Caves & caverns worth the detour
Detourmap maps 1,086 caves & caverns across 109 countries — show caves, grottoes, lava tubes. The most famous is Ajanta Caves in India; United Kingdom has the most (106). The 96 best known are below — every one with a photo and a Wikipedia article.
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Ajanta Caves
Caves & caverns · 2nd century BC · Iconic
2nd century BCE to 1st century CE Buddhist cave monuments located in Maharashtra, India
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Son Doong Cave
Caves & caverns · Iconic
Largest cave passage in the world, located near the Laos-Vietnam border
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Cave of Altamira
Caves & caverns · 130th century BC · Iconic
Cave with prehistoric paintings in Spain
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Ellora Caves
Caves & caverns · Iconic
Ancient cave temples of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism in Maharashtra, India
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Lascaux
Caves & caverns · Renowned
Cave in southwestern France famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings
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Bhimbetka rock shelters
Caves & caverns · Renowned
30,000+ years old archaeological World Heritage site in Madhya Pradesh, India
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Elephanta Caves
Caves & caverns · Renowned
Shiva cave temples and UNESCO world heritage site on a Mumbai harbor island
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Cavern of the Patriarchs
Caves & caverns · Renowned
Series of caves located in the heart of the old city of Hebron
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Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Caves & caverns · 20th century · Renowned
United States National Park in the Guadalupe Mountains in southeastern New Mexico
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Batu Caves
Caves & caverns · Renowned
Limestone hill that has a series of caves and cave temples in Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia
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Gorham's Cave
Caves & caverns · Notable
Natural sea cave in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar; one of the last known habitations of the Neanderthals in Europe
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Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
Caves & caverns · Notable
Buffalo jump located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Canada
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Azykh Cave
Caves & caverns · Notable
Six-cave complex known as a living site of stone-age man in Azerbaijan
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Jeita Grotto
Caves & caverns · Notable
System of two separate, but interconnected, karstic limestone caves 18 km north of Beirut
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Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain
Caves & caverns · 20th century · Notable
Cave with prehistoric art and World Heritage Site in Spain
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Petralona cave
Caves & caverns · Notable
Cave and archeological location in Petralona, Chalkidiki, Greece
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Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley
Caves & caverns · Notable
UNESCO World Heritage Site of prehistoric decorated caves in the Vézère Valley, France
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Moravian Karst
Caves & caverns · Notable
Karst landscape and protected landscape area in Czech Republic
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Cueva de los Verdes
Caves & caverns · Notable
Lava tube and tourist attraction in Haria, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain
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Rosh HaNikra grottoes
Caves & caverns · Notable
Geologic formation in northern Israel; white chalk cliff face which opens up into spectacular grottos
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Coreca Caves
Caves & caverns · Notable
Group of two karstic caves in the commune of Amantea in southern Italy
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Tabun cave
Caves & caverns · Notable
Cave; part of Nahal Me’arot / Wadi el-Mughara archaeological site in the Carmel mountain range in northern Israel
Caves & caverns by country
Every country with at least one. Those with eight or more have their own page.
- United Kingdom106
- United States77
- India63
- France62
- Spain51
- Germany49
- Italy46
- China28
- Greece28
- Australia25
- Mexico24
- Israel22
- Turkey22
- Japan21
- Croatia19
- Iran19
- Slovakia16
- South Africa16
- Brazil15
- Bulgaria15
- New Zealand15
- Russia14
- Serbia14
- Czech Republic13
- Georgia13
- Austria12
- Slovenia12
- Bosnia and Herzegovina11
- Portugal11
- Belgium10
- Switzerland10
- Malta9
- Ukraine9
- Vietnam9
- Ireland8
- Philippines8
- Canada7
- Malaysia7
- Poland7
- South Korea7
- Romania6
- Taiwan6
- Albania5
- Azerbaijan5
- Egypt5
- Hungary5
- Iceland5
- Indonesia5
- Laos5
- Nepal5
- Belize4
- Guatemala4
- Myanmar4
- Thailand4
- Chile3
- Dominican Republic3
- Finland3
- Kosovo3
- Morocco3
- Palestine3
- Peru3
- Algeria2
- Argentina2
- Iraq2
- Jordan2
- Kyrgyzstan2
- Lebanon2
- Libya2
- Namibia2
- North Macedonia2
- Oman2
- Pakistan2
- Sri Lanka2
- Sweden2
- Tanzania2
- Venezuela2
- West Bank2
- Armenia1
- Aruba1
- Bangladesh1
- Barbados1
- Cambodia1
- Cuba1
- Curaçao1
- Denmark1
- Djibouti1
- Ecuador1
- El Salvador1
- Ethiopia1
- Francia1
- Gibraltar1
- Honduras1
- Jamaica1
- Latvia1
- Mongolia1
- Montenegro1
- Nigeria1
- North Korea1
- Norway1
- Qatar1
- Saudi Arabia1
- Somaliland1
- The Bahamas1
- Timor-Leste1
- United Arab Emirates1
- Uruguay1
- Vatican City1
- Yemen1
- Zimbabwe1