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The Jenolan Caves [1] are in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. The cave system has been dated to be nearly 340 million years old, making them the oldest known caves on Earth.

Jenolan's main attractions are the ten caves that are open to the public, filled with spectacular limestone formations. The caves are open all year. They are very popular, receiving 250,000 visitors per year. During school holidays and on long weekends you may find Jenolan Caves crowded (and may have to park in the upper car park), but there will be more cave tours as well.

[edit] Get in

By car it will take you about 2 hours and 40 minutes to get to Jenolan from Sydney. If you are visiting Jenolan from the direction of Sydney, Katoomba and Lithgow, the last section of the road into the Jenolan Valley is very windy and narrow. As a consequence, it is made one way towards from 11.45AM to 1.15PM everyday to allow coaches to enter Jenolan safely on the narrow road. Visitors can still leave Jenolan during these times - via the Oberon Road.

[edit][add listing] See

• The Grand Arch
• The Devil's Coachhouse

[edit][add listing] Do

• There are a number of bushwalks in the area.
• Guided cave tours are the only way to access and see the caves. They are available nearly continuously all day and cost between $15 and $40 (off peak). If you don't care which cave you will tour, you can just turn up and join the next tour. If you want to tour a particular cave, then best to check the cave tour times in advance. Last tour of the day leaves at 5:30 PM. Schedule changes between weekdays/Sat/Sun.
  • Discount on trips are available by presenting your ticket stub from a previous tour (up to a year in the past). This will give you half off most of the tours (though not the ones with tour-size limits)
  • Tour Guides are very knowledgeable and friendly, especially on smaller tours (end of the day)
• Adventure Cave Tour, [2]. The Plughole Adventure Tour runs once daily, it is an intro to Adventure Caving. Instead of a typical guided tour where you walk through and view the cave walls from a distance, an Adventure Tour requires climbing, crawling, and squeezing through tight holes. Overalls, helmet, and a headlight are provided as there are no lights in the cave. The Plughole begins with a 10 meter abseil (rappel) and takes about 2 hours. There are other Adventure Tours that are longer and run less frequently.  edit

[edit][add listing] Eat

The Caves House has a cafe next door (closes early) and a full restaurant upstairs, as well as a bar upstairs. The latter are mainly for the House guests but make a good place to wait for your tour to start if you don't have enough time to do the self-guided walking tour.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• Jenolan Caves Resort. ph 02 6359 3322, fax 02 6359 3227, email bookings@jenolancaves.com, [3]. Jenolan Caves Resort has three accommodation options, the "low" rates apply if you book weeknights or both Friday and Saturday nights, the "high" rates apply if you book Saturday night only:
  • Caves House. Caves House is a historic guesthouse. Accommodation ranges from small rooms with shared bathroom facilities to large suites with private rooms and spas. The suites have views of the Grand Arch. Rates (per person, twin-share) range from $95 (low) and $125 (high) for the basic rooms to $200 (low) and $280 (high) for the large suites.
  • Mountain Lodge Units. The Mountain Lodge units have good quality motel-style units with one, two and three bedrooms. Rates (per person, twin-share) for a one bedroom unit is $105 (low), and $145 (high).
  • Gatehouse. The Gatehouse is backpacker-style accommodation with four or six person shared rooms and communal kitchens and bathrooms. Rates per room are $60 (low) and $90 (high) for a four person room; and $80 (low) and $120 (high) for a six bed room.