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
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

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
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 wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
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

Traveler Tips

To see and understand all about glow worms in their natural habitat and to combine it with a true caving experience, rather than just seeing them from a boat or raft, can not be underestimated.

Reviews

5.0

186 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 186 reviews

Beautiful adventure!

Theresa_Z, Mar 2023

Our guide Ash was the best guide ever! We had so much fun and the tour was incredible! The caves are insanely beautiful! If you are looking for smth special this is definitely what you should go for! At the end we even got a cup odd tea and some cookies :)

Unforgettable Waitomo Cave experience with experienced guide and tour member

LaiMan_W, Mar 2023

Climbing on stones is my most memorable experience since to me it is a challenge. I always have the scary mentality of climbing. Our tourist guide Stefan gave us confidence and courage to overcome the difficulties. He helped us to proceed. He is hilarious and help us to relax. Glowworm scenery is unforgettable and fantastic. I find this tour very interesting. Definitely recommend.

Get in that cave

Ian_M, Feb 2023

It was a great time. Ash was great! If you want to actually get into the cave, this is the tour. They really do provide all you need. Trust your guide and get in that cave. Did I mention that Ash was great!?

Beautiful starry night under the ground

Coline_S, Feb 2023

I chose the Off the Beaten Track tour to be away from big touristic sites and wasn’t disappointed. It felt magical to go down the river, inside the caves to get to enjoy the glow worm lights as a small group. Got a little wet but that’s part of the adventure! Ash was a great guide, cheerful and always cracking jokes while teaching us about this magical place. And he also took some great shots! I would definitely recommend.

The most memorable experience of my first trip to New Zealand!

Alison_T, Feb 2023

This was the most memorable experience of my first trip to New Zealand. I've never done any caving before. This small-group tour (8 people max) was just the right level of excitement and physical challenge for me, wading through the underground stream, clambering over boulders, squeezing through a few narrow (but not too narrow spots), and sitting in the dark listening to the roar of the water while our eyes adjusted to see the glow worms at their best. Our guide Ash was great at supporting one particularly nervous participant. The clothes they provided kept us comfortable even when we were wet. I appreciated that we were given plenty of time to sit in the dark and experience the glow worms. Their cave isn't modified at all, so we saw the natural cave. The hike back out of the cave was through stunning forest. The guide took photos for us during the tour and they were emailed to us afterwards at no extra cost. Note: Waitomo Cave tours vary widely. Some are through caves which have been heavily modified to be accessible (even to wheelchairs). Others are very adventurous, requiring you to jump backwards off waterfalls, landing on an inner tube. This one was the perfect balance for me. (I'm in my late 50's, and moderately fit.) I highly recommend this tour and this company! My husband loved the tour too.

A fabulous experienc

Victoria_I, Feb 2023

We felt incredibly lucky to be the first group back into the caves after the terrible flooding at the beginning of February. Ash was a superb guide and it was a very special experience. Highly recommend it!

It’s a must

Mark_S, Jan 2023

An amazing experience and one that takes you away from the crowds and give you a much better, less touristy experience

Would recommend this tour...

Serena_S, Jan 2023

Would recommend this tour to anyone looking for adventure while traveling through the north island! Ash, our guide, was awesome and very knowledgeable. Climbing through the caves was one of the coolest things I've done. And got to finish with a cup of tea and biscuit!

Caving with the Glowworms

Susan_T, Jan 2023

Awesome experience. Not at all like the commercial tours of the caves. Small groups, need to be ready for caving, climbing over boulders, fitting through tight areas. Challenging but would do it again. Would highly recommend.

Wonderful tour!

Nicole_H, Jan 2023

My husband and I had a great experience with Ash as our guide and the small group tour! We had no problems finding the departure spot and were warmly welcomed upon arrival. The tour was well paced and informative, and they provide you with all the equipment/clothing you need to be comfortable making your way through the caves. There is so much to see along the way, in and out of the caves, and the glow worms did not disappoint! What a memorable experience!

Absolutely "Off the Beaten Track"!

