Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park
Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park, Qualicum Beach: Hours, Address, Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park Reviews: 4.5/5
Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park
Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Explore the Hidden Gem of Vancouver Island, now open with limited daily tour departures, smaller group sizes and new health and safety protocols. Winner of BC’s Remarkable Experience Award and ranked #1 of 22 Things To Do IN Vancouver Island. Explore this park in 3D - above by hiking through the beautiful rainforest Fossil Trail or venturing underground on a guided tour. Start your journey with a short hike through the forest to reach the cave entrance. Here you’ll begin a fascinating subterranean experience. As you step away from the emerald forest and deeper into the cave, a new world of crystal formations, marbled passages and ancient fossils are revealed. Navigate ramps, ladders and slides to meander through the caverns. Feel the cool air. Listen to the sound of your guide’s voice, the steady drip of water or the rumbling of an unexpected waterfall. Turn off your headlamp to heighten your senses and absorb the power of complete darkness on this fun and educational adventure!
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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4.5
564 reviews
Excellent
429
Very good
108
Average
15
Poor
7
Terrible
5
Critical Guy
Comox, Canada31 contributions
Caves? You call these caves?
Mar. 2021
Tiny little crevices you have to “crawl”on your stomach to inch your way through, that’s the type of “caves” being referenced in “Horne Lake Caves”. Definitely do not go if you’re claustrophobic. It’s not difficult to explore, it’s like exploring your grandfathers’ attic space.
Written June 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cave_Park_Director
I think you made a wrong turn somewhere, CriticalGuy. Nowhere on the Riverbend Cave Explorer do you have to "crawl on your stomach to inch your way through". Same with our only other tour, the Multi-Cave Experience. Not sure where you were but please come back so we can point you to "standing up caves" with fossils, crystals and underground waterfalls. Way cooler than grandfather's attic space.
Written June 10, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Elea
Campbell River, Canada5 contributions
Your curiosity will lead the way
Nov. 2020 • Friends
Been there twice and will be back for the extreme cave and rappel tour as soon as it is possible!
Crew is always very welcoming and make us feel comfortable.
Caves are amazing, don't want to spoil what you see in there but I can say it's worth it! The amount of knowledge transmitted is contagious and makes you want to learn more!
To sum up, I'd say excitement is guaranteed, I recommand 😃
Crew is always very welcoming and make us feel comfortable.
Caves are amazing, don't want to spoil what you see in there but I can say it's worth it! The amount of knowledge transmitted is contagious and makes you want to learn more!
To sum up, I'd say excitement is guaranteed, I recommand 😃
Written May 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Mariia B
1 contribution
Great experience that you will not forget
Nov. 2020
It was my first experience with the caves and I absolutely loved it! Both, me and my partner, were extremely grateful to have this experience. The most memorable part was when we all turned off our head lamps and we set in the complete darkness for the couple of minutes. Unforgettable experience!
Written December 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Harp S
1 contribution
AWSOME!
Oct. 2020
Great experience. I feel it made my and my partner closer. The waterfall climb, the beautiful rock formations and the overall feeling was such an amazing experience. Guide was very Punny and knowledgeable.
Written October 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kim B
New York City, NY1 contribution
Caving at its finest!
Oct. 2020
Curtis was a great guide! The caves did not disappoint. There were a lot of fun experiences. We definitely want to come back when the longer tour is back up & running.
Written October 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hannah
Langford, Canada3 contributions
Amazing caving
Oct. 2020 • Business
Went up to Horne lake caves with my class, west coast adventure college. And I was not disappointed. The guide Myles was super nice and full of funny dad jokes, and knowledge. We went into the main cave where u get to climb this little water fall, go down slides they have installed and my favourite part was turning our head lights off and really experiencing what darkness really is. And we also ventured into the river rock cave I believe it is called. And that one had some really cool stuff, lots and lots of calcite. Thank you so much Horne lake caves! I’ll definitely be coming back in the near future!
Written October 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nora L
Red Deer, Canada32 contributions
Great caving experience
Sep. 2020
Myles did an excellent job of sharing his love of caves with us on this spelunking adventure. This is not an event for anyone with mobility issues as there is a switchback hike up to the first cave, which is an old river bed, with large boulders to clamber over. Nevertheless, it was an amazing experience and we had a lot of fun. There was a focus on safety, with hand sanitizer, masks, helmets and teaching about using a 3 point position at all times for stability. We dressed for the 8 degree cave temperatures, but be sure to wear layers as the mask and exercise kept us warmer than we expected. Group members with claustrophobia actually had no difficulty on this excursion, largely due to the excellent guiding and coaching of Myles.
Written September 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Annette M
Burnaby, Canada22 contributions
Epic!
Sep. 2020 • Couples
Great experience. My only difficulty was fogging glasses because we were required to wear masks in the cave. The guide was very knowledgable and went at a pace so all could enjoy.
