BLUE MOUNTAINS JENOLAN CAVES TOUR

The thin shawls hanging down from cave rooves are pretty astounding
What Type of Tours Does Jenolan Caves Offer?
Even though there is such an expanse of caves and tunnels, just 11 caves are open to the public with a tour guide, who will tell stories about the caves’ discovery by European settlers, and what they meant to the Aboriginal people.
If you’re looking for just one Blue Mountains Jenolan Caves tour, you can choose from 13 different “Show Caves” tours. They tend to last a couple of hours and are relatively easy to traverse. Just watch your head for low low-hanging rocks and get ready to climb some stairs. You’ll be fine!

You’ll see stalagmites and stalagtites as well as glittering crystal deposits
Apart from them, are the tours for those who have a might have a little bit of experience under their belts and want to try something a little more adrenalin pumping. The “Adventure Caving” experience will have you doing everything from abseiling through or into your chosen cave and squeezing through tight spots just like the first explorers did. You will be challenged, but there are beginners Adventure Caving experiences that I would very highly recommend!
Then there are the Night Tours, which are held on Fridays and Saturdays from 8pm to 10pm. Of course there is a ghost tour, what’s the point of being in a cavernous cave if you’re not accompanied by a few spooks? One of the night tours also shows old caves that have been taken off the daytime circuit, and there are some extended tours of caves you can see during the day.
If you have some claustrophobic members of your group, there are things for them to do while you’re getting acquainted with staligtites and staligmites. There are five separate, self-guided bushwalks (download the guides before you visit because there’s no reception out at the caves) that you can go on in the Blue Mountains. The mountains are World Heritage Listed and a beautiful slice of the Australian landscape that really shouldn’t be missed.
Jenolan Show Caves Tours
These are the most common tours that people visiting during the day will go on. They are listed here in order of strenuousness:
- Imperial Cave: Easy with 358 steps, takes 1 hour
- Temple of Baal: Average with 288 stairs, takes 1.5 hours
- Orient Cave: Average with 358 steps, takes 1.5 hours
- Diamond Cave: Average with 386 stairs, takes 1.5 hours
- Ribbon Cave: Average with 394 stairs, takes 1.5 hours
- Chifley Cave: Average with 421 steps, takes 1 hour
- Chifley’s Secret Chambers: Average with 500 steps, takes 1.5 hours
- Lucas Cave: Strenuous with 910 stairs, takes 1.5 hours
- River Cave: Strenuous with 1298 stairs, takes 2 hours
Some of these only run weekly, or once a day so please check the Jenolan Caves website for the correct tour timetables and to book tickets.
Budget Tip: Booking your tour online in advance will net you a few dollars discount. But be sure that you can make the time and date you have selected, as no refunds are issued. You can swap for another tour if spaces are available, but any difference in pricing will not be refunded.
Lucas Cave at Jenolan Caves
My most recent visit to Jenolan Caves was a trip with my Californian other half, Mr M, who was getting the star tourist treatment when I took him to Sydney to meet my family. He had to get some reward for hopping on a 14 hour flight to meet a bunch of (admittedly lovely) strangers. We opted for the Lucas Cave, which is actually the most-toured cave in the complex. It’s easy to work out why: this cave has a bit of everything, including stairs.

And catch little glimpses of beauty everywhere you look.
Over the years I’ve visited the caves a few times – for a tour of the Lucas Cave most recently, and for “Adventure Caving” on the Plughole tour into the Elder Cave.
Adventure Caving Down Plughole into Elder Cave
There are three Adventure Caving options at Jenolan Caves, each ratcheting up the difficulty level:
- Plughole: Runs for 2 hours and is the easiest of the three
- Aladdin: Runs 3 hours and it helps if you’ve done Plughole before. It requires agility and is not recommended for claustrophobics
- Mammoth: Runs 8 hours and is only available once a month. The most strenuous and requires previous caving experience
The Elder Cave is great because you’re always working with gravity to get through tight spaces and there are enough open caves for breathing space. Although some of the squeezes mean going feet first and not being able to see where you’re going to land. Having said that, the two tour guides were great with explanations and guiding you through.

There really are some squeezes in there
Two hours well spent. And I didn’t cry or whimper once, and I was very proud of myself for getting through the whole thing with a smile on my face. And for good measure, you get a certificate to commemorate your achievement!
Important Details: You need to book an Adventure Cave tour online or by phone at least 48 hours before you visit Jenolan Caves. It costs $100 and lasts for 2 hours. Be sure to wear comfortable enclosed shoes with a non-slip sole.
