The World's Coolest Caves

The World's Coolest Caves

The World's Coolest Caves

Caves have always fascinated humanity, and it's easy to see why. The mouth of a cave seems like the entrance to another world, and in many ways, it is. The US has plenty of great caves to explore, but if you love caves and you love to travel, you should definitely add these subterranean wonders to your itinerary.

Waitomo Glow Worm Caves, New Zealand

One of New Zealand's top tourist attractions, the walls and ceilings of this cave are lit by thousands of tiny glow worms, each one sparkling like a miniature star. The Waitomo River flows through the Glow Worm grotto, and visitors can tour the grotto via boat or innertube.

The Blue Grotto, Capri

Capri's Blue Grotto is world-renowned for its beauty. Carved by nature out of the rocky coast of the Italian island of Capri, the combination of sunlight and seawater fills the grotto with an intense blue light.

Phong Nha Cave, Vietnam

Phong Nha Cave is a popular destination in Vietnam perhaps a little bit too popular. Still, the miles of subterranean caverns and passageways and the fantastic stalactites and stalagmites are worth fighting the crowds for.

Cave of Crystals, Mexico

Like something out of a fantasy black light poster from the '60s, Mexico's Cave of Crystals is chock full of unbelievably large crystal formations. Unfortunately, this cave is heated by a magma pool and the crystals, exposed to the air by a mining operation, are deteriorating after being exposed to air. You won't be able to visit this one, but research crews have made jaw-dropping pictures and other documentation available online.

Eisrriesenwelt Ice Cave, Austria

Eisrriesenwelt, which means "Land of the Ice Giants" in German, is the largest ice cave in the world. Temperatures in this cave are below-freezing all year long, so the fantastic ice formations never melt.

To see these caves, you'll need a passport and possibly a visa. Remember to apply for your passport early, as it takes around 6 weeks for your application to be processed. If you pay the additional $60 expedite fee, you'll speed the process up, but not by much it will still take 3 weeks for your documents to arrive. For faster service, make an appointment at the nearest regional passport agency office or use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.

POST COMMENT

How to Buy Front Load Washers Toe Nail Problems Are Different – Take Right Steps to Get Rid All! Get some serious computing power with a desktop PC How to Find Reliable Front Load Washers Fun Uses of the Focusable Laser Pointer BigMachines Achieves Record Growth in 2008 Outstanding Features of Front Load Washers Inge blast gives Tigers second straight walk-off Survey says? In world of predictions, GMs don't know it all Reasons to Invest In Front Loading Washers Do you deserve a second look? Custom is the first contact with the floor, not the last step! Pre-viewing a movie makes it worth a watch