Written September 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cdns_on_vacation
Halifax13 contributions
Great caving experience
Sep. 2020
Had a great caving experience at Horne Lake Caves. Our guide Myles was extremely knowledgeable, and did a wonderful job sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm for caving with the group. The calcite features in Riverbend cave were quite impressive, and the waterfall chute climb was challenging and fun. Knee pads would have made the experience more enjoyable for me, and I certainly was happy I had gloves, so I would recommend both. Thanks!
Written September 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Walter D
Abbotsford, Canada40 contributions
More than met expectations
Sep. 2020 • Couples
Went to the caves for a tour. The safety briefing was clear and covered the important points including the wearing of masks due to Covid. The total time for the tour was over 2 1/2 hrs and were slowed down by some inexperienced climbers who struggled going up and over rocks and tight spaces. That aside, the experience inside the caves was amazing. The sights and the total black out moment was truly amazing. Would highly recommend the tour to anyone who would be going near the area.
Written September 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
kris-goes-places
191 contributions
My husband and I are pretty good with hikes although long distances and steep inclines would wear me down quickly. But we are not.. ahem...skinny. We are definitely the other side of skinny. Should we even bother, or is it likely that we quite frankly could not squeeze through?
Geni T
Victoria Capital Regional District, Canada28 contributions
We just did the multi-cave tour, and there were some optional places to climb or squeeze through. Our guide claimed some very large people had made it on these sections, and it’s far more about how adventurous you are and willing to squish yourself than anything else. As long as you’re in reasonable shape, the trail up to the caves is definitely a moderate (though not long) climb and you need to be strong enough to get around rocks with an overhang, doing a bit of a crab walk in a few places. It’s never for long, and there’s lots of spots to rest and look at formations. Try the 1 hour tour, see if you like it!
Cindy D
Calgary32 contributions
We're both in our 60s and not particularly fit, travelling with my 7 year old granddaughter. Is the first leg of the cave tour suitable for our little group?
johnG2004FS
Nanaimo, Canada51 contributions
I would describe the hike to the main cave and the journey into the cave as moderate in activity level If you are comfortable with hiking through uneven terrain, you will be fine. There were 6 year old twins in our group and did fine with extra help from their dad.
Melissa Hansen
Tofino, Canada90 contributions
Are they any tours or activities that would include a three year old?
notoverthehillat70
Nanaimo, Canada39 contributions
Unfortunately there is nothing organized for really young children. There are trails you can walk for free. Not sure if that would hold their interest, it would depend on the 3 year old.
Danielle_Allen
Victoria, Canada15 contributions
I'm considering the 4 hour tour as there is a Groupon available. My concern is I'm claustrophobic. How tight are the spaces (site says the height of a picnic table) and for how long of a distance? I can handle short durations but if it goes on for too long, I'm out.
islandholidaymaker
Vancouver Island, Canada331 contributions
It's very tight in places. But they told me the two hour tour was more open although I did the one hour which I assumed would be easy and it was NOT! Crouching, squeezing, climbing....barely enough room to get through in spots. I loved it but you need to be fit, agile and definitely ok with tight spaces. Ask them about the two hour tour though, they are very approachable and will give you an honest review.
AsiatripWQB
Vancouver, Canada130 contributions
Do we need to tip the tour guide?
Eddie M
Hammel, Denmark534 contributions
No if you do not want to
Shawé H
2 contributions
How good/bad is the gravel road ? can a normal car go there ?
Cave_Park_Director
Qualicum Beach, Canada3 contributions
Yes the road is a publicly-maintained gravel road. No problem for cars just take it easy on the speed. As summer is peak time around the lake, watch out for oncoming traffic - everything from ATV's to logging trucks share this road. Drive slow with headlights on and be ready to pull over and stop if necessary.
lbsowen
Black Diamond, WA32 contributions
Is there an upper age limit for the 3 hour tour?
Barry K
Ottawa, Canada101 contributions
They don't mention anything about an upper age limit, but you need to be somewhat fit and sure footed. We were on the 90 minute Family tour and there was a woman there with her 80 year old mother...she managed the hike up to the cave entrance but when she got inside she had second thoughts about the decent into the cave. I believe the 3 hour tour is much more physically challenging.
Danny T
0 contributions
Hi,
How do you get to the caves from downtown vancouver? How long does the ferry ride take? Thanks!
Spartan72
Victoria44 contributions
From Downtown Vancouver, you would take the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay (Nanaimo). The ferry ride is 1 hr, 35 min (sailing time), then by car it would be about 45 minutes north of Nanaimo. As previously stated in the other reply, I would think you would need to have a car, as the caves are actually about 15/20 minutes off the hiway near a little town called Bowser. Take the clothing recommendations on the tour seriously as well unless you want to get wet. It is really cool. One of those things that I cant believe I have lived on the island most of my life, but waited a long time to see.
