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Waitomo - Eco Adventure Glowworm Cave Tour - Off the Beaten Track

Badge of ExcellenceWaitomo, New Zealand

Glowworm Caving Adventure Tour in Waitomo

3 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Experience one of the wonders of New Zealand’s natural world on this glowworm caving adventure in Waitomo. Choose a morning or afternoon tour, then pull on your boots and helmet before heading through the pretty Mangapu Gorge to the Mangarongapu Cave with a guide. With your headlamp to light the way, hike around huge boulders and through shallow streams, and marvel at the millions of bright green glowworms illuminating the rocky limestone. Enjoy personal attention from your guide on this small-group tour, limited to six people.

Informative, friendly and professional guide
All necessary equipment included
Soak up the atmosphere on a walking tour
Small group ensures personal service

What's Included

See the caves just as nature intended. All caving equipment and warm clothing including: thermal top, thermal pants, fleece top, shorts, gumboots, socks, helmet and headlamp. A local guide with a deep connection to the caves and a wealth of information to share. Tea, coffee, and a snack. An email with awesome photos of your adventure. Proper Kiwi hospitality!

We can not pick up or drop off. There is no public transport so you will need to have your own transport to 1199 Oparure Road.

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

1199 Oparure Road, Te Kuiti 3985, New Zealand
1199 Oparure Road, follow the signs.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Down to Earth - Eco Cave Tours In Waitomo

3 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Minimum of 2 people per tour.
Maximum of 8 people per tour.

Minimum age is 12 years.
Children under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult.
This tour is not suitable for elderly people or anyone with mobility difficulties as it involves climbing over boulders, walking up hills and wading through streams with rocks underfoot.
A reasonable level of fitness is required.
Tours may be cancelled in case of flooding. In the unlikely event that your tour is cancelled, you'll receive a full refund.
Not recommended for travelers with a low level of fitness
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Susan_B

This was an awesome experience! Ash was so fun and patient. So enjoyed the scrambling around and gawking at the sights. A highlight of our time, would highly recommend.

Reviews

5.0

258 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 258 reviews

Once in a lifetime experience

Alyssa_P, Apr 2024

Our tour was amazing. Only six of us with our guide. You wear the clothes they provide for good reason. You will get dirty and wet! You will squeeze through tiny spaces in rocks and climb giant boulders. Very physical tour!!

Intimate and fun cave experience

Myra_L, Apr 2024

Ash was an incredible guide and this was a fantastic, intimate, fun experience. It was very cool seeing glowworms up close. I did not do the more touristy caves, so I cannot compare, but I highly recommend this experience!!

Fun and memorable

Sandra_C, Mar 2024

Ash was very interactive and knowledgeable and made the whole experience fun and memorable , would highly recommend. Thanks Ash

The Best Way To Experience Gloworms!

Austin_P, Mar 2024

I am writing this review not because anyone told me to, but because I need others to know how special a trip this is. From the moment you pull up it feels like this is a small well run family business. When you walk in the door the experience is exactly that. Ash was friendly and funny. Gave the history of his families land and the caves themselves. He walked the line perfectly of giving information and allowing people a chance to just take in the scenes. There is nothing quite like when all the lights are out and it’s nothing but glow worms and the sound of the flowing river. Breath taking! To add to the family feel of the tour Ash sends you all pics for free and they are great quality. The cookies and drinks were the perfect way to finish up the tour as we shared travel stories. If you are wanting to experience the glow worms in a natural way with a small group you there is no better tour. Leave the big tourist tours and try out Down to Earth!

streams, caves, glow worms, short trails in the woods back to the farm, It was perfect.

mina_h, Mar 2024

Cave tours in small groups! streams, caves, glow worms, short trails in the woods back to the farm, It was perfect. You could spend about two and a half hours with tourists from all over the world and take wonderful photos. Here's a tip, when you're taking photos in glow worms spot, bring your faces as close as possible. :-)

Unique adventure

Ted_H, Mar 2024

Be prepared to get your feet wet and scramble over and around rocks but sitting in a dark cavern with the glow worms all around is worth the journey.

