Te Anau Glowworm Caves

Te Anau Glowworm Caves Where the stars shine all day Book now Te Anau

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Experience a mysterious underground world with a guided cave tour past the rushing water of an underground stream before drifting in silent darkness beneath the luminous shimmer of hundreds of glowworms.

Your trip to the Te Anau Glowworm Caves begins with a cruise to the western shores of Lake Te Anau on one of our purpose-built scenic cruise vessels.

At the entry to the caves at Cavern House, view the informative displays and learn about this geological wonder before you join your guide underground. On the tour of the caves, our friendly guides will point out the highlights and share their knowledge of the caves and its history.

This underground world is astonishingly beautiful. By geological standards, the caves are very young (12,000 years) and are still being carved out by the force of the river that flows through them. The result is a twisting network of limestone passages filled with sculpted rock, whirlpools and a roaring underground waterfall.

Deep inside the caves, beyond the roar of the water, you will be taken by small boat into a silent hidden grotto inhabited by hundreds of glowworms, unique to New Zealand. In the subterranean darkness, they produce a glittering display that is nothing short of extraordinary.

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What’s included

Scenic cruise across Lake Te Anau
Guided tour of the caves by path and by small boat
Complimentary tea and coffee

Departure Location

Trips to the Glowworm Caves depart from the RealNZ Visitor Centre, 85 Lakefront Drive, Te Anau.

Getting to Te Anau

Self-drive - Te Anau is about a 2.5 hour drive from Queenstown and around 5 hours from Dunedin.

What to bring

Non-slip shoes/boots, waterproof jacket, warm sweater/fleece jacket (It’s always cold in the cave 8 - 12ºC), sunscreen/ sunglasses, insect repellent, camera and personal medication (including for asthma and allergies).

Please Note: Photography and video filming are NOT permitted inside the cave. Some bending is required at the cave entrance and steps are involved.

Well worth this - best I have been on 3 December 2022

We absolutely loved this trip. We were just expecting a run of the mill caves and standing in the dark to see the glow worms. This trip is so much more. just the adventure of walking on a series of steel grate platforms and steps above a clear torrent stream over waterfalls, eddies and miniature gorges was worth it, then to hop on a boat and be pulled through a mini lake in the dark and quite to view the magical glow worms was absolutely fantastic. Highly recommend this if you can book the very popular trip.
Fiona T, Via TripAdvisor

Breathtaking experience 1 November 2022

It was the highlight of our trip to the South Island of New Zealand. Booked spontaneously on our way to Milford Sound and was blown away. Great commentary, super unique experience.
12taylerc, Via TripAdvisor

Ecologically sound 26 April 2022

Absolutely loved this place - the informative presentation with great local humour made it great fun for everyone. The majestical glow worms, their sticky traps and their cannibalistic behaviour was fascinating. The history of the whole place going back millennia was awe inspiring. I especially loved the crashing waterfalls in the caves. This company provides a great value for time and money. Highly recommend.
GourmandNZ, Budapest, Hungary, Via TripAdvisor

Excellent Tour 18 August 2022

Fantastic experience, the cave was incredible, as were the glow worms. Staff and guides are excellent. Definitely don’t miss doing this tour if your coming to Te Anua
O4909IGmelaniec, Via TripAdvisor

Fantastic experience 1 November 2022

Amazing! If you are on the fence about this, do it! It was an incredible experience. Great, informative staff, amazing tour, lots of glow worms when we went :) would absolutely do this again and recommend to family/friends
Karin1427, Via TripAdvisor

Glow Worm Caves 18 October 2022

This was a great and informative tour. We were short on time and this afternoon tour fit perfectly into our schedule. Everything from the boat tour to the glow worm caves to the slide show was wonderful. Would recommend 100%.
Katey_B, Via Viator

Great Trip 8 June 2022

This was a lovely trip and tour, tour guide on the boat over to the cave was great and informative, gave lots of great information about Lake Te anau and the Fiordland national park. Logan our guide in the cave to see the glow worms was also really good, great trip all around and worth it too check out.
flyingeagle2223 Dunedin, New Zealand, Via TripAdvisor

In case you haven't found the information you were looking for, we've put together some of the most common questions our customers ask about our trips. If you need more specific answers, please contact us directly.

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How long does it take to travel to Te Anau?

From Queenstown to Te Anau by car or coach takes around 2 hrs 45 mins and from Manapouri around 30 minutes. For more information refer to our Driving Times webpage.

Can you use cameras or videos in the Te Anau Glowworm Caves?

Photography and video cameras are not permitted in the Glowworm Caves because flash lights affect the glowworms and visitor acclimatisation to the dark.

What is the best time of day to visit the Glowworm Caves?

It’s always dark inside the caves, so you’ll be able to see the glowworms on any departure. Daylight hours do vary significantly in NZ so for evening tours it may be dark for the cruise across Lake Te Anau to reach the caves, or on your return. Just choose a departure which fits best with your itinerary.

What are conditions like in the caves ?

Inside the caves the temperature is a fairly constant 8 - 12ºCelsius, so bring a warm sweater/fleece jacket. At the entrance to the caves there is a large rock overhang and bending is required to pass this section. There are steps and often the walkways are wet, so care is required in the subdued light.

Online transactions/prices are conducted in what currency?

All prices and transactions on the RealNZ website are in New Zealand dollars (NZD). This is specified on the Terms & Conditions page.

What happens if there is an emergency?

Our staff are trained to deal with incidents and in case of an emergency you should listen to their instructions.
We have a portable defibrillator on each of our overnight cruise vessels (Milford Mariner, Milford Wanderer and Fiordland Navigator).
In addition to this we also have portable defibrillators at the following locations:
•    Milford Sound Visitor Terminal
•    RealNZ Visitor Centre, Manapouri
•    Cavern House (Te Anau Glowworm Caves)
•    Colonel’s Homestead Restaurant, Walter Peak
•    TSS Earnslaw Vintage Steamship
•    Stewart Island Ferry (Bluff - Oban - Bluff)

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