Voice of Travel

For those with a sense of adventure, there are many spectacular views below ground. There are many caverns throughout the world and here are just a few.

Carlsbad Caverns – New Mexico, USA

Columns and Domes in the Big Room, Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Located in the southwestern United States, Carlsbad Caverns is a series of over 300 caves covering many miles, some of which are accessible to the public. The temperature inside the caves is generally around 56°F (13°C) with little variation.

The basic entrance to the cave has two self-guided routes, 1 mile Big Room Route and the 750 foot Natural Entrance Route. Each of these take about an hour to explore. There are also 6 other caves with guided tours in the area and are open daily except Christmas.

Naracoorte Caves National Park – Australia
Located in southern Australia, the Naracoorte Caves are a series of 26 caves, of which a handful are open to the public.

It was added as a World Heritage Site in 1994 for its extensive fossil record. One of the caves is even known as the Victoria Fossil Cave which a developed pathway and stairs. Another cave is Alexandra Cave, which is about a 30 minute tour where you can see spectacular cave formations. These caves are very accessible for all ages. There are also more adventurous caves with longer tours and some crawling and squeezing your way through.

The park has camping grounds, picnic grounds and a caravan park so that you can make an adventure out of your visit.

Cango Caves – Oudtshoorn, Garden Route, South Africa
The Cango Caves, formed over 20 million years ago, lie in the Swartberg Mountain range near the southern tip of the country. It is an International Heritage Site and the mountain are part of a lime stone belt about 1.5km in width and almost 16km in length. The cave itself is about 5.3 kilometers long.

It takes about 90 minutes to venture through the guided tour and the temperature is a constant 18C.