steep. I got the 50% off voucher after buying the Lucas cave and decided to pass it on to the next visitor so they can enjoy the caves for half off. Overall, it isn't as tiring as I thought through watching the clip provided online. But make sure to check the timings for different caves and what it entails before coming here. :)

Bring a sweater because it gets cold in there! The tour I did was of the Lucas Cave, which is the most popular one. The tour lasts about 1.5 hours. There are 910 steps you need to get through, which actually wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. There are plenty of stops in between to rest and admire the rock formations. But they do have easier caves if you don't feel like climbing all those stairs. Also, if you're SUPER claustrophobic, you might want to reconsider. There are some (not a lot) of pathways that are pretty narrow and you almost have to squeeze through them. There's an area inside of the Lucas Cave, which is the highest point of the cave, called 'The Cathedral'. Supposedly, it has great acoustics. Because of that, it's sometimes used for concerts and even wedding ceremonies. It was cool to see the caves but I really didn't think it was anything spectacular. After a while, everything starts to look the same. Plus, it didn't exactly help that our tour guide spoke in a monotone and seemed like he hated his job. If you have time after seeing the Blue Mountains, then take a look. Otherwise, I don't think this alone is worth the trip all the way from Sydney.

Arrived late in the afternoon and was definitely please with the finale of our Oz trip. Tours were finished, but we took a little time to do the quick self guided tour through nettle cave and out on a forested bushwalk, where we saw the most birds during our 18 day trip. If we had more time I would have loved to do the river walk.

The last time I went to Jenolan Caves was as I child so I jumped at the opportunity of going again with someone else tackling the 3hr drive there. THINGS TO SEE We went on the River Cave Tour ($40) and booked in advance to avoid the queue (particularly important if your going on a weekend or public holiday). I find the formation of Stalactites and Stalagmites particularly fascinating and beautiful. The most famous stacmite on the tour is the minaret. http://www.yelp.com.au/biz_photos/9OwfCQptZ8QIydmQiSctIw?select=lzTAlm4FCLzNOO0hmE_MZQ I also loved Esther's Chamber http://www.yelp.com.au/biz_photos/9OwfCQptZ8QIydmQiSctIw?select=9DfdmNSUSoeSzBGqsPpWIQ The highlight of the tour is the river (duh!). The pool of reflections is the prettiest one with lights that illuminate the water to show it's blue colour. Absolutely gorgeous. http://www.yelp.com.au/biz_photos/9OwfCQptZ8QIydmQiSctIw?select=jj1GYZsyRbBqbDKwONlLjw The tour lasted approximately 2hrs and the tour guide was extremely well informed about both the history and geological aspects of the caves. VERDICT If your already going to the blue mountains you might as well keep driving another hour to experience a magnificent display of the hidden beauties of nature. CUTE FACT To remember which one is which stalactities are the ones that form from the ceiling that "hold on tight" whilst stalagmites "might reach the ceiling".

A trip to NSW isn't complete without a trip to Jenolan Caves! I highly, highly recommend touring at least one cave here. There are coaches that will drive you here, but my fiance and I opted to drive. Now, he's very experienced with driving on winding roads, so the drive wasn't too bad. But if you're not used to driving on narrow, winding roads, then it's best to hire a coach. We booked three cave tours: the Lucas, Orient, and Temple of Baal. If you purchase one tour at regular price, then the subsequent tours are all half off, so we paid less than $200 USD for the two of us for 3 cave tours. Now, that is cheap. Lucas is one of the largest and most popular caves. They recommend that cave if you only have time for one tour. Since we allocated an entire day here, we were able to fit in three tours. There is a set tour schedule so you'll have to see which tour(s) will fit your time frame. We started with Lucas, followed by the Orient, and then finished with Temple of Baal. The entry for the Orient and Temple of Baal requires going up some serious steps, so be prepared to do some walking! Anyway, all three caves wowed us, but I thought the Orient was the most impressive. We are lead to different chambers by very informed guides. Upon entry, most of the chambers are dark. The guide will give us background information on what we are about to see and then they'll turn on the lights to different sections of the room. With each on light switch, a bit of the room is revealed to us as we oooh and ahhhh at the magnificent sights. Once all sections are lit, we are welcomed to take photos before moving on to the next chamber. Of the three caves, I liked the Orient the most. It's one of the smaller tours so it only accommodates a maximum of 25 people. Although small, this tour has some amazing formations, including one I deem the White House. Now, the difficulty of each cave varies. Some of the caves require more walking, while others require you to climb many steps, so you'll have to be in decent shape to explore some of them. Now that I've had a tour of some of these caves, the next time I'm here, I'll be sure to go one of the adventure caving tours offered. Hope you enjoy the Jenolan Caves as much as I did!

