Ngilgi Cave Tour Informative Review 2024
Visit Ngilgi Cave if you’re looking for an awe-inspiring natural attraction off the beaten path in the Margaret River Region. This immense cave system rich in limestone formations, including stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, beautiful crystals and shawls, offers visitors a unique and unforgettable experience.
As WA locals, we have visited all the caves and enjoy taking our visitors there too.
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Ngilgi Cave Tickets
Rating: 4.5/5⭐️ with over 1,000 reviews
Tour Length: 1 hour
Stuck for time? This is a summary of the incredible Jewel Cave Tour.
Open: 9 am to 5 pm daily (except Christmas Day).
Semi-guided tours depart every half hour from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm.
One of the best caves for families with young children. They will love all lights and the hidden slide!
Beautifully decorated cave, with stalactites, stalagmites, helictites and shawls.
Western Australia’s first tourist attraction.
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Location of Ngilgi Cave
Ngilgi Cave is located at 76 Yallingup Caves Road, close to Yallingup in Western Australia’s South West.
It is just off Caves Road between Dunsborough and Yallingup.
The History of Ngilgi Cave
Ngilgi Cave (pronounced “Neel-gee”) was discovered in 1899 by Edward Dawson, who also became the first tour guide. Many stories exist about how he stumbled across it, but it is thought that he was looking for stray horses.
The Karst cave system dates back half a million years, and fossils of the Tasmanian Tiger have been found here.
It was originally named Yallingup Cave but was changed to Ngilgi Cave to acknowledge Australian Aboriginal mythology.
Ngilgi, the Great Spirit of the Ocean, is part of the bedtime story of the local Wardandi people. They are now the custodians of the caves within the area.
Cost of Ngilgi Cave Tour
The cost of this semi-guided tour is A$24 per adult and A$12 for children aged 4 to 16. Under 4’s are free of charge.
Opening Times of Ngilgi Cave
Tours run daily except for Christmas Day.
The first tour is at 9.30 am and runs every half hour, with the last at 4 pm.
When to Visit Ngilgi Cave
The temperature inside the cave is a constant 20 Degrees throughout the year, which makes it the ideal place to visit at any time.
Ngilgi Cave Tour Review
There are many tours on offer at Ngilgi Cave, but we decided on this semi-guided tour.
The tour starts with a guide explaining the cave’s geology and Aboriginal history and beliefs.
You are then left to your own devices to explore the cave at your leisure. A tour guide is there for any questions you may have.
We found it easy to navigate and not cramped like some caves. You do need to be mindful of the height, though. There are quite a few stairs to negotiate, but you don’t have to go down them all in one go.
Boardwalks take you through the cave, where lights illuminate the various formations. Stunning examples of stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, and beautiful crystals and shawls exist.
There’s a part where children can climb through a tunnel and down a slide. Our girls loved this! I may have also had a go but ssshhhh!!
The Touch Table was a big hit with them, too, as they could touch the crystals. A guide was there to explain all about the crystals and answer any other questions we had.
The tour lasted about an hour, and we found that was enough time to see everything and take photos (no tripods or selfie sticks allowed, though).
The Ngilgi Cave tour was good value and worth doing.
Accommodation near Ngiligi Cave
If you are still looking for somewhere to stay close by, see this guide on the best Yallingup accommodation.
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