The World’s 100 Best Show Caves

A large limestone cave system with huge chambers full of stalactites and stalagmites, an underground river, and blind salamanders. An electric train carries groups about 2 km inside, followed by a guided walk of about an hour with audio guides, then the train back out.

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Large limestone cave with spacious chambers, stalactites, stalagmites and seasonal streams and waterfalls, formed by water over a million years. Visits are guided only, on foot, with short, long and small-group "Valporquero Unusual" routes.

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A karst cave with rich stalactite decoration, huge domes, narrow low passages and wintering bats. Visits are by guided tour only, on foot, choosing a shorter route of about 40 minutes or a longer one of about an hour.

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A large dry cave with chambers tens of metres high and colourful stalactites and stalagmites lit along a wooden boardwalk. After an electric buggy ride through the forest and an uphill walk, visitors descend steps and walk about 1 km unguided, returning the same way.

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Stalactite cave forming the Slovak part of the Baradla–Domica system, with large halls, stalactites, stalagmites, columns and curtains along a lit circuit. Guided tours on foot run at fixed times, and the underground boat ride runs only when the water level allows.

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Karst cave beneath the town of Aracena with stalactites, stalagmites, columns and small blue underground lakes across several chambers and levels. Visits are guided group tours on foot, with stairs and low sections where visitors must duck.

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A large dripstone cave with stalactites, stalagmites, colourful pools and the underground Demänovka River flowing through its chambers. Visits run as guided tours on foot along stairs, with a short circuit of about an hour and a long circuit offered once or twice daily.

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Limestone cave near Majdanpek with stalactites, stalagmites, water-filled tubs and an underground river, home to several bat species. A guide opens the cave and gives an introduction, and visitors often walk the lit paths alone; the flooded lower level is closed.

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A limestone cave with stalactites, stalagmites, columns and cave bear fossils and skeletons, spread over several galleries. Visits run only as guided walking tours, with the guide speaking Romanian and recordings played in other languages.

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A single large limestone chamber 100 metres underground, holding a forest of around 400 stalagmites lit by sound and light effects. A funicular carries groups down to a viewing platform, followed by a one-hour guided tour on foot down and up stairs.

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A large limestone cavern with stalactites, stalagmites, columns, flowstone and mirrored pools, lit without coloured lights. Visitors walk a self-guided route on paved paths with a handout or QR code, passing a stalactite organ.

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Large limestone cave with a huge main chamber, the Big Room, full of formations along dim, lit paved trails. Visitors walk down the steep Natural Entrance trail or take the elevator, then explore self-guided at their own pace.

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Limestone cave system with large halls, stalactites and stalagmites, and an underground canyon cut by the Reka River and crossed by high bridges. Entry is by guided tour on foot only, followed by a self-guided return on one of three outdoor routes.

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A small, multi-level karst cave with dendrites, coral-like formations, stalactites, a white limestone waterfall and seasonal lakes. Guided groups enter every hour after a steep 20–30 minute climb by path and metal stairs from the parking lot.

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A large limestone cave on several levels, with stalactites, stalagmites, huge chambers and lighting effects. Guided groups reach the entrance by bus, descend hundreds of steps on foot, then cross a short stretch by boat and exit by miniature train.

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A 7.5 km limestone cave carved by the Nam Hin Bun River, mostly pitch dark, with two lit chambers of stalactites and stalagmites. A boatman takes groups of up to three by motorboat through the cave to a village rest stop and back.

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A stalactite and stalagmite cave on a cliff above the Mediterranean, with columns, bats and a still underground lake at the bottom. Visitors buy a ticket and walk down long stairways alone to view Mirror Lake, then climb back up.

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Limestone cave with thousands of soda straw stalactites, clear turquoise underground river and lakes, large chambers and an aquarium of olms. Visits run as a one-hour guided tour in French with individual headsets, ending with a sound and light show.

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Limestone water cave in the Zagros highlands near Hamedan, with clear underground lakes, winding corridors and rock formations shaped like animals. Visitors in life jackets ride linked pedal boats steered by boatmen, then walk a path with stairs and bridges.

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Large limestone cave with vast chambers, draperies, stalactites and stalagmites, centred on the Cathedral chamber under artificial lighting. A funicular carries groups up into the mountain, then a French-language guided tour continues on foot over many stairs.

