Can you visit Waitomo caves on your own?

If you're going to Waitomo and want to see the glowworms, you don't need to take a tour. Drive to Aranui Caves at night and go see them yourself. It's a far, far better experience — you can stay for as long as you want, you'll likely be the only people there and it's completely free to experience.

Which cave is best at Waitomo?

Ruakuri Cave is the most innovative cave experience. The tour takes you above an underground river, amongst draped stalactites and below galaxies of glowworms, all while making the most of cutting-edge engineering for an completely accessible cave experience. Aranui Cave is our 'best kept secret' cave.

How should I dress for Waitomo Caves?

What do I need to bring on each tour? On the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, Ruakuri Cave and Aranui Cave tours, you will need comfortable shoes and a warm jacket. For the Black Labyrinth and Black Abyss tours, you will need swimwear and a towel, wetsuits will be provided.

Why are the Waitomo caves famous?

Waitomo is a world-renowned destination and one of New Zealand's top tourist attractions. Famous for its high population of glowworms, but there is so much more to it than that! As a region, Waitomo has built its reputation on the sheer beauty and scale of its subterranean landscape.

Are Waitomo Caves worth it?

Well, if you've read all the responses you'll know that the overwhelming response was yes the Waitomo Caves are worth it. ... If you're super confused about which tour to take, the i-Site in Waitomo is super helpful and can help you with your booking.

Are Waitomo Caves free?

With caving, abseiling, black water rafting, climbing, glowworm boat tours, it's pretty easy to spend your backpacker budget in the fascinating Waitomo Caves. But when you have dried off from your underground glowworm caving adventure, there are heaps more awesome things to see in the Waitomo area... for free!

How long is Waitomo Cave tour?

Tours range from a 200 metre walk of approximately 55 minutes, a walk of 1.6 kilometres over 90 minutes or a tour of 3 hours (including travel time). Your guide will be able to tell you about the history of the cave, as well as showing you speleotherms (stalactites and stalagmites), fossils and cave creatures.

Where do you stay at Waitomo Caves?

Explore guest reviews of hotels in Waitomo Caves

Waitomo Boutique Lodge. Waitomo Caves. 9.2 Awesome 16 reviews. ...
Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park. Waitomo Caves. 9.0 Awesome 617 reviews. ...
Waitomo Caves Guest Lodge. Waitomo Caves. ...
Glow Worm Motel. Waitomo Caves. ...
Woodlyn Park Motel. Waitomo Caves. ...
Abseil Inn. Waitomo Caves.

How far is Taupo from Waitomo Caves?

How far is it from Taupō to Waitomo Glowworm Caves? The distance between Taupō and Waitomo Glowworm Caves is 97 km. The road distance is 149.3 km.

Are glow worms worms?

The Glow-worm is not actually a worm, but a beetle. Males look like typical beetles, but the nightly glow of a female is unmistakeable - lighting up to attract a mate in the darkness of their grassland habitats.

Are glow worms only in New Zealand?

This particular species of glowworm can only be found in New Zealand and parts of Australia. Glowworms in other parts of the world actually refer to beetles, making our glowworms unique. Don't miss this special opportunity to see nature at its best and book a tour to the Te Anau glowworm caves today!

Who discovered the Waitomo Caves?

The caves were first explored in 1887 by local Maori Chief Tane Tinorau accompanied by an English surveyor Fred Mace. Local Maori people knew of the caves existence, but the subterranean caverns had never been extensively explored until Fred and Tane went to investigate.

Black Labyrinth or Tube it in Waitomo? [closed]