Incredible adventure

Ria_H, Mar 2024

This was such a great experience, I never expected anything like this. We were a small group of only six people and Ash our guide was awesome. He took us through a little river and we climbed through caves for about 2 hours. The sights were simply beautiful and I totally forgot about the glowworms, which we saw in the last cave. It was an incredible adventure, not just a “ glowworm tour”. My husband and I absolutely loved it!!!

A wonderful adventure!

Lisa_F, Mar 2024

What a great time we had! Ash was a wonderful guide, and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. The glow worms were amazing, as was the beautiful environment surrounding the caves. We left feeling like we had a true caving adventure. They are memories that will last a lifetime. Thanks so much!

Glowworm Extravaganza!

Matthew_D, Mar 2024

Ash was a wonderful tour guide! Think it was the best glowworm experience we could have possibly imagined!

Cave adventure

Susan_B, Mar 2024

This was an awesome experience! Ash was so fun and patient. So enjoyed the scrambling around and gawking at the sights. A highlight of our time, would highly recommend.

Amazing Adventure

David_S, Feb 2024

Excellent adventure with an excellent guide. If you are looking for a cave tour that isn't commercial this is the one for you. Be aware you have to have a reasonable level of fitness to complete this tour. I would highly recommend.

Twice the fun at half the price.

Robert_S, Feb 2024

I don’t usually write reviews. But this trip was so good I’ll make an exception. Down and dirty walking through the cave instead of floating with a bunch of people was great. Small group (4 plus guide) and individual attention, great. Much lower price than other tours, great. Note; the cave we visited was on private property owned by the tour company. But we didn’t lose anything by going there except the crowds. Also; the tour company provided clothes and boots. We didn’t have to get our street clothes dirty.

Stunning Experience

Kevin_F, Jan 2024

Authentic cave experience with lots of bouldering. Be ready to challenge yourself over, under and through narrow slots, ankle deep water, large boulders and low ceilings. Absolutely stunning experience.

Excellent experience!

David_S, Jan 2024

This was a great experience. Our leader, Ash, was funny, conscientious, and informative. They provided EVERYTHING - clothes, boots, helmet, lamp. Highly recommend this company.

A fun day!

Kimberley_I, Jan 2024

Our guide Ash was a blast - funny, knowledgeable and supportive to our groups needs. Loved the visit afterward as well

Adventurous Tour

Molly_M, Jan 2024

This was a very adventurous and cool trip! The guide was so funny and knowledgeable. The glow worms were very cool and the whole experience getting to them was ever cooler. If you are an adventurous person who likes exploring and seeing new things this is the tour for you.

Fantastic experience, Ash...

Carla_F, Jan 2024

Fantastic experience, Ash was a such an amazing tour guide, funny and always making sure that the whole group was having a great time. I would definitely recommend!!! :)

Don’t look anywhere else if you look for a cave adventure without a big crowd

Tara_N, Dec 2023

Ash gave us a wonderful tour. We were a total of 6 guest with Ash in the cave. A reality great experience. If you look for a none crowded and very individual cave and glow worm adventure don’t look anywhere else.

Superb Caving Adventure

Sarah_P, Dec 2023

Such a beautiful and engaging adventure! Not your in and out sighting of glowworms. Loved the caving, the biodiversity ( cue the eel), and of course the glowworms. We enjoyed our guides knowledge and calming demeanor. Such amazing beauty, definitely worth the drive! We’d highly recommend!

Excellent experience, just what we hoped for

Katherine_H, Dec 2023

This was a spectacular small group experience in a family-run environment. We feel fortunate that they chose to share these amazing caves with the public. We had plenty of time to see everything from the cave formations to the glow worms themselves, never rushed. Ash was a warm and knowledgeable guide, boots and outfits worked well, and we enjoyed learning about this land. Highly recommend.

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