I've been to Jenolan Caves ever since I was born. Amazing place and one of my favourite places in the world. I've done 100s of tours and they all still amaze me. Caves House is a great place to stay. Some great bush walks. The Six Foot Track is one of the best. The self guided tours are a lot of fun and there's no need to buy tickets for those. If you like Australian wildlife you can easily find some Kangaroos and maybe even a Platypus. If suggest getting to the Caves as early as possible to make the early tours. Parking can fill up quickly. One word of warning; The Caves Rd closes north bound from 11:45am to 1:15pm each day. If you plan on leaving make sure you get out before they close the road.

The tour I took was to the Lucas cave. It's gorgeous and amazing. I did the walking tour and that was plenty for me. They do offer caving which I heard is wonderful as well. The guides are very informative and do a great job of highlighting with stories. The only thing I would recommend (as I'm not sure if it's an option) is to go on a smaller tour. We had a tour of 60 people and it just took FOREVER to get from one part of the cavern to another. Within walking distance is the Blue Lake. Very beautiful and peaceful. I found a platypus swimming there. There were a few wallabies found as well. This is regarding the eatery at the Jenolan caves and some advice to management. When there are an overwhelming amount of tourists getting off the tour bus and heading to the eatery, try to find a more orderly fashion of creating and help facilitate a line to pay for food, one for picking up hot food, and another for cold food (salads, sandwiches, etc.). During my visit, a fight broke out between customers because no one knew where the line was (think bottle neck effect). There was pushing, shoving, few words interchanged, and punches with a lady getting hurt..and children nearby at risk. Yes, it was the fault of the patrons, but perhaps forethought on the management part would have made the process of paying for food run a bit smoothly. Just a few thoughts after the altercation I had to witness.

Overall good experience. Love that they have a cafe and a restaurant on the same premises. The cafe is affordable though the restaurant of course is over priced for basic tasting food. We stayed in the modern lodge and it was really cozy. Overall loved the trip!

If you find yourself here PLEASE do the adventure caving! YOU WILL MISS OUT if you don't!!!!! It was so much fun. Would you rather just walk around a cave and just look at it? OR would you rather put on a jump suit, strap on a helmet with a flashlight and really go into those caves and get dirty!! You get to abseil down into the cave, squeeze into tight spaces, and the guide at one point made us turn off all our flashlights so we can see how impossible it is to see in the pitch black. Apparently, back in the day people used to tour the cave with candles! and they blow out so they'd have to remember their way back in the dark. WHAT!? Insane but ballsy. It's a cool tour and must do! I had a 70+ year old couple on my tour and it was pretty cool to see them be able to keep up with the younger folk. So don't be scared!!! Just do it. You won't regret it. I went alone and talked to a couple of my fellow tourists and it was fun. So, go alone or accompanied, you'll have fun. NOW GO!

Just finished the River Cave Tour and had an amazing time. The caves are breathtaking and our guide Lochlan was fabulous. He was very knowledgeable, funny, told some good jokes, and offered to help take photos of me and my husband. A+ service.