Carolyn_C, Jan 2023

We had a wonderful time! There was so much to see in the caves and on the trail. Ash made the time very enjoyable and he looked after us well! We really enjoyed the fact that we were the only people there (we were a group of 6). We didn't feel like we were just on another group tour! It definitely was "Off the Beaten Track" and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a beautiful hike and an opportunity to see some very interesting caves!

A real kiwi experience

JOHN_T, Jan 2023

This experience was exactly what we wanted, old fashion, natural as nature made it, tough enough for us 70 + year olds but not daunting. A true kiwi bloke who had passion flowing out his veins, thanks ash your knowledge and laughs will be shared with many for a long time. Even our elegant German lady of state who was so afraid of the cold is still singing your praises from a high.

Adventurous Glow Worm Experience

Victoria_V, Oct 2022

Adventurous small group cave experience. Several obstacles to climb over and around made it exhilarating and of course we got to see the happy glow worms.

Similar name is deception. Be carful while selecting the Waitomo caves tour

Arun_M, Oct 2022

It was a mistake. We misunderstood this as famous Waitomo glow warm caves tour and booked this adventure tour. So skipped it all together( and lost money). This name is so exactly sounds similar that it is easy to get mislead. Viator must not promote two identical sounding tours.

Response from Host, Oct 2022

There are 5 different tour companies that run tours through just a few of the 300+ caves here in the famous Waitomo area. We named our tour "Off the Beaten Track" to help identify that we are just that - off the beaten tourist track and our customers LOVE it that way. Our description on Viator clearly states the activity we provide, along with photos that show our experience. All of which contribute to our tour currently being rated the number one experience in Waitomo on Trip Advisor. We also have a very generous cancelation policy which is a full refund if you cancel 24hrs before your tour begins. Unfortunately we can not refund customers after the fact, as we have very limited spaces.

Awesome experience

Tina_W, Jul 2021

Had an amazing guide who made us feel comfortable. Was extremely lucky as we were the only two on the tour which made it special Had an amazing time and would definitely do it again

Amazing experience.

Julian_A, Feb 2020

Amazing, brilliant, exciting, personal attention. Not enough superlatives to describe this wonderful experience. Best day of the holiday by far. To see and understand all about glow worms in their natural habitat and to combine it with a true caving experience, rather than just seeing them from a boat or raft, can not be underestimated.

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Thanks Julian, we’re so glad you enjoyed your up close encounter with our special glow worms. We have been careful not to modify our caves with electric lights or anything else that would disturb them. It keeps it really authentic for our guests too. We hope you enjoyed your email with the complimentary personal photos of your experience :-)

Glowing beauty

Mike, Feb 2020

Beautiful uncrowned cave tour and knowledgeable guide. Out of this world glowworms and professional photo courtesy of the guide. Thanks!

Glow worm phenomenon

bk9572, Feb 2020

The best experience ever! The climax of our trip to NZ! We’ve hiked quite a few places, but this was next level! I highly recommend and I would do it again when I come back to Visit! You get up close to the glow worms and the guide takes phenomenal photos of you in the cave!

Unforgettable experience!

brainybrunettebarbie, Feb 2020

Not your average tour...way better! The guide (Ash) was so knowledgeable and funny! It ended up being just my boyfriend and I on the tour and we got to see the caves for almost 3 hours! An absolutely unforgettable experience.

Great tour, amazing glowworm cave visit--with photos

PuiChi_I, Jan 2020

The caves are under the ground of a private owned farm. Heath guided us and told us about the environment and the stories. It was a small group private tour. We were provided with all necessary clothes and gears. The clothes were clean. The view of the places that we visited was fantastic. The glowworm cave that Heath took us to see had lots of glowworm, more than another tour that we also joined. The tour was fun. We walked into the water, hiked, climbed and crawled. It was fun but not physically challenged. My whole family enjoyed it very much. And the great bonus is that this tour allowed us to bring phone or pocket-size camera. We took some beautiful photos. The glowworm cave was too dark to take photo, but Health brought his mini-tripod for his phone, and he took a great picture for us, just under the glowworm! I highly recommend this tour!

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