Getting There
Jenolan Caves is accessible by car or bus at 4655 Jenolan Caves Road, Jenolan Caves, 2790.
Several bus companies run services to and from the caves, including Grayline, AAT Kings, and FJ Tours.
Tour Times: The first tour starts at 9am and the last daytime tour begins at 5pm. Night tours are available, see the website for more details.
**Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links you don’t pay a cent more, but I receive a small commission, that is put towards the running of this blog.
It's not really Sydney at all, it's over the Blue Mountains but WELL Worth the drive. We've stayed up there or over in Mt Tomah and done a daytrip from there. I love the Caves. They're quite fascinating!
The caves look awesome. Thanks for the photos as I can be a bit claustrophobic too.
Geography… So difficult to work out. You're right though. The caves are great, so I'm glad you can overlook my geographical-crime 😉
Thanks for visiting Rhonda, the caves are gorgeous if you can put aside the claustrophobia.
Thank you for writing such a lovely article about our caves!
Incredible place! Love to visit there myself..Cheers from NYC 🙂
Any time, I love it there 🙂
Maybe it needs a spot on your bucket list? It is really beautiful.
I love exploring caves, it is a great adventure. The lights on the cave look cool!
I LOVE exploring caves, but I'm with you on the claustrophobia thing!! The real tight squeezes get me good! How long were you having to shimmy through that really tight one for?! I will always do it anyways, I just like to know what to be prepared for! This pictures have me want to go jump in one soon though!! Yay for exploring!
Yep, the lights were a great treat at the end!
Well this one wasn't bad at all Melanie. It was probably half a minute. If that. Not a tunnel really, that I can remember anyway. Have fun!
Good on you for confronting those fears to enjoy these caves. Thanks for sharing your photos and memories. You made me remember a primary school camping trip to the caves area just out of Perth where I grew up. It was a lot of fun. And later, I did visit the caves outside my mother's home town in Malaysia. Quite a different experience as the formations there were decorated with lots of religious statues and offerings.
SSG xxx
I've heard of the Jenolan Caves but never been here I'm afraid. In fact I've not done much travelling inland from the coastal sections of New South Wales, which hopefully I will remedy next year. I'm glad we turned up the heat for you during your recent visit! #TeamLovinLife
I'm both claustrophobic and not great with heights too but gee this looks like fun. I've heard of these caves but never been. I'll have to add that to my to do list because they look beautiful! #TeamLovinLife
I love Jenolan Caves too. Such an awesome place to visit 🙂 #TeamLovinLife
I've visited caves like that in Germany before but never heard about caves where you can go abseiling! Sounds pretty fun though!
There's nothing like a bit of adrenaline to keep you on your toes! Oh cool, you went camping in primary school? The closes we got was to Bathurst for some Gold Panning. And the Malaysian caves sound beautiful. I know they decorate caves like that in Malta as well.
Put it on your list for next year Kathy! You won't regret seeing at least one cave and maybe going for a bushwalk around the caves if you're that way inclined. Thanks for visiting 🙂
There are lots of different levels of difficulty etc so I'm sure they can help you choose one that isn't too enclosed.
My Dad would take all of his relo's there when they visited from Malta. It was great because we got to go a few times when we were kids!
Haha, in Oz we have to do things a little differently right? I've been to an old mine outside of Vienna that was used as a bomb shelter during the war. It was great but I whacked my head a few times 😉
Oh my gosh, I've been there! So often I read blog posts about 'places to visit' and I've never ever been there but… in 1992-1993 (sometime around then) I went with my folks, bro and SIL to visit her parents who were outside of Sydney at the time. We did the Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves… and some wineries enroute if memory serves me.
Of course this was very much pre-mobile / smartphone so I don't even know if I have pics!
Yay! I love it when someone posts about a place that I've been. I get to relive it. Hopefully some of the pictures are familiar to you Deborah. I didn't think to include some winery visits on the way up! But that's a good tip for next time!
I've done Wombeyan Caves a few times and have taken the kids in their lifetime. I haven't done Jenolan since I was a kid though. I might need to rectify that.
#TeamLovinLife
I really like caves and this one is no exception. You photos remind me of the ones I have been to (and how covered in mud I ended up). Not sure if I would be able to crawl thru one now that one of my knees is not doing well but I would like to do a not so "extreme" tour. #TPThursday
I love Jenolan Caves. The hotel there reminds me of the one in Dirty Dancing. What was it called … Kellerman's or something?!