We had the best time at the Jenolan Caves. We stayed at the guest house overnight. We flew into Sydney via Brisbane and rented a car at the airport and headed straight out to the caves. It's about a 3 hr drive heading into the blue mountains. It's an amazing drive going out towards the caves. Beautiful scenery as you pass through small australian villages and small towns. The Caves are way out there. As you get close you start your decent down a very narrow road that takes you winding down the mountain side. I saw a couple of kangaroos As you approach the caves ,you drive through a big cavern upon the other side lies the hotel . A huge victorian mansion at the bottom of the mountain side. Inside is Ultra victorian decor, with pictures on the walls of the caves in the early 1900's. Also a huge case of crystals in the entrance way that came from the caves. There is a bar and a Restaurant on the 2nd floor and during the day there is a cafe/cafeteria with sandwiches and coffee. (tip:bring what you need because there is no store close by .For this reason hotel bar and Restaurant is pricey So my wife and I we've never been cave exploring before so we really didn't know what to expect but we were exited to check it out. We booked our cave tours online which made it really easy, you just have to make sure you give yourself time to get there and get settled. We timed it really well, we left Sydney in the late morning and arrived in time to get our first cave tour at about 7.00pm. We had asked the guide over the phone which are the best caves to visit if you only have a day or 2. They suggested the Imperial Cave and the Orient. It was very cold out side when we toured the first cave (The Imperial cave). Inside the caves actually gets warm. We were lucky to get a tour with about 10 other people . The tour guide said they can have groups from up to 100. The cave itself is truly amazing, it's an incredible feeling being so far inside the earth, squeezing through narrow passageways and suddenly appearing in an amazing led lit cavern. There are lights all the way through done beautifully to Accentuate the colors of the different crystal forms. We were taken all the way down to a Beautifully clear river that runs far underground. Stunning! There were a few moments when i realized how far inside the earth we were and it took a second to regain composure, This was a great cave to tour I came out in awe. Walked back to the hotel (2mins) and had light dinner at the Restaurant .The dinning room is something out of the shinning but the food was ok. Bedrooms are small , No TV or wi-fi. Bring a book my friend! They were having a wedding downstairs when we went to bed they decided to boom techno music for about half an hour, not fun....but they did have an electric blanket an I cranked that sucker up to10..zzzz . The next day we got up early . Did breakfast in the dinning room which was actually continental but really good! Then we were off to tour the Orient cave which I have to say is the most incredible cave ever. You will not believe the beauty in this cave. One of the most visually inspiring places i have ever experienced. If you go to Jenolan you must see this cave! Mind blowing and Awesome. This was so worth the experience . If you're out in Sydney make time to visit Jenolan Caves. The history is cool to learn and I promise you will be amazed!I We can't wait to go back. Our tips: 1. Gas up before you get there. 2. Road closes in the morning you have to leave another direction but actually some beautiful spots on that route out. It does make a loop back towards the Hwy 3. Gets really cold at night, snowed a little when we were there.(july) 4. see the Orient Cave 5. Bring in a packed lunch , sodas whatever, very expensive/no store nearby. 6. Check out there website ,really detailed site , informative and easy. 7. Book Tours ahead 8. Off season = small groups on tours

A wonderful place for a weekend but not child friendly when there are no toilets available near the dining room. We were staying in the cottage and it was not possible to take a small child up there in a few minutes hence she was left distressed with wet pants - port-a-loos are very dark without a torch so one has to come VERY prepared. Also our dining experience was not pleasant on Saturday evening last. Our waitress, Alannah was most inattentive - no cutlery removed, no side plates for the garlic bread which we had to ask for at least three times before one serving not the two requested was brought to the table. We then had to wait a very very long time for the children's dessert (icecream and topping!) and ww were never asked if the adults would like any dessert hence no order was made and we left the restaurant with a very bad taste in our mouth. The caves were splendid as was our guide on Saturday morning - a wonderful experience.

Not at all Handicap assessable. They will, and in my case did. State when I called first from Sydney Hotel. That they were. Handicap assessable. Upon arriving it turns out only the bathrooms to a min. extent and the entrance to the restaurant main building are. You can make your way on several short walks. Go by a small dam and see some fish ect at that location. But nothing worth a full days ride from Sydney. Their policy is NO REFUNDS and you will get none. The fees included in the trip cost to see the caves. Are not refundable either. The caves require climing. Hundreds of stairway steps. many difficult, various sizes, heights,etc. It makes it a Heavy hall for people up in age. My lady went thru it. It was much more difficult than other caves we have explored. As for me I got to sit on a bench for hours waiting for the cave tour to end and the trip back to Sydney. Bus driver, ticket agent ect. Could not care less and it was ovious by their statements. So If you have any physical problems stay away. Go to Cairns, Take the Train from Cairns Central thru the rainforest and enjoy yourself. Up their, they do care how you are doing.