Spectacular Caves
Underworlds of stone, ice, and light. 18 places, mapped and ready to build a trip around.
Plan a trip on Trailwind →Son Doong Cave
VietnamBestFeb–AugClimate59–90°FCurrencyVNDLanguageVietnameseSơn Đoòng Cave, in Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng National Park, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, is the world's largest natural cave.
Ellora Caves
IndiaBestOct–FebClimate61–100°FCurrencyINRLanguageHindiThe Ellora Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Aurangabad, India. It is one of the largest rock-cut cave complexes in the world, with artwork dating from AD 600–1000, including Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain caves. The complex is a leading example of Indian rock-cut architecture, and several are not strictly "caves" in that they have no roof. Cave 16 features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world, the Kailash temple, a chariot-shaped monument dedicated to the god Shiva.
Thien Duong Cave
VietnamBestFeb–AugClimate61–91°FCurrencyVNDLanguageVietnameseThiên Đường Cave is a cave in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, UNESCO's World Heritage Site, 60 km northwest of Đồng Hới city. Thiên Đường Cave is located on an elevation of 350 meters above the sea level, near the west branch of Ho Chi Minh Highway, in Son Trach Commune, Bố Trạch District, Quảng Bình Province, Vietnam.
Mogao Caves
People's Republic of ChinaBestMar–OctClimate14–91°FThe Mogao Caves, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes or Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, form a system of 500 temples 25 km (16 mi) southeast of the center of Dunhuang, an oasis located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road, in Gansu province, China.
Elephanta Caves
IndiaBestDec–FebClimate66–93°FCurrencyINRLanguageHindiThe Elephanta Caves form a collection of cave temples predominantly dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva; UNESCO has designated them as a World Heritage Site. They are located on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri, in Mumbai Harbour, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of Mumbai in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The island, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) west of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, features five Hindu caves, a few Buddhist stupa mounds that date back to the 2nd century BCE, and two Buddhist caves with water tanks.
Cueva de las Manos
ArgentinaBestSep–AprClimate23–73°FCurrencyARSLanguageSpanishCueva de las Manos is a cave and complex of rock art sites in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, 163 km (101 mi) south of the town of Perito Moreno. It is named for the hundreds of paintings of hands stenciled, in multiple collages, on the rock walls. The art was created in several waves between 7,300 BC and AD 700, during the Archaic period of pre-Columbian South America.
Cavern of the Patriarchs
PalestineBestMay–OctClimate43–90°FThis article presents a list of notable historical references to the name Palestine as a place name for the region of Palestine throughout history. This includes uses of the localized inflections in various languages, such as Latin Palaestina and Arabic Filasṭīn.
Škocjan Caves
SloveniaBestVariesClimate32–82°FCurrencyEURLanguageSloveneŠkocjan Caves is a cave system located in Slovenia. Škocjan Caves was included on UNESCO’s list of natural and cultural World Heritage Sites in 1986. Škocjan Caves is a significant underground phenomenon on the Karst Plateau and in Slovenia. After gaining independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, Slovenia made a commitment to actively protect the Škocjan Caves area. To fulfill this commitment, Škocjan Caves Regional Park was established, along with its managing authority, the Škocjan Caves Park Public Service Agency.
Hira
Saudi ArabiaBestNov–MarClimate61–106°FJabal al-Nour is a mountain near Mecca in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia. The mountain houses the grotto or cave of Hira, which holds tremendous significance for Muslims throughout the world, as it is here where the Islamic prophet Muhammad received his first revelation of the Quran, which consisted of the first five ayat of Surah Al-Alaq from the angel Jibra'il. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Mecca.
Batu Caves
MalaysiaBestMay–JulClimate73–88°FCurrencyMYRLanguageMalayBatu Caves are a series of limestone caves in Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located on a 325 m (1,066 ft)–tall mogote, about 13 km (8.1 mi) north of the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. The cave complex contains many Hindu temples, the most popular of which is a shrine dedicated to Murugan, and is the focal point of the Tamil Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia. The complex hosts a 43 m (141 ft) tall Murugan statue, amongst the tallest Murugan statues in the world.
Seokguram
South KoreaBestVariesClimate21–81°FCurrencyKRWLanguageKoreanSeokguram is a hermitage and part of the Bulguksa temple complex in Gyeongju, South Korea. It and Bulguksa are both on the mountain Tohamsan, although the two are separated by distance of around 3 kilometres (1.9 mi). The grotto overlooks the East Sea and rests 750 meters above sea level. In 1962, it was designated as a National Treasure of South Korea. In 1995, Seokguram was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List together with the Bulguksa Temple. It exemplifies some of the best Buddhist sculptures in the world.
Shanidar Cave
IraqBestVariesClimate34–106°FShanidar Cave is an archaeological site on Bradost Mountain, within the Zagros Mountains in the Erbil Governorate of Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. Neanderthal remains were discovered here in 1953, including Shanidar 1, who survived several injuries, possibly due to care from others in his group, and Shanidar 4, the famed supposed 'flower burial', where pollen has been suggested to be the remnants of deliberately placed flowers. Until this discovery, Cro-Magnons, the earliest known H.
Kapova Cave
RussiaBestMay–SepClimate5–79°FCurrencyRUBLanguageRussianShulgan-Tash Cave, also known as Kapova Cave, is a limestone karst cave in the Burzyansky District of Bashkortostan, Russia. It is located in the southern Ural Mountains, on the Belaya River in the Shulgan-Tash Nature Reserve, approximately 200 km (120 mi) south-east of Ufa.
Gorham's Cave
United KingdomBestVariesClimate50–82°FCurrencyGBPLanguageEnglishGorham's Cave is a sea-level cave in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Though not a sea cave, it is often mistaken for one. Considered to be one of the last known habitations of the Neanderthals in Europe, the cave gives its name to the Gorham's Cave complex, which is a combination of four distinct caves of such importance that they are combined into a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the only one in Gibraltar. The three other caves are Vanguard Cave, Hyaena Cave, and Bennett's Cave.
Kondoa Rock Art Sites
TanzaniaBestJun–OctClimate52–82°FCurrencyTZSLanguageSwahiliThe Kondoa Rock-Art Sites or Kondoa Irangi Rock Paintings are a series of ancient paintings on rockshelter walls in central Tanzania. The Kondoa region was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006 because of its impressive collection of rock art. These sites were named national monuments in 1937 by the Tanzania Antiquities Department.
Denisova Cave
RussiaBestApr–MayClimate1–75°FCurrencyRUBLanguageRussianDenisova Cave is a cave in the Bashelaksky Range of the Altai Mountains in Siberia, Russia.
Cave of the Crystals
MexicoBestAug–MayClimate41–95°FCurrencyMXNLanguageSpanishCave of the Crystals, also known as Naica Cave or the Giant Crystal Cave, is a cave connected to the Naica Mine at a depth of 300 metres (980 ft), in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. It takes the form of a chamber within the limestone host rock of the mine, and is about 109 metres (358 ft) long with a volume of 5,000 to 6,000 cubic metres.
Azykh Cave
AzerbaijanBestVariesClimate28–82°FAzykh Cave, also referred to as Azokh Cave, is a six-cave complex in Azerbaijan, known as a habitation site of prehistoric humans. It is situated near the village of Azykh in the Khojavend District. The cave is an important prehistoric site which has been occupied by different human groups over time. The ancient layers of the Middle Paleolithic have yielded Neanderthal fossil remains that may date from around 300,000 years ago.