David and I have just been talking about a return trip to Jenolan. We haven't been there for years. It is funny how you travel the world and then sometimes forget about the most amazing places in your own backyard.
I've heard of Wombeyan Caves heaps of times but I've never actually been. Jenolan is a bit of a hike from where you are, but it might be worth a weekender!
The "not so extreme" tour does not involve any crawling or getting muddy Ruth. It'd be perfect for you 🙂
Oh my gosh, yes Janet! I totally see it now! Have you ever actually stayed there?
You're so right Lyn. I was tour guiding my American boyfriend, and we went to heaps of places that I'd never actually gone to before.
Great pics! I'm a bit scared of heights and small spaces too – so well done for doing it! I think you are braver than me… maybe I'm best to start on a regular cave tour first and work up to it 😉 Jenolan isn't too far from us… will have to get down there and check it out!! #throughmylens
Great write up of Jenolan Caves, and like others here, it has been a while since we visited.
Oh, my you are so much more adventurous than I have ever been! What fantastic scenes!
beautiful place! and well done! #wkdtravelinspiration
You're a braver woman than I! I've been to the caves many time and have visited almost all of them but I've never had the bottle to attempt the Plughole and don't think I ever will! That said, I enjoyed the virtual tour and exploring vicariously through you!
For someone who doesn't like tight spaces or heights, I'm amazed you gave the Plughole a go! But you must be thrilled that you did. I'm not sure I could do it. I once went on a geography field trip at school and shrieked when they turned the lights off for a minute in the limestone caves we were exploring. The idea was to show us what 'pitch black' looked like – yup, I got the idea!
#farawayfiles
OOOOhhhhh noooo. That is not for me. I'm so claustrophobic I'd either be screaming or passed out. Good on you that you can squeeze through and enjoy such tight spaces! Thanks for linking up with #wkendtravelinspiration! See you again next week!
Caves look pretty awesome! Will have to remember these! #wkendtravelinspiration
(www.caliglobetrotter.wordpress.com)
I've been to the Jenolan Caves twice (not the adventure tour though). Once as a kid and once with our own kids. They are definitely worth visiting but the traffic and road down to the township can be horrible.
What an amazing place to visit, and your photos are great – you really captured how stunning the surroundings are. #PhotoFriday
It's a great place to start out, there are heaps of caves to choose from!
Thanks for visiting Paula
Hahaha, I don't know about that, but it is beautiful over there.
Thanks Tanja.
I've only been through a couple of the caves so you've done more than I have. Plughole is pretty easy and you could do it if you wanted to, but I guess it's not for everyone.
Ugh, I have a thing with having to do things that scare me. And it was such an awesome feeling when it was done.
Oh Trish, you poor thing! They did the pitch black thing to us as well. I think it's much easier if you have someone's hand to hold onto.
Thanks for visiting Corinne! The claustrophobia can be such a nightmare.
Thanks Lori, they were great.
Maybe I was lucky since we were there on a Thursday, but we didn't hit any traffic. That's a good tip though, thanks Jan.
Thanks for visiting Ruth!
I have had the pleasure to visit Lucas cave aswell, but I never got any good photos of it. My partner was filming with a go pro, but as we didnt have a stabiliser then and it was quite dark at times, you can only imagine how usable the footage is haha! I would suggest not going during a school holiday though, as most of the tours were all booked out by 11 am..
Oh no! I was taking pictures on my phone and I've used some of those for this blog, but they're not as good as Mr M's fancy camera photos, which came out really well.
That's true, we did go on the first week back at school so it was quiet although there were still around 47 people on our tour.
SPARKLE Caves? Yes please! Looks amazing. Athough my inner claustrophobe feels a wee bit worried how I would manage those tight squeezes. Thanks for sharing this cool place with #FarawayFiles, Erin
The cave's interiors look interesting and even beautiful, but I'm with Corinne. you wouldn't catch me crawling through those tight spaces to get there. Glad you enjoyed it! #wkendtravelinspiration
Hahaha, who can say no to a little bling?
Each to their own I guess Eileen. Everyone's idea of fun is a little different 🙂
These caves are truly amazing! I am jealous that you get to explore them. I've only been caving once and I wanted to do it again. This seems like a great place to try caving again in!
GlobalGirlTravels.com
I'm glad that you liked them! You'll have to find some more caves to explore Abigail!
Great post. The cave look awesome.
Thanks for visiting!
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Well this is an awesome adventure! I would love to explore these caves. To Australia we go.
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