Ninety seconds on Crystal Caves
One walk across a floating pontoon puts you over an underground lake clear enough to show the cave's formations below the waterline. Of the two show caves on this property, this is the one with the lake; Fantasy Cave is next door.
What you have come to see is a lake inside a cave. The lowest part of the cave lies under water, and the lake is so clear that the stalactites and rock formations carry on down beneath the pontoons, several metres below the surface.
Look up as often as you look down. The roof is hung with white stalactites, rare chandelier clusters and delicate crystallised soda straws, while stalagmites rise from the floor. Some formations are snapped off, broken long before the cave was found.
Two twelve-year-old boys looking for a lost cricket ball found the opening, and the cave has been open to visitors for more than a century. Your guide tells the story of how it was found on the way down.
Walk in from the road through the palm-lined garden and follow the path to the ticket booth. From April to September a tour leaves every quarter of an hour; from October to March it leaves on the hour and at half past, so a missed tour in winter means a longer wait.
The guide leads the group down the stair into the cave and talks through its history and geology as you go. At the bottom the route runs out over the lake on floating pontoons, with the formations below you in the water. Flash photography is not allowed, and there is no swimming.
There is no going round on your own: every visit is a guided tour, and the commentary covers how the cave formed and how it was found. If you want both caves, buy the combined ticket, which adds Fantasy Cave next door. Combined tours run in set windows: all day from Friday to Sunday, but only in the morning and late afternoon from Monday to Thursday.
Bring a sweatshirt or a light jacket. The air turns noticeably cooler as you go down, and now and then a drop of water falls from the ceiling onto your head.
Running shoes with rubber soles are enough, but the steps are wet from drips and humidity and can be slippery, so take them slowly on the climb out. Cafe Ole on the property closes at half past four, so eat first if you are coming late in the day.
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