Famous caves, geysers and blowholes: the surprising geological tourist attractions
From the geysers of Iceland to Belize's Big Blue Hole and New Zealand's caves full of glowworms, visitors around the world flock to see some of nature's most unusual and incredible sights. We look at some of the best geological and geothermal attractions around the world.
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Strokkur geyser, Iceland
Strokkur, in the Haukadalur valley, is Iceland's most visited geyser because it's so reliable, with eruptions happening about every 10 minutes or so, making it ideal for tourists looking to experience Iceland's famous natural beauty.
Strokkur usually erupts to about 15 or 20 metres, but has been known to get as high as 40 metres.
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Strokkur, Iceland
The Blue Grotto, Croatia
On the island of Biševo off the coast of Croatia lies one of Europe's most famous caves and one of the Adriatic's most popular natural beauty spots, the Blue Grotto (or Blue Cave) Modra špilja. For a brief time each day (between 11am and noon) the sunlight hits the water through an underwater opening. As the red wavelengths are filtered out the cave becomes illuminated by a brilliant blue, made all the more beautiful by the almost white seabed.
The Blue Grotto was once only accessible by divers, but an artificial entrance was created in 1884 to allow access to boats so more people could experience the iridescent blue glowing effect, and the cave now sees about 10,000 visitors a year.
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Blue Grotto, Croatia
The Great Blue Hole, Belize
Soar above the coast of Belize and you’ll glimpse the wonders of the deep, or don your scuba gear and make a beeline for Lighthouse Reef, where the Great Blue Hole lures divers into its yawning 1,000-foot-round cavern.
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Great Blue Hole, Belize
Kimberly’s Big Hole, South Africa
After the discovery of an 83-carat diamond in 1871, people rushed to South Africa to dig frantically – and deep – for more buried treasure. Today, the world’s largest man-made hole stands as a reminder of the diamond-rush days and as you peer into the 1,097-metre abyss, ponder where those three tons of diamonds may have ended up…
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Kimberly’s Big Hole, South Africa
Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone, USA
Yellowstone's Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the USA, and one of the largest in the world. First noticed by geologists in 1871, the 90 metre wide spring is now a popular tourist attraction.
The spring gets its magnificent colour from microbial mats around the edges of the water, and the colour changes depending on the temperature. In summer they're orange and red, while in winter they're dark green.
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Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone
The Blue Grotto sea caves, Malta
One of the most popular tourist attractions in Malta is the Blue Grotto, a number of sea caverns on south east Malta. The brilliant blue is thanks to the perfect combination of a reflective white limestone seabed and clear shallow water which all add up to make the blue more vibrant, making it a popular destination for boat trips and diving, attracting over 100,000 visitors a year.
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Blue Grotto, Malta
Caves of Nerja, Spain
This extensive cave in the Province of Malaga, Spain, is one of Spain's key tourist attractions, and has been attracting people into its depths for thousands of years. In fact, cave paintings dating back 42,000 years have been discovered inside - some of the oldest cave paintings in the world.
These days visitors can enjoy concerts inside the chambers, which form a natural amphitheatre. Much of the Nerja Caves remain closed to the public, however, with the high galleries and new galleries area only discovered in the late 60s.
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Nerja Caves, Spain
Pōhutu Geyser, New Zealand
Rotorua, on New Zealand’s North Island, is home to some incredible geological and geothermal sights. One of the most popular is Pōhutu Geyser in the Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley, the largest geyser in the southern hemisphere.
The regular eruptions (up to twenty times day) make for a wonderful sight, with eruptions reaching up to 30 metres into the air. The geyser is shared with Te Puia, home to the New Zealand Māori Arts & Crafts Institute, so a visit to Pōhutu is also a great time to learn about Māori culture and see some traditional performances.
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Pōhutu Geyser, New Zealand
Kiama Blowhole, Australia
At Kiama Blowhole in New South Wales, Australia spectators may want to stand a respectful distance away as it is one of the most powerful sea-cave blowholes in the world. With water spurting up to a staggering 30 metres, not only will you get soaked, you may get swept away in the Pacific surf.