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A large limestone cave on two levels, with a huge entrance portal, high chambers, stalactites, bat colonies and cave bear bones. Visits are guided tours on foot along an 8-shaped route of metal stairs and walkways, starting on the hour.

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A limestone cave on an uplifted coral reef island, sealed by double doors to keep humidity near 100%, with white stalactites, stalagmites, columns and stone curtains. Visitors explore alone on foot along numbered stairways and decks, with a borrowed tablet or audio guide.

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Limestone cave dense with stalactites, stalagmites, columns and red and white sails, many shaped like figures such as elephants. Visits run as guided tours of about 30 minutes, following a lit route with steps that descends roughly 45 to 55 metres.

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A warm, humid limestone cave about 150 feet underground, decorated with helictites, cave coral, popcorn, soda straws, cave bacon and crystal-covered walls. Visits are guided walking tours on a trail of about 1.5 miles with many stairs.

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Large limestone cave with vast chambers of stalactites, stalagmites and eccentrics, reached along a level path running about 1 km into the mountain. Visits run as guided group tours in Greek and English, leaving every 30–40 minutes, with lights switched off behind the group.

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Limestone cave with halls of stalactites, stalagmites and calcite formations in red, white and yellowish colours. Visits run as guided walking tours along a set path through two levels.

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Karst cave of about 400 metres with large halls full of stalactites, stalagmites, stalagnates and stone waves, plus a hall known for its acoustics. Entry is only by guided group tour, with commentary in Bulgarian, along a lit path with metal stairs.

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A river cave and Maya archaeological site where ceramic pottery, skeletal remains and cave formations lie where they were left, ending at the Crystal Maiden skeleton. Licensed guides lead groups on a jungle walk with three river crossings, then wading, swimming and climbing inside.

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A deep natural chasm leads down to an underground river, lit lakes and large galleries with rock formations. Visitors descend by stairs or lifts, walk with an audio guide and cross the river by boat with a boatman.

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Two limestone caves with stalactites, stalagmites and an underground river: an upper grotto walked on foot and a lower grotto seen by boat. A cable car leads to the upper cave, a train to the lower one, all on one ticket.

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Small cave of about 200 meters with five halls of onyx, stalactites and stalagmites lit by colored LED lights. Guided groups enter on the hour, with helmets, along metal platforms through narrow, low passages.

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A set of large limestone show caves in rainforest, including Deer, Lang, Wind and Clearwater caves, with formations, an underground river and a nightly bat exodus. Visits run as guided tours reached on wooden walkways through the forest or by longboat on the river.

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A large limestone show cave with big chambers, crystal formations, straw stalactites and stalagmites under lighting. Visits run as guided group tours on foot, descending and climbing back up stairs between viewing platforms.

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Limestone show cave with huge chambers, one 120 metres high, filled with stalactites, stalagmites and other formations. Visits are guided group tours on foot along a fenced walkway, reached by a short shuttle bus from the ticket office.

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A large stalactite cave with lit halls of stalactites, stalagmites and stone curtains, plus an underground river. Visits run only as large guided groups on foot along a concrete path, with an optional short boat ride and a bus back to the entrance.

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A large, living limestone cave with stalactites, stalagmites and other formations, including the huge Cathedral Room, plus bats and salamanders. Guided tours start with an elevator ride down, on either the shorter Dripstone Trail or the longer, stair-heavy Discovery Trail.

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A single large chamber, about 30 metres high, viewed from several levels, with stalactites, stalagmites and a sound and light show at the end. Visits are guided tours of about an hour, in French and English, along paths with few stairs.

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A dripstone cave on the Hungarian side of the Baradla-Domica system, with large halls, stalactites and stalagmites along the Styx stream, which is often dry. Visits are guided walks on lit paths with many stairs, followed by a bus back between entrances.

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River cave where an underground river runs the length of the visited section, with stalactites, bats and a collapsed mill hall open to the sky. Visits are by hourly guided tour only, mostly in Greek, along walkways and bridges above the water.

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Limestone cave carved by the Orbe River, with stalactites, draperies and an underground river, ending in a large domed chamber and a mineral museum. Visitors walk the loop on their own with push-button lighting and a free app audio guide.

