Jenolan Caves - Best Cave To See
Visitors are always asking which is the best cave to see. For many though it ends up being the next available tour. If though you want to try and work out what best suits your needs read below. Note that if the cave you get to see is important to you then you should book ahead by calling Jenolan on (02) 6359 3911
Best all round cave
Most guides agree the best all round cave is the Lucas. You get to see the underground river, some enormous chambers, impressive decorations and we even play some music to you. This is the cave that most weddings get performed in as well.
Group Size
Many people don't think about the size of their group until they end up on a tour. The Lucas has the largest groups topping out at 60 people. The reason for this though is it is a very big cave and can accommodate large numbers. A bit smaller are the tours of Chifley and Imperial at 40 people. Orient, Baal and River are 26 people whilst Cerberus and Ribbon take just 8. Jubilee is 16 people.
Underground River
The best cave to see the underground river on is the Imperial. This is because you get down to the river level and it flows straight by you. If the guide shines his torch downstream you can even see the water cascading over rocks. Its always easy to get on an Imperial Cave as well. This is in contrast to the River Cave which sells out early. With clever lighting the scenes of the river in the River Cave make some incredibly beautiful scenes. The same applies to the Cerberus Cave. A much smaller section of the river is seen in the Lucas
Best for Children
The two main criteria for picking a cave for children is tour length and number of steps. Children are better usually on short tours so Imperial and Chifley are best in this regard as they are 1 hour. Imperial also has very few steps. Young children don't handle steps well, especially in low light so tackling something like the Lucas can be daunting. Also avoid the Lucas if your child is learning to walk. Many young children want to walk every step - and get upset when mum or dad have to pick them up to help. The Baal is best avoid until children are in their late teens. It is a cave where you stand and look and soak up the beauty of the cave. For most children this is incredibly boring. The River Cave is also best avoided as it entails a descent down an 8m ladder.
Best for physically impaired
Once again, go for the Imperial as it has very few steps. After that the Orient would be the next best choice as you can see the Persian and Egyptian Chambers then wait for the group whilst they see the Indian Chamber, down a flight of steps. Whilst no formal wheelchair tours are conducted, if you contact the guides office beforehand on 02 6359 3911 they may be able to organise a special inspection of some wheelchair accessible areas.
Best for photographers
The Temple of Baal and Orient are best for those taking photos on the grounds that they don't move very quickly so you have plenty of chances to take great shots. They also have a minimal amount of wire netting to get in the way. Regardless of which tour you go on all will give great chances to take photos. Just remember you can't take tripods on cave tours.
Best adventure
This tends to be a factor of time. If you have all day then go on the Mammoth tour. The guides will shape the tour based on your capability and at the end of the day you will be amazed at your experiences. If time is an issue then do the Plughole. Its available for those people arriving on coach tours as well as regular day visitors. You get to abseil, have a go at squeezing and in general have a great time.
Best if you feel you may be claustrophobic
Many people find being in the caves an awkward experience. If you feel you may not be able to handle it, go for a walk down to the Devils Coachhouse before booking your tickets. If you can handle that then you will no trouble doing something like the Temple of Baal. The Lucas is also a very big cave although it does have some confined sections at the start. Imperial, whilst being a smaller cave can be more comforting because you start the tour almost immediately you enter the mountain (as opposed to the other tours which have to travel through some entrance passageways). This means you feel less 'trapped' and if you find in the first chamber you can't continue the guide can let you out easily. Finally there is the self-guided tour of the Nettle. It is actually an upper level of the Coachhouse so is quite large. It is very rare for people to feel claustrophobic in this cave.
Best all round cave
Most guides agree the best all round cave is the Lucas. You get to see the underground river, some enormous chambers, impressive decorations and we even play some music to you. This is the cave that most weddings get performed in as well.
Group Size
Many people don't think about the size of their group until they end up on a tour. The Lucas has the largest groups topping out at 60 people. The reason for this though is it is a very big cave and can accommodate large numbers. A bit smaller are the tours of Chifley and Imperial at 40 people. Orient, Baal and River are 26 people whilst Cerberus and Ribbon take just 8. Jubilee is 16 people.
Underground River
The best cave to see the underground river on is the Imperial. This is because you get down to the river level and it flows straight by you. If the guide shines his torch downstream you can even see the water cascading over rocks. Its always easy to get on an Imperial Cave as well. This is in contrast to the River Cave which sells out early. With clever lighting the scenes of the river in the River Cave make some incredibly beautiful scenes. The same applies to the Cerberus Cave. A much smaller section of the river is seen in the Lucas
Best for Children
The two main criteria for picking a cave for children is tour length and number of steps. Children are better usually on short tours so Imperial and Chifley are best in this regard as they are 1 hour. Imperial also has very few steps. Young children don't handle steps well, especially in low light so tackling something like the Lucas can be daunting. Also avoid the Lucas if your child is learning to walk. Many young children want to walk every step - and get upset when mum or dad have to pick them up to help. The Baal is best avoid until children are in their late teens. It is a cave where you stand and look and soak up the beauty of the cave. For most children this is incredibly boring. The River Cave is also best avoided as it entails a descent down an 8m ladder.
Best for physically impaired
Once again, go for the Imperial as it has very few steps. After that the Orient would be the next best choice as you can see the Persian and Egyptian Chambers then wait for the group whilst they see the Indian Chamber, down a flight of steps. Whilst no formal wheelchair tours are conducted, if you contact the guides office beforehand on 02 6359 3911 they may be able to organise a special inspection of some wheelchair accessible areas.
Best for photographers
The Temple of Baal and Orient are best for those taking photos on the grounds that they don't move very quickly so you have plenty of chances to take great shots. They also have a minimal amount of wire netting to get in the way. Regardless of which tour you go on all will give great chances to take photos. Just remember you can't take tripods on cave tours.
Best adventure
This tends to be a factor of time. If you have all day then go on the Mammoth tour. The guides will shape the tour based on your capability and at the end of the day you will be amazed at your experiences. If time is an issue then do the Plughole. Its available for those people arriving on coach tours as well as regular day visitors. You get to abseil, have a go at squeezing and in general have a great time.
Best if you feel you may be claustrophobic
Many people find being in the caves an awkward experience. If you feel you may not be able to handle it, go for a walk down to the Devils Coachhouse before booking your tickets. If you can handle that then you will no trouble doing something like the Temple of Baal. The Lucas is also a very big cave although it does have some confined sections at the start. Imperial, whilst being a smaller cave can be more comforting because you start the tour almost immediately you enter the mountain (as opposed to the other tours which have to travel through some entrance passageways). This means you feel less 'trapped' and if you find in the first chamber you can't continue the guide can let you out easily. Finally there is the self-guided tour of the Nettle. It is actually an upper level of the Coachhouse so is quite large. It is very rare for people to feel claustrophobic in this cave.