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Kiama blowhole, Australia
Benagil Cave, Portugal
The Algarve on the coast of Portugal is well known for its sea caves between Lagos and Albufeira, and one of the most popular is Benagil Cave. The ceiling and side of the sea cave have eroded over time, creating large gaps for light to enter, creating a beautiful cave that’s bright and airy. Due to overtourism and the risk of damage, only sanctioned tours are allowed into the grotto, and boats are not allowed to land on the beach.
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Benagil Cave, Portugal
Postojna Cave, Slovenia
Slovenia is a country with a rich subterranean landscape, and one of the most celebrated is Postojna Cave, the largest underground canyon in Europe. The River Reka flows through over 24km of karst cave system, and it has become one of Slovenia’s top tourist sites. In fact, visitors have been visiting Postojna for hundreds of years, with graffiti in the caves dating back as early as 1213, and the caves even had electric lighting installed in 1884, long before Slovenia’s capital city, to make it easier for tourists to look around.
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Postojna Cave, Slovenia
Ik-Kil, Mexico
Travellers to the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, are just as drawn to the ancient Mayan site of Chichén Itzá as they are to Ik-Kil, another Mayan site where royalty once bathed in the dazzling blue water. Known as ‘cenotes’, there are thought to be thousands of these natural wells scattered along the Mexican coast.
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Ik-Kil, Mexico
Drach Caves, Majorca, Spain
It isn't just beautiful beaches and stunning gothic architecture that keeps visitors to Majorca busy. The island is also home to fascinating geological attractions, including one of the largest underwater lakes in Europe, Lake Martel in the Drach Caves (Cuevas del Drach).
The Drach Caves are made up of four interconnected caves - the Black Cave, White Cave, Cave of Luis Salvador and Cave of the French. The caves are beautifully illuminated and a tour of the cave system is followed by a short live music concert, making for a truly memorable experience.
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Drach Caves, Majorca, Spain
Waitomo Glowworm Caves, New Zealand
The North Island of New Zealand is home to a truly remarkable cave system just two hours south of Auckland. Waitomo, from the Māori words ‘wai’ (water) and ‘tomo’ (hole), is home to an assortment of creatures including albino cave ants and giant crickets, but it’s the thousands of glowworms which make the grotto such a popular visitor attraction.
Half a million people a year journey to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves to take a boat ride along the underground river and marvel at the glowworms lighting up the walls and ceiling.
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Waitomo Glowworm Caves, New Zealand
Gomantong Caves, Malaysia
If you’re looking to combine a subterranean adventure with some wildlife watching, the Gomantong Caves in Sabah, Malaysia are the perfect option. The caves are in a protected wildlife area that’s home to everything from much-loved orangutans to a species of endangered land snail.
The cave's most famous residents are the cave swiftlets. Their nests, crafted from their own saliva, are sustainably harvested twice a year to make birds nest soup.
The limestone cave is also home to a huge bat population, and each night tourists gather to watch them leave the cave. Bat hawks are also seen in the area, hunting for bats as they leave the roost. Inside the cave a raised board walk makes it easy to get around, but be warned the cave is also home to scorpions and giant centipedes.
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Gomantong Caves, Malaysia
Old Faithful, Yellowstone, USA
One of the most famous geysers in the world is found in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA. As its name suggests, Old Faithful’s eruptions can be predicted with a 90% accuracy rate, with eruptions happening on average every 92 minutes, putting on a grand show for the 4 million visitors Yellowstone sees each year. The Old Faithful Geyser Loop Trail is less than a mile, and it even features wheelchair friendly boardwalks around the geyser, making it an easily accessible attraction.
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Old Faithful, Yellowstone, USA
Charco de los Clicos, Lanzarote
The small fishing village of El Golfo in Lanzarote is famous for its unusual beachside attraction. Charco de los Clicos, also known as Charco Verde or the 'green lagoon', was formed by a volcanic crater that's connected to the sea underground. The unusual green colour of the lake comes from algae, minerals and sulphurs.
It's no wonder this prehistoric looking sight was chosen as a filming location for the 1966 film One Million Years BC, starring Raquel Welch. The green lagoon and surrounding lunar landscapes of Timanfaya National Park are worth a trip during a Canary Islands holiday, although swimming is strictly prohibited in the Charo de los Clicos.
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Charco de los Clicos, Lanzarote
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