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A dry limestone cave with several identified levels, of which one is open, showing stalactites, stalagmites, crystal formations and named halls such as the Bride and Groom hall. Groups walk the lit path on foot with a guide and return the same way.

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A natural limestone cave with no electric lighting, holding Palaeolithic paintings, stalactites, stalagmites and a bat colony. Visits run only as small guided tours in Spanish and English, with visitors carrying lanterns or flashlights along about 500 metres of passages.

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Large limestone cave system with huge chambers, long corridors of stalactites, stalagmites and columns, ending at the White Cave. Visits are guided group tours on foot in several languages, on a short route of about 1.5 km or a full route of about 3 km.

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A natural, unlit limestone cave system on a family farm, with a stream running through it, glowworm-covered ceilings and eels in the water. Small groups follow a guide on foot through forest, then wade the stream, climb boulders and squeeze through narrow gaps.

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Large lighted cave with stalagmites, stalactites, big rooms and an underground river running through it. Visits are guided walking tours on paved, often steep and wet concrete ramps, with stops where the guide explains formations and history.

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A stalactite cave in the Sauerland with stalactites, stalagmites and lit rock formations along a path of about 1 km. Entry is by guided tour only, in German, with groups starting about every 15 minutes and keeping a brisk pace.

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A river cave with an underground river, where stalactites and stalagmites form shapes such as lions, thrones and Buddha figures, and bats hang from the ceiling. Boats travel along the Son River into the cave, then visitors continue on foot along wooden platforms to the exit.

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Limestone cave with varied concretions, calcite draperies, crystals and a sound and light show, visited after introductory films. Guided tours on foot in French follow platforms and many stairs, with a smartphone audio guide, and Spéléopark caving courses run separately.

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A limestone cave carrying a navigable underground river, with stalactites, stalagmites, cathedral-like chambers and roosting bats along the first kilometre or so. Visitors take a banca from Sabang to the beach, walk to the entrance, then ride a paddle boat lit by the boatman's flashlight while listening to an audio guide.

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A large limestone cave of high chambers with stalactites, stalagmites, fossils and calcite that sparkles under flashlight beams. Visitors climb about 300 steps, crawl through a narrow entrance, then follow a required local guide along wooden walkways by flashlight.

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Limestone cave with a dense chamber of stalactites, stalagmites and columns, small underground lakes and wintering bats, lit plainly without coloured lights. Entry is by guided tour only, in small groups led on foot through the galleries.

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A large limestone cave with high chambers, stalactites and stalagmites, lighting, an underground river and many sections altered with cement. Guided tours in Portuguese descend on foot down many steps, with a multilingual audio guide app, and return by elevator.

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An active limestone cave with stalactites, stalagmites, columns and travertines, lit along an underground stream. Visitors walk alone along a walkway of about 850 meters with bridges and platforms, then return the same way.

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A wet cave with stalactites, flowstone, rimstone dams, still pools, a stream and waterfalls, lit with colored lights. Guides lead groups on foot along a trail with spiral staircases, and at one stop the lights are turned off for total darkness.

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Large limestone cave with stalactites, stalagmites, five domes, viewing platforms, an underground river and bats. Tours 1 and 2 follow lit dry stairways at visitors' own pace, while guided wet Tours 3 and 4 wade through streams and tunnels.

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A living limestone cave with formations that keep growing from dripping water, reached through airlocks and seen along a lit concrete path. Visits are guided group tours of about 20 people, with phones, bags and cameras left outside.

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A large show cave with huge chambers full of stalactites and stalagmites, dimly lit for preservation, with cave paintings in a closed section. Visitors walk through alone in timed slots, following a path with stairs and an audio guide on their phones.

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Limestone cavern with lit formations, a flowing spring, fish, turtles, bats and steel bridges over the water, plus a long history of human use. Guided walking tours descend a ramp from the gift shop, with optional crawling and wild tours.

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Large show cave with huge halls, stalactites, stalagmites and bats, inhabited in prehistory and later used for aging wine; the hall with prehistoric paintings is closed, shown on film instead. Guided walks of about 1.7 km run on foot, with a train back at weekends.

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A large limestone cave with a high dome-shaped ceiling, stalactites and stalagmites, a stream and a waterfall falling in from the entrance. Visitors walk alone down long, wet metal stairways from a narrow entrance and climb back out the same way.

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Former zinc and lead mine with large chambers full of stalactites, stalagmites and eccentric helictites growing in all directions. A mining train carries groups inside, then a guide leads the rest on foot, with lighting and sound effects along the route.

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A huge, mostly dry limestone cave system with large canyon-like rooms, narrow passages and some dripstone formations, plus a long history told by rangers. Visits run on ranger-led walking tours of varying length and difficulty, with one short self-guided route.

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Limestone cave near Tripoli with stalactites, stalagmites, coloured formations, flood traces and archaeological finds such as human bones and pottery. Visits run as hourly guided tours in Greek or English, starting from the on-site cafe.

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Privately owned cave with stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, pools and an underground waterfall, set on grounds full of alien and dinosaur statues. Guided tours of about an hour cover either the upper or lower level, ending with lights out and a UV glow demonstration.

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Karst cave with stalactites, stalagmites, underground rivers, small lakes and a first chamber once used as a water temple. Speleologist guides lead tours in Italian along metal walkways and stairs, with audio guides in other languages.

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A deep chasm with vast chambers, stalactites, stalagmites and columns, lit along the route and ending with a sound and light show. Guided groups descend about 700 steps through three chambers to -121 metres and return by elevator.

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Limestone cave with large halls, stalactites, stalagmites and dripstone formations, ending at a lake where classical music plays in an acoustic hall. Visits run only as guided group tours on foot, with audio commentary at numbered stops and a long climb to the entrance.

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Limestone show cave reached by steep steps, with large chambers of stalactites, stalagmites and other formations, lit throughout. Visits run as guided tours in small groups, on foot through three or four chambers.

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A limestone show cave about a kilometre long, with stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones, columns and coloured rock formations that guides compare to animals and objects. Visits are guided group tours on foot along a roped, stepped path, leaving every half hour.

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A wet limestone cave with an underground stream, where bats, spiders, crickets, crabs and fish live among stalactites, stalagmites and narrow passages. Guided groups wade, crawl and climb through a section of the system, choosing easier or tighter routes along the way.

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A wet limestone cavern with deep, clear underground lakes, stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws and cave bacon, still being explored by staff. Visits are by guided walking tour down steep stairs, with low ceilings and tight spots, plus after-hours blacklight tours.

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Large limestone cavern in a state park with a wide entrance, big rooms, stalactites, stalagmites, fossils and bats. Guides lead groups along a paved path to the back of the cave, turn the lights off for a light show, then visitors walk out at their own pace.

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A limestone cave with stalactites, stalagmites and a cathedral-like chamber, ending at a ceiling of glowworms seen from a boat in the dark. Guides lead groups on foot through the caves for about 25 minutes, followed by a short silent boat ride.

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A limestone cave system with several separate show caves holding stalactites, stalagmites, shawls, crystals and an underground river, reached past a large open arch. Visits run as guided group tours of single caves, booked by time slot, after an escorted drive down the access road.

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An ice cave on the Dachstein where seeping water freezes into ice walls, halls and ice stalactites, lit with a light and music show. Guided tours only, in German and English, reached by cable car and a steep uphill walk.

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Limestone cavern in the Smoky Mountains with stalactites, stalagmites, streams, large rooms and an underground waterfall. Visits are by guided group tour on foot, with many stairs, low ceilings in places and a stop with the lights turned off.

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A cave filled with permanent ice, where visitors walk between ice walls, thick floor ice and ice formations at temperatures around 0 to -2 °C. Entry is by guided tour only, mostly in Slovak, after a 20–30 minute uphill forest walk.

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A limestone cave known for its eccentric stalactites, alongside stalactites, stalagmites and columns, discovered by a blast in 1957. Visits run as guided tours on foot, ending with the lights turned off to hear dripping water.

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Ice cave in the Alps whose first kilometre holds large ice formations, lit only by lanterns and headlamps carried by the groups. Visits run as guided tours in German or English, reached by two uphill walks and a cable car.

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Large limestone cave system of enormous halls with stalactites, stalagmites and lit rock formations, plus bats and a concert stage. A guide leads groups of up to 50 along a 2 km paved path, and visitors walk back alone at their own pace.

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A natural stalactite cave discovered in 1985, with no paths or lighting, holding large chambers of stalactites, stalagmites, columns and curtains. Small groups follow a guide in overalls and headlamp helmets, crawling and squeezing through narrow passages on a two-hour tour.

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A limestone cave with a stream running through it, formations, a large chamber and glow worms near the end. Entry is by guided tour only, about an hour on foot, down around 54 steep steps, with a ladder and tight, low passages.

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A family-owned show cave with formations, winding narrow paths, and wildlife such as salamanders and bats. Visits run as guided walking tours of about an hour on mostly flat, lit paths, with a museum and gift shop on site.

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A limestone cave system with a river running through it, made up of three caves holding stalactite formations, shapes resembling animals, bats, fish and ancient teakwood coffins. A mandatory local guide leads groups by lantern on foot, with a bamboo raft ride to the third cave.

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A wet show cave in the Ozarks packed with stalactites, stalagmites and drapery formations, ending at a clear blue pool. Visitors walk through on guided tours of about an hour, with tight squeezes and low spots; a black light tour is also offered.

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A semi-flooded underground river cave in the jungle, with stalactites, stalagmites, columns and clear water in pools from ankle deep to swimming depth. Small groups walk and float through with a guide, wearing wetsuits, life jackets and headlamps.

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Large karst cave carved by an underground stream, with vast chambers, limestone concretions, bear remains and a waterfall in the final chamber. Guided tours climb hundreds of steps on foot, with a pause in complete darkness.

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Limestone cave with stalactites, stalagmites, draperies, calcite discs, lit shallow pools and an underground river. One-hour guided tours in French run every 15 minutes in large groups, starting down a long staircase and ending with a little train ride back.

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A lake cave with stalactites and stalagmites, reached first by a short boat ride through flooded tunnels. Boats carry about eight people for around five minutes, then visitors walk out alone on a lit path, about 20 minutes in total.

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A large karst cave system joining two caves: the Sloupská part with abysses and high domes, and the Šošůvská part with denser stalactite decoration. Guided tours run on foot in Czech, as a 70-minute short route or 110-minute long route, plus children's and adventure routes.

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Limestone cave in the Moravian Karst with rich, colourful stalactite and stalagmite decoration, large halls, narrow passages and wintering bats. Visits run as guided tours on foot of about 45 to 60 minutes, with many stairs up and down.

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A stalactite cave with dense stalactites and stalagmites, slender dripstone candles, flowstone curtains and a clear lake near the end. Volunteer guides lead two-hour tours in German down steep stairs and ladders, telling the story of the Hofer couple who opened it.

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Limestone cave with illuminated stalactites, a fast-flowing underground river and several clear blue underground lakes, the deepest about 98 metres. Visitors walk through alone on lit paths, with an optional loop of about 270 steep steps or a return the same way.

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Large limestone cave in the Ananthagiri hills, with deep chambers full of stalactites and stalagmites lit by colourful lights. Visitors walk down stairs and paved paths on their own, and local guides can be hired at the site.

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Large limestone cave above the Jonte gorge, with chambers of stalactites, stalagmites, draperies and columns, a petrified waterfall and an old underground riverbed. Visits run as guided group tours on foot, mostly in French, with longer three-hour and children's tours offered.

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Limestone cave with stalactites, stalagmites, drapery formations and an underground stream lit by glowworms. Guided tours start with a van and small train through rainforest and a walk up steps, then go on foot through the cave, with an optional inner-tube float out down the river.

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Large unlit limestone cave of stalactites and stalagmites, with several chambers, underground lakes and bats. A local family guide leads visitors on foot with helmets and headlamps, over slippery climbs and rope sections, often exiting on the far side of the mountain.

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Karst cave with stalactites, stalagmites and other dripstone formations, sleeping bats and remains of cave bears. Guided groups of up to 15 walk a concrete path for about 45 minutes, with a short light and music show.

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Living limestone cave near Delijan whose walls are covered in coral- and cauliflower-like deposits, with stalactites and stalagmites along a fault-line groove in the ceiling. Small groups walk about 1,200 metres in with a guide and return the same way.

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Limestone cave with large chambers of stalactites, stalagmites and rock curtains, lit by artificial lighting. Guided tours only: the Heritage Tour walks through four or five chambers in about an hour, while the Adventure Tour crawls through narrow passages and a chimney.

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